If you watch cooking shows for any length of time, someone is bound to use a cooking term, and once in awhile they'll define it. I always laugh when one of the contestants on Chopped will get up there and say "I prepared a classic gastrique..." And one of those pompous judges will correct them and say "that wasn't a gastrique."

To a foodie, the usual terms are a short-hand to a recipe and style of preparation.

Here are a few of them:

Gastrique: a classic French sweet and sour sauce. The primary flavor (and some of the sweetness) typically comes from fruit (peaches, berries, mangoes and so on) and the sour from vinegar. Gastriques are particularly good on roasted or sautéed pork or poultry. They're easy to make, will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, and freeze beautifully.

Au gratin: baked with bread crumbs and/or cheese.

Scallop: to arrange foods in layers in a casserole with sauce (very similar to au gratin).

Compote: two or more fruits in sugar syrup.

Conserve: fruit preserve made with two or more fruits plus nuts or raisins.

You might be wondering where a chutney fits in;

Chutney: A spicy condiment made of fruits or vegetables with vinegar, spices, and sugar, originating in India.

Fricasse: to cook meat or fowl, cut into pieces, by braising (cooking in liquid with the pot covered).

Julienne: to cut into thin, even strips (mostly square when you look at that cross-section).

Lyonnaise: cooked with chopped onion

O'Brien: cooked with chopped onion and green or red bell pepper

Macedoine: a cut-up mixture of fruits or vegetables

Plank: to broil or bake meat or fish on a wooden plank

Rissole: minced meat, fish, or potatoes covered in pastry and fried in deep fat

Roux: cooked mixture of flour and butter used to thicken soups and sauces

Stock: liquid in which meat, poultry, fish, or vegetables have been cooked. The difference between stock and broth is that broth is thinner. Stock has the bones slow-simmered in it until the gelatin comes out, and it is supposed to have a thicker mouth-feel and richer flavor. Nit picky, but there you are.

Torte: a rich cake, usually in layers, topped with fruit and whipped cream. it usually is rich in eggs and may contain crumbs, nuts, and fruit.

These definitions are from The Spice Cookbook, mostly, with some from other sources.