I believe there is a specific word for when you are basting something with butter from a sautee pan. (Mental image: Steak in pan, Pan angled, Spooning butter over steak.)
Is this called Parle? or am I crazy. What is it called?

brandon
  • Posted by: brandon
  • January 12, 2011
  • 74044 views
  • 22 Comments

22 Comments

Deborah K. September 11, 2018
Arroser
 
Kyx B. June 18, 2017
Does this also apply to spooning oil on a slice of fish to make the outer surface slightly crispy and to seal in the fish's moisture (while frying)?
 
Jacob H. March 4, 2017
Thanks to James Martin, the answer to this question is to 'nappe'. In cooking, nappe refers to either the ability of a liquid to "coat the back of a spoon" or the act of coating a food (e.g. to nappe a leg of lamb with glaze).
 
Nancy June 18, 2017
Love James Martin tv shows.
But napper is for finishing a dish, not cooking it.
Your cue is in the idea of coating, which is not present in the frying pan, where the hot fat liquid moistens and cooks the meat (or whatever, falls off it, and is reused).
 
Deborah K. September 11, 2018
Basting meat in a pan is called arroser...as to arroser a steak...tilting pan and basting....not coating back of a spoon to check thickness of sauce.
 
Chris C. June 12, 2015
I've heard it called au Feuille, but that's in kitchens in the southeast US, so who knows if it is accurate. Seared, finished with whole thyme and basted with butter in the pan just for the last 5 min or so
 

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betteirene January 13, 2011
Hope this helps:

Arroser (ah row zay) To baste; the wetting of meat or fish with a liquid or fat during or after cooking.

Poêler (po e lay) To pan-fry; to cook an element in a frying pan over high heat with minimal oil.
 
Fantastic M. January 12, 2011
True indeed...darkly browned butter with acid (lemon juice, vinegar) added to finish.
I was playing on the noir/burned thing that sometimes happens when doing the basting technique discussed when your pan get too hot. :-)
I'm not sure that you'd baste anything with beurre noir.
 
ChefDaddy January 12, 2011
FYI- There are classic dishes that call for "beurre noir" stage. Not sure what was meant just thought I would add that.
 
Cosmas B. May 27, 2013
that would be brown butter...a technique where you sallow the butter solids to caramelize giving it a golden brown color and a nutty flavor. Arroser is the term you are looking for and can be done with duck fat, oil or butter, clarified butter if you wish to avoid the noisette color and flavor
 
Fantastic M. January 12, 2011
If your beurre is noir, you've burned it. :-)
Buerre Noisette (noir = black, noisette = hazelnut-colored), could be the fat with which you are basting...could also be olive oil, duck fat, etc...but the technique of washing it over the protein is "arroser" or "basting".
 
pierino January 12, 2011
Aren't we talking about "brown butter" here? Beurre noir?
 
Fantastic M. January 12, 2011
The French word for "to baste" is "arroser" (ah-roh-SAY). It more often means "to water" (as in a garden), but this is the word that is used. I'm pretty sure it is the same whether you are basting something roasting in an oven or in a pan.
 
Susan W. March 4, 2017
Yes. I've heard it called "arroser" by a French chef who was watching someone baste a steak in the pan by tipping and quickly sort of tossing the hot butter on the steak.
 
ChefDaddy January 12, 2011
Brandon-Glad your here-theres no shame in becomeing a foodpickle addict-congratulations on your new hobby! I think you'll find a lot of good advice and good people giving it as well as input from the food editors time to time-which is always good advice!
 
brandon January 12, 2011
thanks guys, im dangerously close to becoming a food pickle addict
 
ChefDaddy January 12, 2011
The term parle or parler- I've heard french chefs say many things to describe the art of saute. Sometimes they use passionate words like parler to refer to the sound of the sizzle. Or use the bizou or bisou bisou for basting as if thier saying kiss or small kiss and sometimes a reference to a kiss from the gods. But I do not think it is a culinary term you are looking for as the word for basting is baster. Just chiming in with my .02 cents.
 
Sadassa_Ulna January 12, 2011
I just had to google that . . . sorry I don't have an answer for your butter basting question
http://www.europeancuisines.com/France-Pets-De-Soeur-Pets-De-Nonne-Nun-Farts
 
drbabs January 12, 2011
Got it (nun farts? really?), and I tried finding it for you, but all I got was baste. Sorry.
 
Deborah K. September 11, 2018
It is called.. arroser.
 
brandon January 12, 2011
yes I know that but I thought it might some crazy french thing like the butter is speaking to my steak like the little doughnuts pet de nonne are nun farts and vols au vent are windblown. ya know? ive been trying to find the answer to this question forever
 
drbabs January 12, 2011
Parler means "to speak" in French.

 
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