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Not intermezzo - French for _________?

paul o' vendange

By paul o' vendange
in Cooking

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paul o' vendange

paul o' vendange

Posted
Posted

Hi all -

I've only been around this term for 20 years. Palate cleanser. French term, not intermezzo...absolute brain meltdown.

What is it? Let a guy sleep tonight! :huh:

-Paul

 

Remplis ton verre vuide; Vuide ton verre plein. Je ne puis suffrir dans ta main...un verre ni vuide ni plein. ~ Rabelais

paul o' vendange

paul o' vendange

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
We usually just serve sorbet---are you looking for the name of a specific COURSE, such as an amuse, digestif, etc?

Yes. This is nuts, as I've cooked French food for, oh, 30 years, and served it nearly as long, but for the life of me, I can't remember the term - French equivalent to intermezzo....arggggggghhhhhhh.

-Paul

 

Remplis ton verre vuide; Vuide ton verre plein. Je ne puis suffrir dans ta main...un verre ni vuide ni plein. ~ Rabelais

Gifted Gourmet

Gifted Gourmet

Posted
Posted

Looking at a classic formal French meal, the amuse bouche would come before the appetizer course, so that can't be it .. and a digestif is served after dinner and is a drink to aid digestion ... sorbets are palate cleansers and intermezzo is the best term for them ... so I remain unsure of what is being requested here, paul o' vendange ... :wacko:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

Gifted Gourmet

Gifted Gourmet

Posted
Posted (edited)

putting intermezzo into the Babelfish translator for English to French, one gets intermezzo ... :hmmm:

and using the term palate cleanser, one gets: Épierreuse de palais which makes me think that this is a person who cleans a palace .. that can't be right ... :huh:

Edited by Gifted Gourmet (log)

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

paul o' vendange

paul o' vendange

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
entremets??

Man, this is driving me crazy - no, a one word term, French, usually served before the main course. Usually sorbet, granite, yes, but the term itself eludes me - though I regularly wrote it on my degustations. Uh, yep, better lay off the Gigondas for awhile!

-Paul

 

Remplis ton verre vuide; Vuide ton verre plein. Je ne puis suffrir dans ta main...un verre ni vuide ni plein. ~ Rabelais

Gifted Gourmet

Gifted Gourmet

Posted
Posted

The usual repas consists of four courses: entrée, plat, fromage et salade, and dessert ... vraiment ? Help us out here, Mark, you eat a lot of meals in France ...

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

paul o' vendange

paul o' vendange

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
trou normand ??

No, but thanks for the valiant efforts! Not the actual thing (like a liquer, sorbet, etc.), but a one word term for the course or "break."

-Paul

 

Remplis ton verre vuide; Vuide ton verre plein. Je ne puis suffrir dans ta main...un verre ni vuide ni plein. ~ Rabelais

paul o' vendange

paul o' vendange

Posted
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Posted
Entremet?

Thanks, Behemoth, but Gifted Gourmet suggested that yesterday. For the life of me, I can't remember the name. I'm sure I'll remember it about 20 minutes after getting to sleep. :smile:

-Paul

 

Remplis ton verre vuide; Vuide ton verre plein. Je ne puis suffrir dans ta main...un verre ni vuide ni plein. ~ Rabelais

A Patric

A Patric

Posted
Posted

I know that you have rejected "entremets" twice now, but my wife, who is French, says unequivocally that the equivalent for intermezzo is entremets.

She could be wrong I suppose, but are you 100% sure that you are asking the right question?

It's not my area of expertise, so I can't really be of much help either way.

Alan McClure

Bean-to-bar craft chocolate maker

Patric Chocolate Store

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paul o' vendange

paul o' vendange

Posted
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Posted

Well, I of course could be wrong. But the word I'm thinking of is not entremets. I will bite the bullet and call a former restaurant...

-Paul

 

Remplis ton verre vuide; Vuide ton verre plein. Je ne puis suffrir dans ta main...un verre ni vuide ni plein. ~ Rabelais

Carrot Top

Carrot Top

Posted
Posted

There is another word that is more like slang that is similar to amuse-bouche which of course I can not think of now. I think of it more often in terms of Cajun cooking for some reason. It's not lagniappe. Something else.

natasha1270

natasha1270

Posted
Posted

another for entremet...

from webpage on service à la française:

In the Middle Ages, an entremet was entertainment presented between the mets, French for items “placed” before the diner. By the 18th century, these sweet and/or lighter dishes were now intended to provide a break between the larger heavier dishes of the course.

N.

"The main thing to remember about Italian food is that when you put your groceries in the car, the quality of your dinner has already been decided." – Mario Batali
paul o' vendange

paul o' vendange

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
another for entremet...

from webpage on service à la française:

In the Middle Ages, an entremet was entertainment presented between the mets, French for items “placed” before the diner. By the 18th century, these sweet and/or lighter dishes were now intended to provide a break between the larger heavier dishes of the course.

N.

I'm sure you're all right - I may be using some weird colloquialism. What's weird is that this word I'm looking for was used in at least 3 restaurants where I worked, across many years.

-Paul

 

Remplis ton verre vuide; Vuide ton verre plein. Je ne puis suffrir dans ta main...un verre ni vuide ni plein. ~ Rabelais

Ling

Ling

Posted
Posted
There is another word that is more like slang that is similar to amuse-bouche which of course I can not think of now. I think of it more often in terms of Cajun cooking for some reason. It's not lagniappe. Something else.

I don't think it's the term Paul's looking for, but are you thinking of amuse guele?

Lorna Yee

the cool kids at belltown lofts

The Cookbook Chronicles

paul o' vendange

paul o' vendange

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
There is another word that is more like slang that is similar to amuse-bouche which of course I can not think of now. I think of it more often in terms of Cajun cooking for some reason. It's not lagniappe. Something else.

I don't think it's the term Paul's looking for, but are you thinking of amuse guele?

No, this is during the degustation, prior, usually, to the main course. Equivalent to entremet (and I may just be having one collosal brain dropoff, and entremet is what I am thinking of).

-Paul

 

Remplis ton verre vuide; Vuide ton verre plein. Je ne puis suffrir dans ta main...un verre ni vuide ni plein. ~ Rabelais

Carrot Top

Carrot Top

Posted
Posted

:laugh: Yeah, well now I've caught it from you. I was talking to someone just a bit ago and tried to say the colloquial word for "Mexican corner store" and can not for the life of me think of it though I know I know it well. :raz: Oh dear.

Lorna - no, the other word I was thinking of is something else. :biggrin:

AaaaaAAAAH! This is terrible!

But awfully funny, too. :laugh:

Gifted Gourmet

Gifted Gourmet

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Posted

This was, and is, my final answer and I am sticking to it ...

entremets

Main Entry: en·tre·mets

Pronunciation: as sing "än(n)-tr&-'mA, as pl -'mA(z)

Function: noun plural but singular or plural in construction

Etymology: French, from Old French entremes, from entre: between + mes food, dish

dishes served in addition to the main course of a meal

That said, is there some sort of prize? :laugh:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

Pielle

Pielle

Posted
Posted

My main language is french but I am from Quebec, not from France, this is probably why I can't pinpoint the exact word you are looking for but here is a list of what I can think of.

The most obvious for me would be "trou normand" which is traditionaly a calvados shot but is nowaday more of a mix of sorbet and stong alcool. This is what I would call this course but you already said this is not the word you were looking for.

"Entremet", littrealy "between meals" seems right, I do not however, use this word.

Other words that could apply :

"Interlude" or "Intermed" which I do not usualy apply to the culinary domain.

Finaly, the babel fish translation of intermezzo, italian to french, gives "Entracte" which more comonly refferts to the break in the middle of a play or show but could be the word you are looking for.

Gifted Gourmet

Gifted Gourmet

Posted
Posted
The most obvious for me would be "trou normand"

"Entremet", littrealy "between meals" seems right, I do not however, use this word.

gives "Entracte" which more comonly refferts to the break in the middle of a play

It isn't the word.. I gave up on that about midnight ... I know that a true tru normand is appropriate as well but that is more than one word ...

you know, in the end, I think that the answer is here but Paul has confused it with another term .. and, in the end, he'll smack his head and say, "yeah, that was the word I was looking for" and I will collapse in a fit of laughter :laugh: ...ironic laughter at that ... :hmmm:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

Pielle

Pielle

Posted
Posted

The more I think of it, the more I think "Entr'acte" would be the word. I makes a very fancy word with this orthograph. After double chekking, entr'acte IS the proper translation for intermezzo as intermezzo is also a break in the middle of a show or play.

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