Confit
What it means: "Meat that is cooked and preserved in its own fat is a confit,"
says Pura Vida executive chef and owner Brandt Evans. How it's used: "It's a
four-day process that includes seasoning duck legs with salt, peppercorns and spices,
cooking them low and slow in rendered duck fat," says Evans, "then storing in them
in the fat until they're needed." Try it: Duck nachos, $12.50. 170 Euclid Ave., Cleveland,
216-987-0100, puravidabybrandt.com
Crepinette
What it means: Shaped like a flattened sausage, a crepinette is a mixture of ground
and lean meat (known as forcemeat) wrapped in caul fat, a weblike membrane that
surrounds the stomach of cows, sheeps and pigs, to keep everything together during
cooking, says The Black Pig executive chef Michael Nowak. How it's used: "We employ
that same technique, but we use duck confit instead of forcemeat," says Nowak. Try
it: Roasted duck breast, $22. 1865 W. 25th St., Cleveland, 216-862-7551, theblackpigcleveland.com
Gastrique
What it means: "A gastrique can be made by reducing sugar, vinegar and one other
ingredient, usually fruit," says Amp 150 sous chef Daniel Hawrylak. How it's used:
"We combine fig, vinegar and sugar, cook it down and puree it," says Hawrylak. Try
it: Duck confit nuggets with fig gastrique, $9. 4277 W. 150th St., Cleveland, 216-706-8787,
amp150.com
Involtini
What it means: "It's an Italian term for what most people know as a roulade or roll,"
says Bar Cento executive chef Adam Lambert, of the technique in which meat, poultry,
seafood or vegetables is wrapped around cheese or other fillings. How it's used:
"We mix chicken leg mousseline with pistachios and shredded braised rabbit, then
roll it up inside the skin and house-made prosciutto," says Lambert. Try it: Brick-oven
roasted chicken, $19. 1948 W. 25th St.,Cleveland, 216-274-1010, barcento.com
Lacquered
What it means: "It's a common technique in Asian cooking," says Flying Fig chef Karen
Small, of the method used to add a shiny glaze to duck and chicken. How it's used:
"We marinate [pork], then pan fry it and roast it for a crispy exterior," says Small.
Try it: Asian lacquered Ohio pork belly, $9. 2523 Market Ave., Cleveland, 216-241-4243,
theflyingfig.com
