Cooking Dictionary Results

P

Plum Pudding - British holiday pudding made mostly of dried fruit, rarely with plums. It is steamed, then served with hard sauce.

Pluot - [PLU-ought]. A new fruit grown near Fresno in California's San Joaquin Valley. Pluots are a cross between a plum and an apricot, combining the delicious flavors of both "parent" fruits. Smooth-skinned like a plum on the outside, pluots have deep red skin and sunny yellow flesh with a sweet/tangy flavor. The fruit is also sold dried.

Poach - to cook in liquid held below the boiling point.

Poi - Hawaiian dish of cooked and pounded taro root.

Polenta - Italian cornmeal pudding or mush, eaten hot or cold, usually with sauce and / or meats. It may be cooled and fried after cooking.

Popover - a batter muffin that is puffy and almost hollow, it has risen so high. The ingredients are about the same as for Yorkshire pudding, and like Yorkshire pudding, the batter is poured into already-heated containers. The beating period is critical and cannot be skimped on, as the leavening agent is egg, which must be thoroughly aerated.

Pork - the flesh of hogs, usually slaughtered under the age of 1 year.

Porringer - a child’s dish used for porridge.

Port - a grape wine fortified with brandy, which often is used to flavor casseroles and desserts. It may also be drunk after dinner as a digestif.

Portabella - a very large crimini; the mushroom has a dense texture and a rich, meaty flavor.

Porterhouse Steak - a thick steak of high quality cut from the wide end of the sirloin.