Poultry seasoning A mixture of spices and herbs such as sage, thyme, celery salt, and savory. Used in poultry, pork, and fish dishes or stuffings.
Pound cake The ultimate butter cake, so named after the traditional proportions of its ingredients — one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Baking powder is now sometimes also added.
Praline paste (Praliné) A mixture of skinned hazelnuts (or hazelnuts and almonds) and hot caramel, which is first hardened and then pulverized until creamy. A perfectly smooth praline paste is difficult to make at home, but available in specialty food shops.
Preservative Ingredient used to maintain product quality and freshness, by delaying or preventing spoilage and/or undesirable changes in color, flavor or texture.
Proscuitto The Italian word for ham, used to describe an Italian style of raw ham. Proscuitto di Parma and Proscuitto di San Daniele are especially noteworthy.
Puff pastry (Millefeuille) The multilayered buttery pastry used in Napoleons and palmiers. The characteristically thin, crisp, flaky layers are formed by repeated "turns" of spreading butter onto an oblong piece of dough, folding the dough like a letter, and rolling it out again. Classic puff pastry is turned six times, creating over 1,000 layers of dough; millefeuille means 1,000 layers in French. Well-made puff pastry rises to five times its original volume during baking. As it bakes, the water in the dough converts to steam, filling the places previously occupied by the butter, which has already melted and been absorbed by the dough. Available ready-made in many grocery stores.
Pumpkin pie spice A mixture of ground spices including cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
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Quahog A large Atlantic Coast clam.
Quenelle An oval poached dumpling usually made with veal or chicken.
Quiche A pie made of egg custard, cheese, and sometimes ham or vegetables.
Quinoa An ancient pearl-like grain from the Andes, rich in protein, lysine, calcium, and iron. Cooked like rice but requires less time and expands to four times its original volume. Delicate flavor similar to couscous. Used as a main dish, side dish, or addition to soups, salads or puddings. Available in most health food stores.
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Ragout A stew made from poultry, game, fish, or vegetables, thickened liquid, and seasonings. Ragouts may be brown or white. For a brown ragout, the meat is first browned in fat, then sprinkled with flour, cooked a little, and finally moistened with clear stock or water. For a white ragout, the meat is cooked until firm, but not colored, then sprinkled with flour and diluted with stock.
Raisin A dried grape.
Ramekin A small, shallow dish for baking and serving.
Rancidity Off-flavor in fats, or in food products containing fats, caused by oxidation.
Rasher A thin slice of bacon, or a portion consisting of three slices of bacon.
Raw sugar A minimally-processed light-brown sugar resembling coffee crystals. Often used for sprinkling because it is harder to dissolve than standard granulated sugar.
Red pepper Whole, ground, or crushed hot red peppers.
Refine To remove impurities, color, or strong flavor. In olive oil processing, involves the removal of free fatty acids and other flavor components,
Ricotta A soft, unripened Italian cheese made as the by-product of the whey of other cheeses. Slightly sweet and grainy. Used often in Italian sweets (such as Cassata alla Sicilian) and as a pasta filling.
