Food and Cooking
Glossary
E
Eggplant
Another name for aubergine, probably resulting from the appearance
of the egg-shaped, white-skinned variety. This term is more
commonly used in the US.
Egg Wash
Beaten raw egg, sometimes mixed with water and a little salt,
used for glazing pastry or bread to give it a shine when baked.
Useful for blind baking because it seals the pastry base, ensuring
it won't absorb moisture, and also gives the pastry a good golden
colour.
Empanada
Flaky meat pies made from olive-oil pastry and served as tapas
in Spain and as a popular snack in Latin America. Meat filling
is most common but they can be filled with anything - fish,
vegetables, cheese, even fruit. The classic empanada comes from
Galicia in north-west Spain and is made with chicken, onions
and peppers.
Emulsify
An emulsion is a stable suspension of fat and another liquid.
To emulsify is to combine fats (such as butter or oil) with
a liquid (such as vinegar or citric juices) into a smooth and
even blend using an emulsifier (such as an egg yolk) which binds
to each set of ingredients and prevents them from separating.
Hollandaise is a classic emulsified sauce.
Entrecôte
A boneless steak of beef cut from the sirloin, more commonly
known as a sirloin steak. It’s a prime cut of beef so
is best cooked quickly - either grilled or fried.
Escalope
A thin slice of boneless meat, often beaten even thinner for
quick cooking. It's cut from the leaner parts of certain animals,
in particular veal, pork and turkey. It can also be used to
refer to thick slices of fish with a strip of skin on one side.
The classic method of preparing veal escalopes is to coat them
with breadcrumbs before frying them.
Espagnole (à la)
À l'espagnole is the name given to several ways of preparing
food inspired by Spanish cuisine. The main ingredients are tomatoes,
sweet peppers, onions and garlic, usually fried in olive oil.
Not to be confused with sauce Espagnole, which is a sauce based
on a stock thickened with a roux and flavoured with herbs.
