French words: reconnaissance, Renaissance, resumé (C.V.)

reconnaissance - gathering information (for example, scouts from an army) NO double nn and double ss
Renaissance - rebirth - period of revival in European art and culture NB single n and double s
resumé - not the same as resume which means re-start or go back to an activity
a resumé is the American term for what the British call a curriculum vitae, which is Latin for the list of your life - vitae as in vital signs
the short term for curriculum vitae is c.v.

French words of the day: clafoutis; gauche;

clafouti - Fruit tart
gauche - left, as in rive gauche - left bank of the river; left-handed, clumsy physically or verbally

For example, I am too gauche to make a fruit tart
or
I am not too gauche to present a fine fruit tart, or clafouti, at a grand occasion.

brasserie - originally a brewery, serving food, now a cheap restaurant, often a grill
force majeur - looks like major force doesn't it! Act of god. Irresistible force. Event you cannot anticipate nor avoid.
renaissance - rebirth - a period of new art
tisane - aromatic/herb-flavoured tea
julienne - strips of carrot or other food chopped the size of half a finger with a square cross-section
chiffonard - wafer thin, like chiffon, finely cut leaf vegetables used as a decoration
jardiniere - from the garden (j a r d i n - sorry to split the word up but spell checker keeps turning it into garden) - garnish of mixed vegetables, or a pot stand
macédoine - from Macedonia, like the people from their, a mixture or medley of fruits and/or vegetables
paysanne - peasant style, farmer's style, country style, simple style, diced vegetables, simple sauce
sangfroid - literally cold blood - sang is blood, froid like freezing is cold, calm, unflappable