"Five spices." Often used in Asian cooking it usually consists of finely ground cloves, cinnamon or cassia bark, star anise, Sichuan pepper and fennel seeds. The resulting flavour is almost of liquorice.
Barbel. A European river fish related to the carp with little taste, many bones and barbels around the mouth. It has a brown back, yellowish sides and a white abdomen. It is usually poached or braised. A small one is known as a barbillon.
To cut a vegetable into thin strips or ribbons. To shred or cut in julienne strips. It also means to cut skin of meat or fish.
To score, or make incisions in the skin of meat or fish to prevent cracking during cooking and to speed up the cooking process. It also means to cut a vegetable into strips.
A disc of creamy, supple, semihard cheese made with raw, whole cow’s milk. It has a supple, golden-yellow paste and smooth, rust-coloured, washed rind. It has been made since 1925 by the Cistercian monks at the Abbaye de Cîteaux, south of Dijon in Burgundy in France where it is made from the milk of Montbéliardes cows. It is eaten all year round but is at its best from June to November. It contains 45% fat (dry). The curds are uncooked and unpressed. It usually measures 18 cm (7") diameter x 3.5 cm (1 ½ ") deep and weighs around 700 g (1½ lbs). Affinage is from three to six weeks.
