This week my youngest granddaughter came for a visit. At just 5 years old, she is already quickly becoming a cook. She loves to do all of it: stir, break eggs, use the electric mixer, grease the pan – even clean the dishes, and she does quite well with all of it.

This chick can crack an egg like no one I’ve ever seen. One, strong tap on the side of the bowl and she is pulling the shell apart and dumping the egg in – without shell bits.

Me? I slowly tap, tap, tap and then check out the break before I slowly pull the shell apart. It won’t be long before she is showing me up.

Since I was in the teaching mode with her (or maybe vice versa) when deciding what to write about, I figured maybe some of you readers maybe could use some terms that aren’t normal with everyday, family-style meals.

I found a term for every letter of the alphabet. Have fun!

Allemande: In French Cooking it means in the German style. Sauce Allemande is made from veal stock, cream, egg yolks and lemon juice.

Beurre Noir: Heating salted butter until dark brown and foamy but not smoking. A type of butter sauce called black butter sauce.

Chicory: A lettuce used for salad and sometimes called curly endive. Also added to coffee in the Deep South.

Devil: To add hot or spicy ingredients such as cayenne pepper, mustard or Tabasco sauce to a food. Sauce Diable is a classic French sauce made with demi-glace and Dijon mustard.

Emulsion: A mixture of oil and liquid in which tiny globules of one are suspended in the other. Stabilizers, such as egg or mustard may be used. Classic example is vinaigrette salad dressing.

Frizzle: To fry thin julienne of vegetables in hot oil until crisp and slightly curly.

Green Meat: Meat that has not had aging to become tender and flavorful.

Haricot vert (ah-ree-koh VEHR): The French term for green string beans, Haricot means, “bean,” and vert means, “green.” They are much thinner than regular green beans and traditionally have a much better flavor.

Infusion: Making tea is an example. Extracting flavors by soaking them in liquid heated in a covered pan. Chefs make herbal infusions to season delicate dishes at the last minute.

Jardinière: Vegetables served as a garnish over meat.

Kefir: A fermented milk drink from the Caucasus and Eastern Europe

Larding: Inserting strips of fat into pieces of meat, helping the braised meat stay moist and juicy during cooking. This isn’t used as much today as it was in the earlier days of cooking.

Macedoine: A chopped or diced mixture of several fruits or vegetables, cooked or uncooked. A macedoine of vegetables may include celery, carrots, turnips, peas, mushrooms, chestnuts and pearl onions sautéed in butter.

Numbles: The heart, lungs, liver, or other internal organs of deer or other animals, used for food.

Oeuf: The French word for egg.

Papillote: A cooking technique in which food is wrapped in paper or foil pouch and then baked so that the food steams in its own moisture and the pouch puffs.

Rosti (RAW-stee, ROOSH-tee): In Switzerland, the term means “crisp and golden.” Rosti refers to foods (usually shredded potatoes) sautéed in butter and oil on both sides until crisp and browned. Rosti, a staple dish in the area of Switzerland bordering Germany, consists of potatoes that are boiled, grated, fried, then baked or grilled into a golden hash, and topped with cheese. It is considered the national dish of German Switzerland.

Seize: A thick, lumpy mass when melted items get cold.

Truss: Tying twine to hold together a roast, to maintain its shape while it cooks.

Unleavened: Baked goods that contain no ingredients to give them volume, such as eggs, baking powder, or yeast.

Verjus: Sour juice made from under ripe grapes; it’s popular as a substitute for vinegar and has a mild grapelike flavor.

Whitewash: A thin mixture of 1/3 flour and 2/3 cold water that is used to quickly thicken soups, sauces and stocks in an emergency.

Xoconostle: Mexican for Prickly Pear.

Yarrow: An aromatic herb used in flavoring omelets, stews and salads.

Zabaione: A rich, Italian custard made by beating egg yolks until they are lemon-colored, then adding sugar and Marsala.

Now for the recipe. This is one that Gwynnie and I made that was a hit with all the family. It is simple, quick and tasty but it doesn’t last long at all in the fridge – it gets runny overnight, so plan on eating all you make soon.

Kay Bona is an award-winning columnist and photographer. Contact her at [email protected].