Bake: A method of cooking by surrounding food with dry heat, as in an oven. Baking is essentially the same as roasting, but the term is generally applied to cakes, cookies and other pastries, vegetables and fish. Baking powder: Used in baking to leaven cakes, cookies, quick breads, muffins, biscuits and other baked goods by producing carbon dioxide gas, which expands when heated. Baking powder is a combination of baking soda, an acid, and cornstarch, and it is the acid ingredient that distinguishes the 3 different types of baking powder. The acids Phosphate and Tartrate release most of their carbon dioxide when moistened; the gas then expands when heated. SAS-Phosphate, often called Double-Acting, produces some gas when first moistened and additional gas once heated. Baking soda: Used in combination with an acidic ingredient such as buttermilk, molasses or cream of tartar to leaven cakes, cookies, quick breads, muffins, biscuits and other baked goods by producing carbon dioxide gas, which expands when heated. Also called sodium bicarbonate. Baklava: This Greek/Middle-Eastern pastry is made of layers of paper-thin dough called phyllo that sandwich a filling of ground nuts and sugar. It is covered with lemon or rose water-flavored honey syrup. Balsamic vinegar: This vinegar is made of grape ìmust,î a mixture of mashed, boiled grapes. It is thick, syrupy, rich and complex, and is often used as a condiment on grilled meats or as an enhancement for fresh fruit like berries and peaches. To make it, the grape must is aged in successively smaller wooden barrels as water evaporates throughout the aging process. True balsamic vinegar is produced only in the Modena or Reggio Emilia regions of Italy and is labeled ìAceto Balsamico Tradizionale.î The label is only awarded after a special consortium of tasters has approved the product. Aging alone does not guarantee quality; vinegar aged in older, well-used barrels may qualify for the label sooner than that aged in newer barrels. That is why the labels of true balsamic do not specify the exact age. However, they may read ìA finatoî (refined, or old), and ìextra-vecchioî (extra-old). The labor and time required to produce ìABTî makes it costly; 100 milliliter bottles may be start at $85.00 and range ever upwards. Vinegar labeled simply ìBalsamic Vinegarî or ìAceto Balsamico di Modenaî is one of two products: The cheapest is simply sweetened and colored wine vinegar and is not worth the inflated price. A better choice is vinegar that has been aged for 3 or 4 years in wooden casks. (Many brands of this type of vinegar do specify age, which, at this level, gives some indication that vinegar has mellowed somewhat from the aging process.) At about $10.00 or a half-liter, it has some of the warm, woody character of a true balsamic. To lend this balsamic some of the character of the real thing, add a pinch of brown sugar per tablespoon or reduce it by simmering it briefly over medium heat. Bamboo shoots: The first tender young growth of an edible variety of bamboo plant, they are used in Chinese dishes and may be purchased either fresh or canned. Banbury tarts: Small baked pastries made from pie crust or puff pastry filled with a mixture of raisins, sugar, cracker crumbs, egg, lemon and butter. They are named for Banbury, England. Bar le duc: This red or white currant preserves or syrup with whole fruits originated in Bar-le-Duc, France and can be used as a pastry filling or topping for desserts. Barley: In use since the Stone Age, this grain is used in breads, soups, pilafs and salads and is one of the primary ingredients in beer and whiskey. Home cooks can purchase barley in a number of forms: Whole-grain barley has its outer shell or husk removed; Scotch barley has its husk removed and is coarsely ground; pearl barley has been steamed and polished and comes in course, medium and fine grains. Batter: A semiliquid mixture, generally of flour, liquid (milk or water), eggs, sugar and a leavening agent, used to make baked goods like cakes, quick breads and muffins and stovetop items like pancakes and crepes. Unlike stiffer dough, batter is thin enough to pour because it contains a higher proportion of fat, sugar and liquid. A simple batter of starch and liquid can be used to coat ingredients that are to be deep-fried. Bay leaf: Also called a laurel leaf, the bay leaf is an herb from the bay laurel tree. Turkish bay leaves are 1 to 2 inches long, oval, and milder than the larger, narrower California leaves. Bay leaves are more commonly available dried and are generally added whole to soups, stews and sauces at the beginning of the cooking time and removed before serving. Like all dried herbs, they should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months. Beat: To stir vigorously with the aid of a wooden spoon, whisk, or electric mixer in order to incorporate air into a mixture and give it a smooth, fluffy texture. Blanch: To place foods into boiling water briefly and then into ice water. Blanching cooks the food slightly and sets the color; it is used to aid in the removal of fruit or vegetable skins, to inactivate enzymes, or to shrink and firm up foods before canning, freezing, and drying. Blind bake: The term refers to baking an unfilled single-crust pie or tart shell. Generally, shells to be filled with ingredients that need further cooking, such as uncooked custard or fruit, will be partially baked before filling and baking; shells to be filled with cooked ingredients, such as stove-top cooked custard, must be completely baked before filling. Shells to be blind baked should be chilled, pierced repeatedly with a fork to allow steam to escape, lined with parchment paper or foil, then filled with pie weights or dried beans before baking. Weighting the dough keeps it from puffing while baking, and helps prevent shrinkage. Although cooking times and temperatures vary from chef to chef, in general the shell is cooked for 10 to 15 minutes at a high temperature (400-425 degrees F.) to set the dough, then the oven heat is reduced to 375 degrees F., the lining and weights removed, and the shell returned to the oven to dry, color and cook to the desired doneness. Some chefs do not line and weight shells made of cookie-type tart dough (with high ratios of butter, sugar and sometimes egg) before blind baking because they hold their shape in the oven. Boil: A moist-heat cooking method in which ingredients are cooked in water or other liquid heated to approximately 212 degrees F. (the boiling point of water). At the boiling point large bubbles will steadily break the surface of the liquid. The high temperature of boiling can make foods tough and the turbulence of the liquid can cause fragile ingredients to fall apart, so dishes like stews are generally cooked at a simmer, and ingredients like fish and fruit are poached. Braise: A combination cooking method in which meat or vegetables are first browned and then simultaneously simmered and steamed (wet-heat cooking) in small amounts of liquid in a covered dish. Braising may be done either in the oven or on top of the stove but in either case the heat should be kept low. Braising is the best method for breaking down the connective tissues of tough cuts of meat. Bran: This outer layer of grains such as wheat and oats is separated from the grain during milling. In whole wheat bread the bran appears as little brown flakes. A good source of fiber, bran can be added to baked goods, but does not contain sufficient gluten to be substituted for flour. Breadcrumbs: There are both dry and fresh breadcrumbs which are not interchangeable. Fresh bread crumbs are made by grinding fresh bread with the crust cut off in a food processor. The crumbs may be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about a week or they may be frozen. Dried bread crumbs are made from bread which has no moister left in it. They can be made by leaving bread out, uncovered until it is dry (this can take several days). Or the bread may be dried in a low oven over a few hours, taking care not to toast the bread. Once the bread is dry, it is ground in a food processor as well. At this point, it may be seasoned. If made properly, it need not be refrigerated. Bruise: Some recipes call for fresh herbs to be bruised before being added. Herbs are bruised by crushing them slightly with the flat side of a knife to release their flavor and aroma. Buerre blanc: Buerre blanc: "White butter" in French, this classic emulsion sauce is made of shallots, white wine, and butter. To make the sauce, the shallots and white wine are boiled until the liquid has almost completely evaporated; cold butter is then whisked in 1 piece at a time until the sauce is slightly heavier than heavy cream. Herbs, seasonings and other flavoring ingredients can be added to the finished sauce. Buerre blanc must be made and held at temperatures below 136 degrees F.; any hotter and the emulsion will break--the sauce will separate. It can be cooled slightly, however, and whisked back into an emulsion. If cooled below 85 degrees F., the butter will solidify, and it will separate if reheated. Recipes for buerre blanc vary in their ratios of liquid to butter. In his "Curious Cook: More Kitchen Science and Lore," noted food writer Harold McGee writes that, because of the composition of butter itself, 12 sticks of butter can be incorporated into 1/4 teaspoon of liquid before the emulsion breaks!