What is this cooking technique called with spoons?!

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In the dessert world , a quenelle is an elegant, football-shaped (can those 2 adjectives even go together?!) scoop of, well anything--ice cream, sorbet, whipped cream, creme fraiche, mousse.

Here's how to do it, courtesy of Thomas Keller from his iconic The French Laundry Cookbook....

“To make a one-spoon quenelle, you need a cup of very hot water, a spoon (whose bowl will determine the size of the quenelle), and whatever you’re ‘quenelling.’ Dip the spoon in the water so it’s hot. Hold the spoon with the rounded bottom up, place the far edge of the spoon into the mixture, with the near edge close to the surface but not touching, and drag the spoon toward you. The mixture you’re scraping should curl with the shape of the spoon. As you drag, twist your wrist up until the quenelle folds over itself into an egg shape. For the best shape, drag only once through the mixture; dip and clean your spoon for each new quenelle. It takes some practice.”

former pastry chef

quinelles (I'm not positive about the spelling)