A sweet pastry in Touraine.

A description of pastry which has been overworked or poorly mixed, making it tough and heavy.

Cordial. A stimulating drink, sweet and aromatic of liqueur or brandy.

A ring-shaped doughnut from Vivarais which is boiled and then baked. It is traditionally eaten on Palm Sunday.

"Rope, cord." A wide band of thick sauce or gravy surrounding the food on its serving dish.

The "Blue Ribbon", traditionally awarded to female chefs for excellence. It now refers to classic French cooking. It is said that Louis XV so enjoyed a meal with his mistress, Madame Dubarry, that he called for the chef. To his astonishment the chef was a woman - almost unknown at that time. He created an honour for her on the spot - the Cordon Bleu.

Shoestring potatoes. Long thin strips of potato fried in oil, similar to crisps (US: potato chips).

"Red ribbon." A method of preparing tournedos by larding with Parma ham and stuffing with foie gras, then sautéing. It is served en croûte decorated with julienne of red pepper (US: sweet red bell pepper) formed into a cross and a brandy sauce.

Powan. Whitefish. Houting. Vendace. A small relation of char or lake whitefish and is a slightly oily freshwater fish of northern Europe, prepared in the same way as trout. It can be baked or fried.