TAPAS (TAH-pahs) - Popular throughout Spain in bars and restaurants, tapas are appetizers that usually accompany SHERRY or other APÉRITIFS or COCKTAILS. They can also form an entire meal and can range from simple items such as olives or cubes of ham and cheese to more elaborate preparations like cold omelets, snails in a spicy sauce, stuffed peppers and miniature sandwiches.

TAPENADE (TA-puh-nahd) - From France's Provence region, tapenade is a thick paste made from capers, anchovies, ripe olives, olive oil, lemon juice, seasonings and sometimes small pieces of tuna. It's used as a condiment and served with crudities, fish, meat, etc.

TARRAGON (TEHR-uh-guhn) - Perennial aromatic herb known for its distinctive anise-like flavour. Tarragon is widely used in classic French cooking for a variety of dishes including chicken, fish and vegetables, as well as manu sauces, the best known being Bearnaise.

TART TARTIN (tart tah-TAN) - A famous french upside-down tart made by covering the bottom of a shallow baking dish with butter and sugar, then a savoury or sweet layer and finally a pastry crust. While baking, the sugar and butter create a delicious caramel that becomes the topping when inverted onto a plate. The tart was created by two sisters who lived in the Loire valley and earned their living making it. The french call this "tarte des demoiselles tatin" or the tart of the two unmarried women named Tatin.

TEMPURA (TEHM-poor-uh) - A Japanese specialty of batter-dipped, deep-fried pieces of fish or vegetables. Tempura, which is usually accompanied by soy sauce, can be served as an Hors D'oeuvres, first course or entrée.

TERRINE(PATE) (teh-reen) - A pate can be satiny smooth and spreadable, or like country pate, very coarsely textured. It can be made from a finely ground or chunky mixture of meats (such as pork, veal, liver or ham), fish, poultry, game, vegetables etc. Pates may be cooked in a crust, called pate-en-croute or cooked in a pork fat lined container, called a terrine. Tradition says that when such a mixture is cooked and served in a terrine, the dish is also called a terrine, and when unmoulded, it becomes a pate.

TIMBALE (tim-BAHL) - A mould, generally high-sided, drum-shaped and slightly tapered at the bottom and closed end, used to bake various dishes.

TORTE (TOHRT) - A rich cake, often made with little or no flour but instead with ground nuts or bread crumbs, eggs, sugar and flavourings. Tortes are often multilayered and filled with buttercream, jams, etc.

TOULOUSE SAUSAGE (too-LOOZ) - A small French sausage made of coarsely diced pork, flavoured with wine, garlic and seasonings. Toulouse sausage is usually braised or fried and makes a good addition to many dishes

TOURNEDOS () - A portion of meat or fish, taken from the most tender part and formed into a round steak. The Tournedo is the cut taken from the small end of the tenderloin. It is sliced so the cut ranges in thickness from 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches, is 2 inches or slightly larger in diameter, and weighs approximately 5 ounces. Because Tournedos are so lean, they may be wrapped in bacon, lardo or some type of fat to keep them tender while cooking. Beef tournedos are usually cooked by broiling in a shallow pan or by grilling. When served, if they are small in size, they are often served as a pair of steaks. In addition to beef, Tournedos may be cut from pork, veal, fish, and other foods which use the term somewhat loosely in order to create a food item that is tender in texture, round in shape, possibly held together with string to keep the rounded shape, and garnished with sauces or breads when served. When made from fish, the fillet, such as salmon, the steak is formed by using the centre part of the fillet, cutting it into an almost rectangular shape and then cutting it lengthwise down the center to form two narrow strips of meat. One strip is then placed on top of the other and they are rolled into a round cylinder or log-like shape, tied or bound in plastic, and baked. The two strips are then sliced into small, round pieces of steak for serving.

TRUFFLE (truh-fell) - A fungus which grows 3 to 12 inches underground, near to the roots of trees (usually oak), but never beyond the range of the branches. The difficult to find truffle is routed out by animals which have been specially trained for several years. Pigs have the keenest sense of smell, but dogs are less inclined to eat what they find. The black truffle is the most sought after, closely followed by the white.

TUILLE (tweel) - French for "tile," a tuille (or tuile) is a thin, crisp biscuit that is placed over a rounded object,while still hot from the oven. There is also a special tuille mould, over which the hot biscuits may be placed. Once cooled and stiff, the biscuit resembles a curved roof tile. The classic tuille is made with crushed almonds but the can also be flavoured with orange, lemon, vanilla or other nuts.