French culinary terms

[menthe]

I came across a recipe (sorry une recette) that requires the use of beure en pommade.

As I like baking and it was a cake recipe, I guessed (correctly I think) that it means softened butter.

It seems to me that French cake recipes seldom require you to cream butter and sugar until "light and fluffy" so beloved of English recipes.  Mostly, it says to beat melted butter with sugar, mixing in the flour and raising agent well (bien mélanger).

Nowadays, my cakes are mostly made with oil.  This is not only because oil is usually cheaper than butter (present prices of oil might not be actually less), but because oil makes a lighter cake and there is less danger of a stodgy pudding instead of a well risen cake as the end result.

Does anyone have any thoughts about this?  Or have any other cooking terms that might not be familiar in UK or American recipes?

[Judith]

I never thought of using oil instead of butter or margariine in cakes, Menthe.  What sort of oil?  I wonder if that is why my cakes always sink in the middle??  Not that I nake that often, but couldbe useful to try sometiimes!

[Loiseau]

I have used oil in a wonderful carrot cake recipe, but never thought of applying it to other cakes till I read your post, Mint. I must try it for other recipes. 
For the carrot cake, Judith, I just used sunflower or rapeseed oil, I think.

AFTERTHOUGHT I think I did have to use oil for a blueberry muffin recipe, which was good.

[menthe]

Mélange de 4 huiles, that's the one I use.  I had experimented with colza and sunflower and they do produce different results and the cake looks different as well.  With this one, it's a mixture of colza and sunflower with a bit of linseed oil.  Can't see what the 4th oil is!

I got into making cakes with oil after my compostelle walk half a life-time ago and I noticed that all the Spanish cakes were light and sooo easy (far too easy!) to eat.  So I got to talking with the people responsible for the cooking and asked them.

Loiseau, ALL muffins are better made with oil, if you like them well risen.  I believe that's the origin of "muffin tops" for when you have a waist and then love handles at the hips!

Note my dear Loiseau, BANANA cakes and muffins are best made with oil.

Also apple cakes.  In fact, all cakes using fresh fruit of some kind.  The biggest plus for me is that it's just so much easier and quicker.  Usually just sift all dry ingredients.  Get your beaten eggs, fruit, whatever else you are using plus oil in another bowl.  Then tip wet ingredients into dry and, using a light touch, fold everything in.  Just be EXTRA careful that you don't over mix.  I do what I learned from Delia years ago, usually no more than 8 turns of the mixing-spoon in a figure of eight.  Don't wory if there are still patches of flour, just do not be too enthusiastic with the mixing.

Judith, your cake sinks in the middle because it is under-cooked.  If your oven is temperamental like mine, start it on a higher temperature than the recipe and wait about 10 minutes and watch if the cake is rising well.  Then you can lower the temperature for the rest of the bake.

Now if someone tells me how to make brownies, I might try again.  Whether using oil or butter, I have never ever succeeded in making brownies.  Texture is never right and, TBH, they don't even look appetising.

[Loiseau]

Definitive chocolate brownies for me:  Delia's "Complete Cookery Course" book, p571.  Though Lori may come up with the genuine article!

[NormanH]

I have often used this excellent glossary of French culinary terms:

 

https://www.patriciawells.com/glossary

[Hectorsdad]

very useful reference for me. Thanks for the  link.

[Lori]

I have several different brownie recipes.  I like these two.  I will say that I never use chocolate chips.  I always use a decent dark chocolate bar and roughly chop it.  I also will add nuts to most brownies as we really like that.  Most often it is Pecans.

https://www.twosisterscrafting.com/frosted-brownies/#mv-creation-455-jtr

I like this one too with the chocolate mint icing.  I like brownies with or without icing.

https://www.twosisterscrafting.com/homemade-brownies-with-chocolate-mint-frosting/

And I agree about using oils for fruit based baking.  I will often use half sunflower oil and half plain applesauce with very good results.

 

 

 

[menthe]

Quick thank you for all the useful replies:

So Norman for the glossary

Loiseau for DS's brownies (though in my copy of Delia, the brownies are on pg 509)

Lori for those recipes and pictures that make your mouth water.

Oh, isn't it FUN to talk about baking and making yummy things to eat?

What's holding me back from rushing into the kitchen and starting is that the oven needs cleaning!  Will get to it tomorrow though.  Otherwise instead of looking at the brownies coming out of the oven smelling delicious, I will just be looking at the oven shelves and thinking those need cleaning!

[Judith]

Menthe, thanks, I might have a go - soometime .. currently on hols - so no baking at all!!

[Loiseau]

Yum, Lori, those look good!

Can you tell me which is "all purpose flour"? Plain, or self-raising (U.K.)? Normal or "farine à gâteaux " (France)?

[Lori]

All purpose flour in France is the the type 45.  The 'fluide 45' is nice as it has been sifted.  You can also use T-65. 

If you choose to use farine à gâteaux you would not add the salt, baking powder or baking soda that is in the recipe (assuming the recipe calls for it).

I don't know UK flours, but of the two you listed, it would have to be Plain, not self-raising.

 

[menthe]

If you have no self-raising flour, you can add 2 teaspons of baking powder to 150g or 6 oz of plain flour and the cake will rise exactly the same way.

If I do have self-raising (rarely) I use the SR but also some BP for good measure if making scones.  Can't bear scones that don't rise up nice and high so that you could split them easily.

[Lori]

8 minutes ago, menthe said:

If I do have self-raising (rarely) I use the SR but also some BP for good measure if making scones.  Can't bear scones that don't rise up nice and high so that you could split them easily.

I do the same thing.  Works well.

[menthe]

Last year I made a pumpkin cake.  To get the pulp, I roasted cut up pumpkin and put it in the liquidiser.  Cake was lovely, a subtle flavour.

I also read that in the States, you can buy pumpkin purée in tins and use it straight from the tin.  I couldn't believe it!  It would make pumpkin cake a cinch.

Lori, do you make this cake and if so what do you do to get pumpkin purée?

[Lori]

2 hours ago, menthe said:

Lori, do you make this cake and if so what do you do to get pumpkin purée?

I've made home made pumpkin purée before.  You can use a regular potiron (or parts of one if it is big) or a potimarron.  I prefer the potimarron over the potiron.  However, both would need to have the peel removed, which I find a pain in the a**.  You can pierce it and microwave it for about 8 minutes to soften it.  Let it cool, then it is easier (somewhat) to peel, but really I am not overly fond of pumpkin cake, so I am not willing to go through the long drawn out effort to make it with fresh pumpkins.

The tinned pumpkin in the U.S. is typically used for making pumpkin pies, not cakes.  Or, perhaps pumpkin bars.  I've read the tinned stuff it isn't actually made from a pumpkin but some other form of a squash.  

It is much harder to perfect a pumpkin pie made from fresh pumpkins.  Getting it to thicken and set in the center is a challenge. 

I'm far too lazy for any of this.

 

[menthe]

I agree with you, Lori, that peeling pumpkins, in fact any sort of squash is a right pain in the behind.

What a good idea to soften it in the microwave first.  I don't have a pressure cooker but I bet that would get the skin off easily.

Last year, I was experimenting with making cakes using vegetables rather than fruit.  However, I was disappointed with courgette cake but I did like the pumpkin one.

[Lori]

I have SOOOOOO many courgettes this year.  I have made several courgette bread/cakes (the sweet variety).  They have been absolutely fantastic.  I do add chopped nuts, a good chopped dark chocolate, golden raisins and some spices.  Sometimes, if I have an over ripe banana or two, I will add those also.  Each time they have turned out so well.

Next on the agenda will be the over abundance of fresh figs....

Not to mention the apples!

[menthe]

Wow "courgette cake" does not do yours justice!

Yes, we will have figs and peaches but no apples.  Figs are lovely sliced and baked in a cake.  Also fig and walnut muffins are lovely for breakfast, tea or any time of day!

We have terrible soil, full of builders' rubble and the top soil is only about half an inch, useless for growing anything.  In the past, we have grown courgettes, peppers and tomatoes in grow bags but the results are very variable.

Now I buy from local growers and it's always a pleasure to have a chat with the growers and the other buyers.  It's such a laid-back concern that you really have to have the time to queue up and wait while the man tots up the sums on his little hand-held calculator.