I'm trying to get a better understanding of all the little french words that usually just mean fruit and sugar. Here's a primer:
Coulis: French for "strained liquid" - that's just what it is! A coulis can be sweet or savory. The base is either a fruit or a (cooked) vegetable. Puree, season (like with lemon or salt) and then strain to remove seeds and such. A very common one is
raspberry coulis - often served with something chocolatey. Behold:
Compote: Cooked fruit dessert with rich syrup. Can be warm or chilled. Here's one with
figs and cinnamon:
Chutney: This one seems a lot like a compote to me. It's fruit & sugar that are combined, sometimes with vinegar, and simmered slowly. Usually sweet & sour, but can be spiced. The most common is probably
Mango:
Gastrique: Thick, syrupy reduction (we've heard this before) of vinegar or wine, sugar and usually fruit. Often served over meat or seafood to add a fruit flavor to the dish. It's thinner (like the coulis):
Aioli: When seasonings or flavors are mixed with mayonaise. Lookie:
Remoulade: Similar to the aioli, it's mayo-based. But a remoulade is more similar to tartar sauce and includes mixed herbs, veggies, etc.
Granita: semi-frozen dessert of sugar, water and some kind of fresh fruit or vegetable juice. Originally from Sicily, it's a little more coarse and crystalline than a sorbet, maybe more like italian ice. For this one you don't cook anything. Just stir juice with sugar and maybe lemon or a pinch of salt, and then pop it in the freezer, scraping it around with a fork every couple of hours to break it up. Now that's simple! Here's a watermelon granita:
I'm sure there are more. I'll add them as I think of them!
