Third-person singular present tense of 'blanch'; turns white or pale, or briefly boils vegetables.
From Old French 'blanchir.' The modern third-person singular adds '-es' following English conjugation rules for words ending in 'ch'.
In cooking, 'blanches' is a verb you use all the time—'she blanches the vegetables'—but the word's poetry comes from its literal meaning: the vegetables actually turn slightly pale as they cook.
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