Brunoise


 * 1) A mixture of vegetables that have been finely diced or shredded, then cooked slowly in butter. The brunoise is then used to flavor soups and sauces.
 * 2) Brunoise is a culinary knife cut in which the food item is first julienned and then turned a quarter turn and diced again, producing cubes of a side length of about 3 mm or less on each side. In France a "brunoise" cut is smaller, 1 to 2 mm on each side. Common items to be brunoised are leeks, turnips and carrots. The diced vegetables are blanched briefly in salty boiling water and then submerged in salted ice water for a few seconds to set the color. The brunoise is used as a garnish in many dishes. A common dish which often uses a brunoise as a garnish is a consommé. A brunoise should be consistent in size and shape, as this helps to create a pleasing presentation. As described on Top Chef season 5 episode 1, a perfect brunoise is considered to be one of the overall most difficult knife techniques.