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PACHADE A dessert that is a speciality of the Saint-Flour region of the Auvergne. Generally, pachade is made from a crepe batter mixed with fruit (particularly plums or prunes) and baked in the oven in a deep buttered dish. Sometimes, however, it is simply a thick pancake.

PACHERENC-DU-VIC BILH  White AOC wines from the Adour Valley in south-western France. Like the red Mediran, they are traditionally made from grapes allowed to dry on the vine, so the juice is concentrate. The  wines can be sweet or dry.

PACIFIC NORTH WEST Fine wines and food producing states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho in northwest United States.

PAELLA  A traditional Spanish rice dish garnished with vegetables, chicken and shellfish. Its name is derived from that of the container in which it is prepared.

   Paella originated in the region of Valencia. Its three basic ingredients are rice, saffron and olive oil. The garnish, which is cooked with the rice in stock, originally consisted either of chicken, snails. French beans and peas or of eel, frogs and vegetables, but it became considerably enriched and varied as it spread throughout Spain and even beyond. The garnish may now include chicken, rabbit, duck, lobster, mussels, langoustines, prawns (shrimp), squid, chorizo. French beans, peas red (bell) peppers and artichoke hearts, chicken, chorizo, mussels, langoustines and peas are essential ingredients. Paella may be a rustic dish, cooked in the open air and eaten straight from the paellera, traditionally accompanied by small onions or a very elaborate preparation, presented with great care, the different coloured ingredients contrasting with the saffron flavoured rice and set off by the green peas.

RECIPE

Paella

Cut a chicken weighing about 1.4 kg (3 lb) into 8 pieces and season them with salt and pepper. Place the crushed backbone and the giblets in a stewpan, cover with water, season with salt and pepper, bring to the boil and skim. Peel and chop 2 onions, cut the white part of the leek and a celery stick into fine strips and chop 3 garlic cloves. Add all the vegetables to the stewpan with a bouquet garni. Wait until the stock comes to the boil again, then simmer for 1 hour.

  Wash 500 g (18 oz) square, cut into thin strips and put in a saucepan with some cold water. Bring to the boil, leave to boil for 5 minutes, then cool and seat aside.

    Heat 4 tablespoon olive oil in a deep frying pan with a metal handle (or use a paella pan) and fry the chicken pieces in it until they turn golden. Drain them. Gently reheat the same oil and add 250 g (9 oz.) chorizo cut into round slices, then the squid. 2 sweet (bell) peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips, and 2 chopped onions. Add a pinch of saffron and leave to soften, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes. Add 6 large tomatoes (peeled, seeded and crushed) and reduce for 5 minutes, still uncovered.

   Measure the volume of 400 g (14 oz. 2 cups) long grain rice, tip it into the pan and mix everything together. Place the chicken pieces on top, then add 12 scraped and washed mussels, 12 Venus dams (if available) a handful of brushed and washed cockles and 8-12 langoustines. Strain the giblet stock and measure two and a half times the volume of the rice, then pour into the  pan. Cover with foil, bring to the boil over the heat, then cook in a preheated oven at 220 ^oC (425 ^oF, gas 7) for 25-30 minutes. Add 250 g ( 9 oz. 1 ¼ cups) frozen peas, stirring them into the mixture, and leave to cook for a further 5 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the paella there for about 10 minutes before serving to allow the rice to finishes swelling.

PAILLARD  A famous Parisian restaurateur of the 19^th century. In 1880 he took over the establsihment situated at the corner of the Rue de la Chausse d’Amin and the Boulevard des Italiens, kept since 1850 by the Bignon brothers. Frequented by all the elite of Europe, Pallard restaurant became very fashionable.Favourite dishes were chicken Archduke, Georgette potatoes, calves sweetbreads with asparagus tips, tillets of sole Chauchatt and , above all, stuffed duck, rivalling the duck au sang of the Tour d’Argent. Paifflard opened another luxurious restaurant, the Pavillon de I Elysee, nicknamed Petit  Paillard.

   Referring to one of the dishes created at Pailard’s, the name paillarde was given to a thin escaloped of veal well flattened and grilled or lightly braised. This term is obsolete in France but is still used in Italy for a veal  escalope.

RECIPE

Paupiettes of sole paillard

Flatten some fillets of sole, season them with salt and pepper, and cover with a thin layer of fish forcemeat finished with mushroom puree. Roll them into paupiettes and place in saute dish lined with thinly sliced onions and mushrooms, add a bouquet garni and moisten with fish stock or dry white wine. Cook covered, in a preheated oven at 220 ^oC (425 ^oF, gas 7) for 12 minutes.

   Drain the paupiettes, arrange them on artichoke hearts, in a deep buttered dish, cover them and keep them hot. Strain the cooking liquid through muslin (cheesecloth) or a fine sieve and add to it an equal volume of mushroom puree, 2 egg yolks, and 200 ml (7 ft. oz. ¾ cup) crème frache.Bring to the boil, whisking all the time, and adjust the seasoning. Coat the pauplettes with this sauce, glaze in a preheated oven at 230 ^oC (450 ^oF, gas 8 ) and serve immediately.

PAIN AU CHOCOLAT  A small rectangle of croissant dough folded over one or two chocolate bars and baked in the oven. This Viennese speciality is eaten cold.

PAK CHOI  Also  known as bok choy or bok choi or quingcai. A member of the Brassica family this B tapa has rounded leaves on wide, white stalks that grow in a rosette. The vegetable shredded for use in stir fries soups and casseroles or braised dishes. Small beads may also be cooked whole.The tender leaves with rapidly on cooking (rather like spinach) but the stalks retain their crisp texture.

PAKORA  A popular Indian snack and street food, these savoury litters cronsist of vegetables in a spicy batter made from chick pea flour. Onion bathis or baihias are very similar. They may be made from a single vegetable, such as aubergine or potato, or with a mixture of ingredients, such as cauliflower, onion potato and peas.

PALATE  An item of red offal (variety meat) consisting of the fleshy membrane at the back of the roof until 19^th century, ox palate was soaked in cold water, blanched, cooked cut into slices or small sticks, then prepared as fritters in a gratin or a la lyonnaise. It is now rarely used, except as a complementary items in the preparation of ox muzzles.

PALATINATE  The wine region, a continuation of the Alsace vineyard to the north, extends along the left bank of the River Rhine and is one of Germany’s main wine growing areas. It includes the Pfalz and Rheinhessen wine regions. It produces a huge quantity of wine, mostly white though some red is made in the Mitchaardt region, north of Neustadt, some truly fine wines are produced. They extend to all the quality ranges of German wines and are in general rather full and fragrant and can often be drunk even with quite robust food unlike many of the other line. German wines  from other areas. The various grapes associated with German wines are grown, including the Rheinriesling Among  famous wine villages the names of Porst. Dedesheim, Ruppertsberg and  Wachenhem are especially notable. Other good wines are made around Bad Durkheim, Rallstadt, Letstadt and Konigsbach.

PALAY, MAXIMIN (known as Simin) French writer born Casteide Doat, 1874, died Gelos, 1965) A committee member of the Felibrige  (a society of writers dedicated to preserving the Provencal language) Palay collected in his Dictionaire du bearnais (1932) numerous culinary traditions of his native region region. He also published La Cuisine du pays (1936), describing typical recipes of Armagnac, the Basque country, Bean, Bigorre and the Landes including abigtades alticuilt, armottes, cruchude garbure, miques, foie gras, confits, piperade, salmis of guinea fowl and touron. This work also includes details of the maxims, tricks of the trade, utensils and ingredients used in these regions.

PALERON A French cut of beef that includes the shoulder with some of the adjoining collar. It is a fleshy mean, providing cuts for braising or boiling. Neck or chuck are the nearest British and American equivalent cuts.

 RECIPE

Paleron menagere

Cut 1 kg (2 ¼ lb) chuck steak into large dice and season with salt and pepper.Brown in hot oil in a saucepan for 5 minutes. Then pour off the oil, add a large, finely diced onion and cook until lbrown. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour, stirring well to coat the meat and the onion, then moisten with 500 ml (17 ft oz. 2 cups)dry white wine. Add 2 whole tomatoes, 2 chopped garlic cloves and a bouquet garni. Cover with a mixture of half water and half stock, add 1 tablespoon coarse salt and cook gently with the lid on for 1 hour, stirring from time to time. Add 400 g (14 oz, 3 cups) carrots and 200 g (7 oz, 1 ½ cups) turnips cut into small sticks. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Finally add 20 button (pearl) onions, which have been cooked in salted water, and adjust the seasoning. Sprinkle with coarsely chopped parsley and serve very hot.

PALET   A small crisp petit four flavoured with rum, aniseed, vanilla or brown sugar, ground almonds, candied peel or other ingredients may be added Palets de dumes are traditionally made with currants.

RECIPE

Palets de dames

Wash 75 g (3 oz. ½ cup) currants and macerate them in a little rum. Mix 125 g (4 ½ oz, ½ cup) softened butter and 125 g (4 ½ oz ½ cup) caster 9superfine) sugar. Work with a whisk, then blend in 2 eggs, one after the other, and mix well. Next add 150 g (5 oz. 1 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, the currants with their rum and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly. Butter a baking sheet, dust it lightly with flour and arrange the mixture on it in small balls, well separated from each other. Cook in a preheated oven at 220 ^oC(425 ^oF, gas 7) for 25 minutes or until the edges of the palets are golden.

PALETOT The French term for a partly boned carcass of a web-footed bird (goose or duck). After removing the neck and wings, the bones of the thoracic cage, the vertebral column and the pelvis and the wishbone are removed through an opening in the back. The bird then looks like a knitted jacket (paletot).  The fatty skin is cut into small pieces and cooked, it provides the fat that covers and preserves the pieces as a confit. Chopper very finely, it is sometimes used in certain charcuterie products to enhance the flavour.

PALETTE  A French cut  of pork corresponding to the shoulder blade (butt) with the adjoining muscles. It is a tender meat that is especially suitable for stews, it is particularly good with sauerkraut, when it is salted and sometimes smoked. Uncured, it is good for roasting and is so rich in fat that there is no need to lard it. It may also be sauteed.

Palette – the wine A Provencal AOC wine region around Mont Sainte Victoire. Very attractive red, white and rose wines are made, predominantly produced by Chateau Simone.

RECIPES

Palette of pork with haricot beans

Soak a salted blade or butt of pork in cold water to remove the salt, changing the water once. Stud the meat with pieces of garlic and place it  in a saucepan. Cover it generously with cold water, add a bouquet garni and leave to simmer for about 2 hours. Cook separately some dried or fresh white haricot (navy) beans or lentils. When the beans are half-cooked, add the meat (drained), adjust the seasoning and complete the cooking gently with the lid on. Alternatively the cooked shoulder may be lightly fried in lard  (shortening) before being added to the beans.

Palette of Pork with Sauerkraut

Soak a salted blade or butt of pork in cold water to remove the salt, changing the water once. Prepare some sauerkraut, place the drained shoulder in it and cook for about 2 hours oven a very low heat or in a preheated oven at 180 ^oC (350 ^oF, gas 4) The sauerkraut may be garnished with a few vegetables (potatoes, carrots, turnips and small onions) added 45 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

PALM HEARTS (HEARTS OF PALM) The terminal buds of certain palm trees, in particular the West Indian cabbage pal glug-glug cabbage or ti-coco cabbage. The lender parts are eaten raw, thinly sliced in salad, the firmer parts are cooked and used to prepare acrus, gratins or fillings for omelettes. The taste is similar to artichoke. Canned palm hearts are also available.

RECIPES

Braised palm hearts

(Creole recipe) Rinse some palm hearts in water and wipe well. Melt some pork dripping (fatback) in a shallow frying pan. Cut some pieces of palm hearts about 5 cm (2 in) long tie them together in bunches and lightly brown them in this fat over a gentle heart for 30 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon flour, blending it in, them mix in 1 tablespoon tomato puree (paste) and some very concentrated chicken stock. Bring to the boil, stirring and cook for several minutes, then simmer gently until the sauce is reduced. Serve with a little of the sauce.

Palm hearts in salad

Drain a can of palm hearts, refresh them in cold water, wipe them and cut them into round slices. Peel a cucumber, remove the seeds and cut the pulp into dice. Peel seed and dice 4 ripe firm tomatoes. Using a melon baller, scoop out some small balls from the pulp of an avocado. Mix together 200 ml (7 ft. oz. ¾ cup) double (heavy) cream, some chopped chives, 2 tablespoon vinegar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Combine the other ingredients with the sauce. Garnish some individual dishes with a lettuce chiffonamade. Divide the preparation between them and chill until time to serve.

Palm hearts mille-feuille with smoked marlin

Using a blender make a vinaigrette with 200 ml (7 ft oz. ¾ cup) groundnut (peanut) oil, 100 ml (4 ft oz. 7 tablespoons) wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon prepared mustard and 1 egg . Cut  250 g (9 oz.) smoked marlin (billfish) into 12 slices.Wash 200 g (7 oz.) tomatoes and cut into small cubes. Make roses with 4 cherry tomatoes. Cut 4 black olives into fan shapes (3 per olive) Squeeze the juice of lemon. Finely slice 1 palm heart and coat the slices in the vinaigrette and lemon juice to prevent them from going black. Put a ring 7.5 cm (3 in) in diameter and 4 cm (1 ½ in) high in the centre of each plate. Put a slice of marlin in the bottom and add a thin layer of finely sliced palm heart. Cover with another slice of marlin and a thin layer of palm heart. Finish with a slice of marlin. Place a cherry tomato rose in the centre and arrange 3 of the olive fans. Remove the ring carefully. Place some diced tomatoes round the edge of each plate and garnish with a little parsley.

Palm hearts with shrimps

Thoroughly drain some canned palm hearts, refresh them in cold water, then wipe and coarsely shred them. Prepare a light well-seasoned mayonnaise coloured either with tomato ketchup or with a very reduced strained tomato sauce. Peel some cooked shrimps. Scald some bean sprouts refresh them in cold water and dry them. Mix all the ingredients together and put in a cool place. Line some individual dishes with a lettuce chiffonnade, divide the mixture among them and serve chilled.

PALMIER   A small pastry made of a sugared and double rolled sheet of puff pastry cut into slices, the distinctive shape of which resembles the follage of a palm tree.First made at the beginning of the 20^th century, palmiers are served with tea or as an accompaniment to ices and desserts.

RECIPE

Palmiers

Prepare some puff pastry and give it 4 extra turns, dusting it generously with icing (confectioner’s ) sugar between each rolling. Roll it out to a thickness of 5 mm ( ¼ in) into a rectangle 20 cm (8 in) wide (the length will depend on the quantity used).Dust again with icing sugar. Roll each of the long sides to the centre and flatten slightly, then fold the strip in half. Cut this into sections 1 cm (1/2 in) thick and place on a baking sheet, leaving enough space between them so that they do not stick to each other during cooking. Cook the palmiers in a pre heated oven at 220 ^oC (425 ^oF, gas 7 ) for about 10 minutes, turning them over halfway through cooking to colour both sides.

PALM TREE  Any of numerous tropical trees belonging to the family Palmae. Many species are commercially important as a source of food, notably the date palm, coconut palm and sago palm. Some palm, especially the cabbage palm, have edible terminal buds and others yield sugar, oil and vegetable butter. The sap of some species is fermented to produce wine.

PALMYRA  A palm tree  of Asia and Africa with edible buds and young shoots. The pulp of the fruit is made into a kind of flour used in numerous local dishes in Sri Lanka, it is also used to make a popular jam. The fruit may be eaten either raw or roasted. The sap can be used in the preparation of fermented drinks.

PALOISE, A LA  Describing preparations of small cuts of grilled (broiled) meat garnished with French (green) beans in cream and noisette potatoes. The paloise garnish for large grilled cuts (which is rare) consists of glazed carrots and turnips, French beans in butter, sprigs of cauliflower coated with hollandaise sauce and croquette potatoes. The paloise sauce is a bearnaise sauce with mint rather than tarragon) but grills a la paloise may be accompanied by either demi-glace sauce or a classic bearmaise sauce.

RECIPE

Grilled lamb cutlets a la paloise

Prepare some noisette potatoes and some French (green) beans in cream (see bean) and keep them hot.Season some lamb cutlets (chops) that have the bone and exposed with salt and pepper, coat them very lightly with olive oil and grill(broil) them quickly on both sides. Garnish the bone ends with white paper frills and arrange the cutlets in a crown on a large round serving dish. Place the beans in the centre and arrange the potatoes in clusters between the cutlets.

PANACHE  A mixture of two drinks in approxiamtely equal quantities. It usually refers to beer and fizzy lemonade, but the term may also be used to describe other drinks. In cooking and patisserie panache also means a mixture of two or more ingredients with different colours, flavours or shape.

RECIPE

Panache of lobsters and crayfish with caviar

Prepare a well flavoured court bouillon. In it cook a lobster of 800 g (1 ¾ lb) for 12 minutes with the liquid gently bubbling.Remove the lobster, cut it under the chest, between the antennase and set aside. Put about 1 kg (2 ¼ lb) crayfish (about 20) in the same liquid, boil for 2 minutes and leave to cool in the liquid. Remove the shell of the tail and pincers of the lobster, slice the tail flesh into 12 even rounds.Drain the crayfish and shell them. Make a beaurre blanc nantois. When ready to serve, put a little butter in a saute pan and cook the rounds of lobster tail, the pincer meat and the crayfish tails to make them firm.Add a little court bouillon and 3 tablespoons double (heavy) cream. Let it heat without coming to the boil. To serve, arrange the lobster and crayfish in shallow plattes. Keep the plates warm in the oven. Add a little beaure blanc nantais to the sauce (to taste) and at the last minute, 4 teaspoons caviar.Cover the shellfish with the sauce.

PANADA  paste of variable composition used to bind and thicken forcemeats. A flour panada is used to thicken quenelle forcemeats, the flour is added all at once to brilling salted and buttered water, and the mixture is beaten well over the heat until it thickens.A frangipane panada is used for poutlry and fish forcemeats, bread panada for fish foremeats, potato panada for querrelles of white meal and rice panada for various forcemeat.

  Panada is also the name of a type of soup or gruel made from bread, stock milk (or water) and butter. It has to simmer for a certain time and is served piping hot. The basic recipe may be enriched with eggs  or crème fraiche and seasoned with nutmeg or tomato sauce.

RECIPES

Bread panada

Soak 250 g (9 oz. 4 ½ cups) fresh white breadcrumbs in 300 ml (1/2 pint, 1 ¼ cups) boiled milk until the liquid is completely absorbed. Pour this mixture into a saucepan and let it thicken over the heat, stirring it with a wooden spoon. Pour into a buttered dish and leave to cool.

Flour panada

Palce 300 ml ( ½ pint, 1 ¼ cups) water, 50 g (2 oz. ¼ cup) butter and ½ teaspoon salt in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add 150 g (5 oz. 1 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, beat well over the heat with a wooden spoon, then cook until the mixture comes away from the edges of the saucepan. Pour the panada into a buttered dish, smooth the surface, cover with buttered paper and leave it to cool.

Frangipane panada

Put 125 g (4 ½ oz. 1 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour and 4 egg yolks in a saucepan. Mix well, stirring with a wooden spoon, then add 90 g (3 ½ oz. ½ cup) melted butter ½ teaspoon salt, some pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.  Then the mixture by blending it with 250 ml (8 ft. oz. 1 cup) boiled milk, poured in gradually. Cook for 5-6 minutes, beating vigorously with a whisk.Pour the panada into a buttered dish, smooth the surface, cover with buttered paper and leave to cool.

Panada soup based on meat stock

Remove and crusts from 250 g (9 oz. About 10 slices) stale bread and reduce it to crumbs. Peel and seed 500 g (18 oz) tomatoes, then crush the pulp. Peel and chop a large onion. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saucepan and cook the onion until golden, then add the tomatoes and leave to cook for 5 minutes with the lid on. Add l litre (1 ¾ pints 4 ½ cups) stock and a pinch of powdered marjoram, adjust the seasoning and leave to cook for about 30 minutes. Pour 500 ml (17 ft oz. 2 cups)  stock over the breadcrumbs, leave them to soak, then add the mixture to the soup and let it cook for a further 10 minutes. Press the soup through sieve (or puree in a blender) and serve pipping hot. A tablespoon of oil and some coarsely chopped herbs may be added to the soup just before serving.

Panada soup with milk

Remove the crusts from 250 g (9 oz, about (10 slices) stale bread and pour over it 1 litre (1 ¾ pints, 4 ½ cups) boiling milk. Leave to soak, then cook gently for 15 minutes. Puree in a blender and season with salt.

   This panada may be sweetened, sprinkled with nutmeg or enriched with an egg yolk beaten with crème fraiche.

Potato Panada

Boil 300 ml ( ½ pint, 1¼ cups) milk seasoned with ½ teaspoon salt, a pinch of pepper and a pinch of grated rutmeg until it has reduced by one sixth Add 20 g (3/4 oz. 1 ½ tablespoons) butter and 250 g (9 oz 1 ¼ cups) thinly sliced boiled potatoes. Cook gently for 15 minutes, then mix well to obtain a smooth paste. Use this panada while still warm.

Rice panada

Add 200 g (7 zo. 1 cup) shortgrain rice to 600 ml (1 pint 2 ½ cups) white unclarified consomme to which 20 g (3 /4 oz 1  ½ tablespoons) butter has been added and cook in a preheated oven at 160 ^oC (325 ^oF, gas 3 ) for about 50 minutes. Mix the cooked rice well with a wooden spoon to obtain a smooth paste.  Leave to cool in buttered dish.

PAN-BAGNAT  Also known as pan bagua.A speciality of Nice consisting of a kind of sandwich anchovy, celery and black (ripe) olives, its name means literally, bathed bread (bathed in oil). Some people spread the bread with garlic flaoured anchovy puree before garnishing it. Originally, this preparation was a salade nicoise in which stale bread was crumbled anhour before serving.

RECIPE

Pan-bagnat

Split a round bread roll in two and open it out without separating the two halves. Remove two thirds of the crumb. Rub the remaining crumb with garlic and sprinkle it with a little olive oil. Fill with slices of tomato, onion and hard-boiled (hard cooked) eggs, thin strips of sweet (bell) pepper, stone (pitted) black olives and anchovy fillets in oil. Sprinkle with olive- oil vinaigrette and close up the roll.

PANCAKE  A flat product, savoury or sweet, made by frying batter with the minimum of fat. The most popular pancake is of the French crepe variety, made from a thin batter, cooked in a thin layer on a lightly greased pan. The size and thickness may vary, but the pancake is thin enough to roll or wrap around a filling.

   Thicker smaller pancakes are made from leavened batter, typically with backing powder, yeast or folded in whisked eggs white acting as a raising agent Ingredients such as fruit may be added.

  Indian pancakes, for example dosas, are made from a batter of ground pulses. Chinese pancakes are very  thin  made from a rolled out wheat flour and water dough. They are lightly cooked in pairs, then peeled apart and lightly cooked on their second sides. These pale, soft pancakes are heated in a steamer and served with Peking duck.

PANCETTA  An Italian speciality  this spiced cured belly of pork is similar to high quality streaky (slab) bacon. It may be eaten raw, in thin slices, and also used in making various dishes.

PANDORA  A spindle shaped fish closely related to the sea bream caught in the Mediterranean and in the Bay of Biscay. It is 30-50 cm (12-20 in) long has a grey green back and a white belly and weighs up to 1 kg (2 ¼ lb) Pandora is prepared like sea bream but does not have as much flavour.

PANEER  Also known as panir, Indian fresh cheese with a firm texture and a very light flavour. It is used in savoury and sweet dishes. Fried cubes of paneer, which form a golden crust and soften slightly in the middle, may be added to pilau or cooked with peas.

PANETIERE   A small openwork cupboard, hanging of the wall or from the ceiling, which was formerly used, particularly in Brittany and Provence, for keeping bread.

PANETIERE, A LA  Describing various preparations which ,a fter cooking are arranged in a round, hollowedout loaf of bread, which has been lightly browned in the oven. Lamb’s sweetbreads, chicken    livers, salpicons, various ragouts, srabled eggs, small birds, and fillets of fish in sauce may be presented in this way.

RECIPE

Fillets of sole a la panetiere

Cut the top off a large, round loaf and remove three-quarters of the crumb. Butter the inside and lightly brown in a preheated oven at 200 ^oC (400 ^oF, gas 6). Season some fillets of sole with salt and pepper, fold them in two, coat with flour and cook them in butter. Prepare a ragout of mushrooms in cream. Drain the fillets of sole and arrange them in a crown in the bread. Pour the mushroom ragout into the centre and heat in the oven for about 5 minutes.

PANETTONE  A large, round Italian cake which is a speciality of the city of Milan and Venice. Panettone is made from a raised dough enriched with egg yolks( which give it its colour) and contains raisins and candied orange and lemon peel. The dough is traditionally kneaded three times a day for several days to give the characteristic light texture, then it is placed in a cool oven to rise and cooked in a cylindrical mould. Traditional Christmas fare, this cake is also eaten for breakfast, with coffee, and it is sometimes served as a dessert, accompanied by a liqueur wine.

   The word is derived from pane (bread) According to one legend, it is a contraction of pane de tondo, Tonio, a poor baker from Milan, had a pretty daughter with whom a young nobleman was in love. As she could not be married without a dowry, Tonio provided all the ingredients necessary to make an excellent cake. Tonio made a fortune with his pane and his daughter made a good match.

RECIPE

Panettone

Mix 3 tablespoons water, 50 g (2 oz. ¼ cup) butter and 75g (3 oz. ½ cup) soft brown sugar in a saucepan and palce over a moderate heat, making sure the mixture does not come to the boil. Sift 300 g (11 oz. 2 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour and 20 g ( ¾  oz, 3 packages) dried yeast at least four times. Put into a mixing bowl. D Add 25 g (1 oz. 2 tablespoon) raisins and 50 g (2 oz, ½ cup) diced candied citron peel. Mix together thoroughly and incorporate 2 egg yolks. Slowly add the butter soft brown sugar mixture. Work the dough thoroughly with a wooden spoon until leaves the sides of the bowl. Then place the dough on slightly floured work surface and knead it for another 1-2 minutes. Mould the dough into the typical done shape of panettone, making an incision in the shape of a square with a cross in the middle. Leave to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 ^oC (350 ^oF, gas 4) for 45 minutes, wrapping the panettone in foil for the first part of the cooking process to prevent the dough from spreading. Just before the end of the cooking, spray a little water over the incision in the panettone, which will give it glossy surface.

PANFORTE  An Italian Christmas speciality from Siena, it is a highly spiced sweet mixture of dried fruit and nuts bound with honey and baked on a rice paper base n a shallow round tin. Ground coriander, mace, cinnamon, cloves and white pepper are included candied fruits and peel are also added panforte is dredged with icing (confectioner’s) sugar and tightly packed, then allowed to mature for at least a few day before eating. In  airtight wrapping panforte has a long shelf life.

PANNEQUET  A sweet or savoury pancake filled with chopped ingredients, a puree or a cream.

   Panneques (the name is derived from the English word pancake) are  generally served as a small entrée as a hot hors d’oeuvre, as a soup garnish or as a dessert course. They are spread with the chosen filling, rolled up or folded into four , then browned or glazed under the grill (broiler) or sometimes coated with breadcrumbs and fried.

   Fillings for savoury pannequets include anchovies in bechamed or tomato sauce, spinach in Mormay sauce, melted cheese soft roes with mushrooms. Mushrooms with paprika or ham, chopped mutton with aubergines (eggplants) shrimps in Aurora sauce, game puree, pureed chicken in c ream, and crayfish in Nantua sauce.

    Sweet panequets may be filled with confectioner’s custard (pastry cream) flavoured with crystallized (candied) fruits, syrup, praline or liqueur, or with chestnut cream or jam. They may be browned under the grill (broiler) or flamed.

RECIPE

Preparation of pannequets

Make a batter with250 g (9 oz. 2 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, a pinch of salt, 3 beaten eggs, 250 ml (8  oz 1 cup) milk, 250 ml ( 8 ft oz, 1 cup) water and 1 tablespoon melted butter. For sweet pancakes, add 1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar mixed with the eggs. Prepare some fairly thick pancakes. Pile them in a covered dish and keep to over a saucepan of boiling water.

Savoury Pannequets

Anchovy pannequets

Prepare 8 savoury pannequets and 300 ml ( ½ pint, 1 ¼ cups) fairly thick bechamel sauce without salt. Soak 8 anchovies in water to remove some of the brine, take out the fillets and reduce them to a puree.Cut 8 anchovy fillets canned in oil into small pieces. Mix the bechamel sauce and the anchovy puree and adjust the seasoning.Spread each pannequet with anchovy bechamel sauce and sprinkle with small pieces of the fillets. Fold in four and arrange in a buttered ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with fresh breadcrumbs fried in butter and place under the grill (broiler) for 3-4 minutes or in a preheated oven at 230 ^oC (450 ^oF, gas 8 ) for 10 minutes.

Cheese pannequets

Prepare 8 savoury pannequets and 300 ml ( ½ pint, 1 ¼ cups) thick bechamel sauce, to which 100 g (4 oz 1 cup) grated Gruyere or Parmesan cheese has been added.

  Proceed as for anchovy pannequets but add grated cheese to the fried breadcrumbs before placing under the grill (broiled) or in the oven.

Fried pannequets

Fill some savoury pannequets, roll them into cigar shapes and cut into sections abour 3 cm (1 ¼ in) long. Coat with egg and breadcrumbs and fry just before serving. Garnish with fried parsley.Fried pannequets may be filled like other savoury panequets or in any of the following ways:

Pannequets a la reine

Prepare 8 savoury pannequets and 150 ml ( ¼ pint, 2/4 cup) chicken puree with cream. Add a little salpicon of truffle to the puree. Spread the filling on the pannequets and fold them into four. Cover each pannequet with 1 tablespoon very reduced chicken veloute made with cream and sprinkle with mixture of fried breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese. Proceed as for anchovy pannequts.

Pannequets for soup

Prepare some savoury pannequets (allow 6 for 8 people) and a vegetable brunoise, a cheese bechamel sauce or a very dry mushroom duxelles. Cover half of the pennequets with the chosen garnish and cover with the remaining pannequts. Press e each pair together firmly then cut out rounds with a flutted cutter. Place these in boiling consomme just before serving.

Pannequets with soft roes

Poach some soft roes, drain cool and cut them into a salpicon. Preapare 8 savoury pannequets. 4 tablespoons mushroom duxelles and  300 ml ( ½ pint, 1 ¼ cups) well reduced bechamel sauce or thin velotte. Mix the duxelles with the bechamel sauce and add the soft roes. Proceed as for anchovy pannequets but add grated Parmesan cheese to the fried breadcrumbs.

Apricot Pannequets

Prepare 8 sweet pannequets. Make 250 ml (8 ft oz, 1 cup) confectioner’s custard (pastry cream) flavoured with rum  and add to it 12 very ripe apricots (or drained canned apricots) stone (pitted) and cut into dice, and 75g (3 oz. ¾ cup) coarsely chopped almonds.Spread the pannequets with this preparation and roll them up.Arrange them in a buttered ovenproof dish dust them generously with icing (confectioner’s) sugar, and place them in a preheated oven at 230 ^oC(450 ^oF, gas 8 ) for 8-10   minutes.

Pannequets a la cevenole

Prepare 8 sweet pannequets. Mix 250 ml (8 ft oz, 1 cup) sweetened chestnut puree flavoured with kirsch with 3 tablespoons crème fraiche and 3 tablespoons fragments of marrons glaces. Spread the pannequets with this mixture and finish as for apricot pannequets.

Pannequets a la creole

Prepare  sweet pannequets. Mix 300 ml (1/2 pint, 1 ¼ cups0 confectioner’s custard (pastry cream) flavoured with rum with 4 slices of canned pineapple cut into a salpicon. Spread the pannequets with this mixture and finish as for apricot pannequets.

Pannequets with Crustallized fruit

Prepare 8 sweet pannequets. Cut 250 g (9 oz. 1 ½ cups) crystallized (candied) fruit into small dice and macerate them in 100 ml (4 ft oz. 7 tablespoons) brandy or rum. Mix 4 egg yolks with 125 g (4 ½ oz, ½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar, add 65 g( 2 ½ oz, ½ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, and mix well. Sprinkle with 500 ml (17 ft oz, 2 cups) boiling milk, whisking quickly. Pour into a saucepan and boil for 2 minutes, beating with a whisk.combine the crystallized fruit and the macerating spirit with this mixture, then leave until lukewarm.

   Spread each pannequet with a generous tablespoon of the fruit cream mixture, roll them up and arrange in a buttered ovenproof dish.Dust with 100 g (4 oz ¾ cup) icing (confectioner’s) sugar and caramellize in a preheated oven at 220 ^oC (425 ^oF,  gas 7) Serve as soon as they are taken out of the oven. The pannequets may be flamed with rum just before serving.

Praline pannequets

Prepare 8 sweet pannequets. Prepare 300 ml ( ½ pint, 1 ¼ cups) confectioner’s custard (pastry cream) flavoured with liqueur (Cointreau or Grand Manier) or with Armagnac and mix with 100 g (4 oz ½ cup) crushed prailen. Spread the pannequets with this mixture and finish as for the apricot pannequets, but sprinkle with 8 finely crushed macaroons before putting in the oven.

PANZAROTTI Rice fritters prepared inCorsica especially for regious festivals, rice being the symbol of life, abundance and immorality.The rice, cooked in milk, is mixed with brandy, oil and yeast, then egg yolks, grated lemon and stiffy whisked egg whites. The fritters are served hot dusted with sugar.

PAPAW  A slightly elongated and curved tropical fruit native to North America. It has a smooth yellowish skin and juicy, pale yellow flesh with numerous seeds, Its flavour and aroma are reminiscent of a banana and a pear. Not to be confused with pawpaw, the alternative name for papaya, the two are not related.

PAPAYA  Also known as pawpaw. A large pearshaped, tropical fruit with a smooth, yellowish skin its orange coloured flesh has a central gelatinous cavity filled with edible black seeds. Originating in Malaysia the papaya is now cultivated in South America, Asia and Africa. It can be cooked as a vegetable when green and unripe, or eaten ripe as a fruit. It is often used to make jam or pickles.

  The green papaya is bled  and seeded. It may then be grated like a raw carrot, cooked like a vegetable marrow (squash) prepared as a gratin or in gruel, or fried in slices.

  When it is completely ripe, the papaya is served as an hors d ocuvre like melon, in a salad or as a dessert with sugar and cream. its juicy and refreshing pulp is improved by flavouring with a little rum.

PAPER  A material often used in cookery for the preparation, cooking, serving or preserving of foods and dishes. Greaseproof (wax) paper withstands a certain amount of heat and provides insulation, it is used to wrap dishes to be cooked en papillote, to cover preparations while they are cooked in the oven so that they do not brown too quickly and to line cake tins (pans) Cellophane paper is used to cover jamps when they are put in jars.

  Lace doileys, of various shapes and patterns, are used for presenting                           sweet (candies) and cakes. Plain doilley with a crinkled edge are used for serving fried food. Iced petits fours and bouchees are presented in little cases of pleated paper which are also used for baking small cakes. Paper towels are widely used in the kitchen for cleaning and wiping foolstuffs and for draining fried dishes.

PATET A traditional Swiss soup from the Vaud canton. It  consists of leeks and potatoes and is often accompanied by a piece of smoked pork. It is usually served with sausage ring.

PAPETON A speciality of Avignon based on pureed aubergines (eggplants) and eggs cooked in a mould that was originally shaped like a papal crown.

   The creaton of the papeton might have arisen after quaned between the cooks of Avignon and those who had come from Italy with the papal court and who therefore claimed to be superior. The local cooks wishing to prove the contrary, devised an original dish which pleased the pope.

RECIPE

Aubergine papeton

Prepare 500 ml (17 ft oz. 2 cups) very reduced tomato fordue. Peel 2 kg (4 ½ lb) aubergines (eggplants), cut them intoc ubes, sprinkle with fine salt and leave them to exude their juice for 1 hour. Wash them in cold water, wipe thoroughly, then flour them lightly and cook very gently in 4 tablespoons olive oil until soft.Sprinkle with salt and leave to cool, then puree in a blender. Mix 7 large eggs, beaten as for an omelette, with 100 ml (4 ft oz. 7 tablespoons) milk, 2 finely crushed garlic cloves, some salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Add the aubergine puree and pour into a buttered manque mould. Place this ould in a  bain marie, bring it to the boil on the top of the stove, then cook in a preheated oven at 180 ^oC (350 ^oF, gas 4 ) for 1 hour.Turn out on to a warmed serving dish and coat with the hot tomato fondue.

PAPILLOTE  A small decorative paper frill used to garnish the bone end of a lamb or veal chop, or the drumstick of a chicken.

   The term en popillote is used to describe a preparation cooked and served in wrapping of greaseproof (wax) paper or foil. Veal chops, whole stuffed fish, fish, fillets and potatoes can be prepared  en papillote. The dish is generally cooked with herbs, a sauce, chopped onions or mushrooms The paper is buttered or oiled, wrapped  around the food and folded tightly so that the food is completely enclosed. The wrapping swells in the oven during cooking, and the dish is served piping hot, before the wrapping collapse.

   The name papillote is also given to sweet (candy0 or chocolate wrapped in brightly coloured  shiny paper with fringed ends. The papillote lyonaise contains a riddle or a motto wrapped up with the sweet, its name is attributed by some to a confectioner called Papillot, but it more probably derives from papillon (butterfly). The cosaque is a papillote in the form of a cracker made with two papers of different colours, one of them gold. Formerly sold at fairs, these crackers have practically disappeared.

RECIPES

Fillets of fish en papillotes

Cut out some rectangles of greaseproof (wax) paper large enough to wrap up each fillet (such as sole, whiting, fresh cod, sea bream) folded in two. Spread 1 tablespoon double (heavy) cream in the centre of each papillote and season with salt and pepper. Place on top a fish fillet seasoned with salt and pepper, sprinkled with a little lemon juice and folded in two. Cover with a little cream and scatter with coarsely chopped herbs. Close  the papillotes, folding the edges together. Cook in a preheated oven at 230 ^oC (450 ^oF,g as 8) for about 15 minutes.

   A little julienne of vegetables cooked in butter may be placed under over the folded fillet.

Papillotes a la choinoise

Cut some fillets of fish (such as whiting, fresh cod, sea bream haddock) into pieces about 25 x 5 cm (1 x 2 in) Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with Chinese rice wine or a little sherry and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Cut out some rectangles of greaseproof (wax) paper large enough to wrap up each piece of fillets and oil them. Place a piece of fish in the centre of each rectangle and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon chopped ginger and 1 tablespoon chopped spring onion (scallon) Close up the papillotes and fry in very hot oil (180 ^oC. 350 ^oF) for 3 minutes. Drain them arrange on a serving dish and serve with spring onions cut into a jullenne.

Papillotes of lobster and scallops

Separate the tail from a lobster and set it aside. Open the body and take out the stomach. Crush the careas and heat the pieces in a thick based saucepan with some chopped shallot. Add 250 ml (8ft oz. 1 cup) vermouth and reduce by half, then add 150 ml ( ¼ pint, 2/3 cup) double (heavy) cream and reduce again by half. Add the lobster tail, cook for 4 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat. Shell the tail and cut the flesh into 8 slices. Cut a truffle into 8 thin slices. Open 8 scallops and take out the kernel and the coral. Strain the sauce.

   Prepare 4 pieces of oiled greaseproof (wax) paper. Place 2 slices of lobster on each piece of paper and top them with 2 scallops and 2 slices of truffle.Coat with the sauce and sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs. Close up the papillotes tightly, folding the edges together, and cook them in a preheated oven at 230 ^oC (450 ^oF, gas 8) for a maximum of 5 minutes.Serve in avery hot stainless stell dish so that the papillotes do not collapse.

Red mullet en papillotes

Clean 8 small red mullet, but leave the liver inside. Prepare a forcemeat with 5-6 slices of white bread dipped in milk, some parsley and 4 tablespoons anchovy butter. Season the fish with salt and pepper, stuff them with the forcemeat, brush with olive oil and leave to marinate in a cool place for 1 hour. Place each mullet on a rectangle of oiled greaseproof (wax) paper and close up the paillotes. Cook in a preheated oven at 230 ^oC (450 ^oF, gas 8 for 15-20 minutes.

Veal chops en papillotes

Saute some veal chops in butter until they are cooked through and golden. Cut out some squares of greaseproof (wax0 paper, big enough to wrap up each chop, and oil them. Palce on half of each square of paper 1 slice of ham cut to the dimensions of the chop, 1 veal chop, 1 tablespoon mushroom duxelles and another slice of ham the same size as the first.Fold over the paper and press the edges together. Place the papillotes in a preheated oven at 240 ^oC (475F, gas 9) until the paper turns golden.

PAPRIKA  A spice ground from one or more variaties of sweet red pepper (parika in Hungarian) used to season ragouts, stuffings, sauces and soups, to flavour fresh cheeses and for gambling. Paprika is a distinctive feature of Hugnarian cookery,into which it was introduced only in the 19^th century, for Paprika was probably invented by the Turks and has been known in Europe since the time of Christopher Columbus. The Paffy brothers of Szegd, Hungary, invented a machine to strip stalks and seeds from pepper  and the spice is still at its most sophisticated in Hungary, is the main centre for producing paprika, the best variety is the pink or sweet pepper, which has a piquant flavour but no bitter aftertase.

   The original  shrub that produces this pepper is native to America. Its pods 6-13 cm (2 ½ -5 in) long and 3 cm.(1 1/3 in) wide, are harvested at the end of the summer, when they are red, they are then dried and crushed. There are in fact, many types of paprika made form a range of peppers, from the long tapering, mild varieties to the round, hot cherry peppers. Parikas labelled noble sweet  the commercial description ) are likely to be hungarian. Spain is another centre for paprika production,  where the pepper are smoked before being made into paprik, Jarandilla, in the west and the River Vera valley are famed for Spanish paprika.

  Professor Szent Gyogya, who was awarded the Nobel prize for medicine, considered this pepper to be the plant with the highest content of vitamin C  It  develops the best flavour when it is cooked with onion and lard (shortening) It should be added to the preparation away from the heat or with liquid, otherwise the sugar it contains may caramelize and impair the flavour and colour of the dish.

RECIPE

Saute of lamb with parika

Cut 1.5 kg ( 3 ¼ lb) lamb cutlets (chops) or boned shoulder into cubes and saute them in butter. When they are brown, add 150 g (5 oz. ½ cup) chopped onions to the saute dish. Season with salt and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons flour.Stir for a few mintues, then blend in 1 teaspoon paprika away from the heat. Moisten with 200 ml (7 ft oz, ¾ cup0 white wine, reduce by half, then add 300 ml ( ½ pint, 1 ¼ cups) stock and 2 tablespoons tomato pauree (paste) Add a bouquet garni and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Drain the pieces of lamb and put them in a saute dish with 250 g ( 9 oz. 3 cups0 mushrooms, thinly sliced and quickly fried in butter. Add to the sauce 200 ml (7 ft oz. ¾ cup) crème fraiche and 1 teaspoon paprika, reduce and strain then pour it over the lamb. Simmer gently with the lid on for 25 minutes.

PARASOL MUSHROOM  A mushroom, of Lepiota family, found in copses and clearings, whose cap is usually covered in large scale. All the large variaries are edible, but the long woody stems surround by a thick ring are best discarded. Of the smaller species one is poisonous. The two best species for eating are the common parasol and the shaggy parasol. They are brown or brownish grey with many gills, which stand away form the stalk. The white flesh is rather soft and insusbtantial  and turns pink or reddish when exposed to the air. They cook quickly and can be deep fried, shallow fried grilled (broiled) or even served raw in a salad.

RECIPE

Parasol mushrooms a la supreme

Prepare the caps of 1 kg (2 ¼ lb) young parasol mushrooms, without washing them. Make a white roux with 25 g (1 oz 2 tablespoons) butter and 40 g ( 1½  oz ½ cups) hot chicken stock. Let it cook over a low heat for 15 minutes. Turn the heat up and thicken the sauce with 1 egg yolk mixed with 4 tablespoons double (heavy0 cream. Season with salt and milk red paprika and keep warm in a bain marie. In a shallow frying pan, cook 65 g (2 ½ oz. ¼ cup) chopped onions seasoned with ½ teaspoon paprika in butter. When the onions start to turn pale golden, add the mushroom caps and saute them briskly for 5 minutes, then season withs alt, a little grated nutmeg and a bouquet garni to which extra basil and tarragon have been added. Cover the pan and cook for 10 more minutes ove a high heat. Drain the mushrooms and keep them hot in sauce in the pan with a little butter. Whish the supreme sauce and add to the mushrooms check the seasoning. Serve piled up on small slices of white bread which have been fried golden brown in noisette butter.

PARATHA  Indian fried, flat, wheatflour bread with a flaky texture. The texture is achieved by rolling and folding the dough several times, brushing with ghee to create a flaky pastry type product. Parathas may be plain or stuffed with a savoury or sweet filling. A spicy mixture of vegetables or minced (ground) meat may be used for the filling grated carrot sugar, raisin and nuts may be lightly spiced to make a sweet filling.

PARFAIT  An iced dessert made with double (heavy) cream, which gives it smoothness, prevents it form melting too quickly and enables it to be cut into slices. Originally the parfait was a coffee flavoured ice cream, today, the basic mixture is a flavoured custard cream, a flavoured syrup mixed with egg yoolks or a fruit puree, which is blended with whipped cream and then frozen. There is a special parfait mould in the shape of a cylinder with one slightly rounded end. The parfait can be served by itself or used as a base for preparing an iced cake an iced soutle or a vachern

RECIPE

Ice parfait

Mix 4 tablespoons water with 200 g (7 oz ¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar and cook to the fine thread stage (110 ^oC 230 ^oF) Place 8 egg yolks in a bowl and pour the boiling syrup over them, little by little, whisking all the time. Continue to whisk until the mixture has cooled. Then add the choosen flavouring from the suggestion below.

   Whip 200 ml (7 ft oz  ¾ cup) double (heavy) (both chilled) until very firm.Blend the whipped cream with the cooled mixture of egg yolks and syrup and pour into a parfait mould. Place in the freezer and leave to set for at least 6 hours.

  Suggested flavouring Add 3-4 tablespoons brandy or liqueur 4-5 tablespoons coffee essence (extract)  200 g ( 7 oz 7 squares) melted plain(dark) chocolate. 150 g (5 oz.  2/3 cup)  powdered almond praline, or about 10 drops of vanilla extracts.

PARFAIT AMOUR  A liqueur of Dutch origin flavoured with lemon (or citron) cloves, cinnamon and corande. It originated in the 18^th century and was very popular between the two world wars. The liqueur  was coloured red or violet and perfumed with violets.

PARIS-BREST  A large ring shaped cake of choux pastry, filled with praline flavoured cream and sprinkled with shredded (slivered) almonds. It was created in 1891 by a pastrycook whose shop was situated in the suburbs of Paris on the route of the bicycle race between Paris and Brest, he had the idea of making large, ring-shaped eclairs resembling bicycle wheels. The Paris Nice is a variation without almonds filled with Saint Honore cream.

RECIPE

Parish-Brest

Sprinkle 100 g (4 oz 1 cup) flaked (silvered) almonds over a baking sheet and cook them in a preheated oven at 200 ^oC (400 ^oF gas 6 ) until golden. Prepare a choux paste with 100 g (4 oz ½ cup) butter, 2 tablespoons caster (superfine0 sugar, a generous pinch of salt, 200 g (7 oz, 1 ¾  cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 350 ml (12 ft oz 1 ½ cups) water and 5 or 6 eggs, according to their size. Fill a piping bag, fitted with a nozzle 1.5 cm ( ¾ in) in diameter, with this mixture and pipe 2 rings. 18 com (7 in) in diameter. Glaze them with beaten egg, sprinkle them with the flaked almonds and cook in a preheated oven at 180 ^oC(350 ^oF, gas 4) for 35 –40 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the rings to cool with the door ajar, then remove from the oven and leave them to get completely cold.

   Prepare a confectioner’s custard (see custard) with 65 g (2 ½ oz ½ cup) plain flour, 175 g ( 6 oz. ¾ cup) caster sugar, 15 g ( ½ oz 1 tablespoon) butter 4 whole eggs, a generous pinch of salt and 500 ml (17 ft oz. 2 cups) boiling milk. In another bowl make a praline-flavorued French butter cream with 200 ml (7 ft oz ¾ cup) milk, 6 eggs, 200 g (7 oz 1 cup) caster sugar, 400 g ( 14 oz, ¾ cup) butter and 75 g (3 oz ½ cup) pralines. Finally prepare 150 g (5 oz ) Italian meringue.

   Leave the three preparations to cool thoroughly, then mix them together. Cut the choux, rings in half horizontally and fill the lower halves with the meringue mixture using a piping bag with a large flutted nozzle.

  Replace  the top havles of the rings, dust with icing (confectioner’s) sugar and put in a cool place until time to serve.

    Individual Paris Brest Instead of making large pastries, pipe rings measuring about 7.5 cm (3 in) in diameter.Bake as above, allowing about 30 minutes.Fill and serve with a custard sauce, if liked hazelnuts can be used instead of almonds in the praline and the dessert can be decorated with a few whole caramelized nuts.

PARISIEN  A lemon-flavoured sponge cake filled with frangipane and crystallized (candied) fruits, covered with Italian meringue and lightly browned in the oven.

RECIPE

Parisien

Beat 3 egg yolks with 100 g (4 oz, ½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar. When the mixture is white and thick, add 25 g ( 1oz. ¼ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour 25 g (1 oz ¼ cup) potato flour, ½ teaspoon vanilla sugar and the grated zest of lemon. Whisk 3 egg whites into stiff peaks and fold them carefully into the mixture. Pour this batter into a buttered manque mould, 23 cm (9 in) in diameter, and cook in a preheated oven at 180 ^oC (350 ^oF, gas 4) for about 35 minutes.

   While the cake is cooking prepare a frangipane, over a very low heat, warm 400 ml (14 ft. oz. 1 ¾ cups) milk with a vanilla pod (bean) split in two. Beat 3 egg yolks in a basin with 75 g (3 oz. 6 tablespoons) caster sugar, until the mixture is white. Add 25 g (1 oz. ¼ cup0 cornflour (cornstarch), stir well  and slowly pour in the boiling milk, mixing with a wooden spoon. Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring to the boil, whisking all the time, then pour into a bowl. When lukewarm, add 75 g (3 oz, ¾ cup) ground almonds and mix well.

  Take the cake out of the oven and leave it to cool. Prepare an Italian meringue by boiling 3 tablespoons water with 175 g (6 oz, ¾ cup) caster sugar to the soft ball stage. Place the saucepan in a bain marie to keep the syrup hot. Whisk 3 egg whites into stiff peaks, then gradually pour in the syrup in the trickle, whisking continuously. Continue to whisk for 2-3 minutes. Cut the cooled cake into layer 1 cm ( ½ in) think and spread each layer with frangipane. Chop 100 g (4 oz. ¾ cup) crystallized (candied0 fruits and sprinkle over the frangipane. Reassemble the cake.

  Fill a piping bag fitted with a fluted nozzle with the meringue and cover the cake completely. Dust with icing (confectioner’s) sugar and cook  in a preheated oven at 180 ^oC (350 ^oF, gas 4) until golden. Leave to cool completely before serving.

PARISIENNE, ALA  Describing preparations that are typical of the classic repertoire of Parisian restaurants. The term is particularly applied to meat and poultry dishes garnished with potatoes a la parisiennie  and accompanied by braised lettuces or artichoke hearts the latter may be garnished with a jullienne of pickled tongue and mushrooms bound with veloute, decorated with a thin slice of truff.

   Cold preparations of fish or shellfish a la parisienne are made with thick mayonnaise and the garnish often includes artichoke hearts garnished with macedone in mayonnaise, stuffed hard boiled eggs or cubes of aspic.

  The term a la paristenuie is also applied to dishes containing chicken breasts, button mushrooms pickled tongue or vegetable macedonine. Soup a la paristeine is made with leeks and potatoes, finished with milk and garnished with chervil leaves.

RECIPES

Canapes a la parisienne

Cut some slices of white bread into rectangles and remove the crusts. Spread them with chervil butter. Coat some very thin slices of chicken breast (cooked in a white stock) with mayonnaise and garnish with a pattern of sliced truffle and tarragon leaves. Arrange the chicken slices on the canapes and surround them with a border of chopped aspic jelly.

Chicken a la parisienne

Remove the breastbone from a chicken, stuff it with 500 g (18 oz) forcemeat (cream or fine), truss it and poach in veal stock.Drain and leave to cool. Take off the chicken breasts. Remove  the forcemeat, cut it into dice and mix with about 400 g (14 oz) cold chicken mousse. Replace this mixture in the chicken and round it out well to reshape the breast of the bird. Coat the chicken with chaudfroid sauce.

  Cut the breasts into thin slices, coat them with chaud-froid sauce, garnish with truffle and pickled tongue and place them on the chicken. Glaze  with aspic jelly. Arrange the chicken on the serving dish. Mix some vegetable macedoine with mayonnaise and pour into small dariole moulds. When set, turn them out on to the serving dish around the chicken, placing a thick slice of truffle on each daroile. Garnish the spaces between with chopped aspic.

Cold salmon cutlets a la parisienne

Poach some thick slices of salmoon in court-bouillon and allow them to cool.Cut each slice into two.Cover the serving dish with a mcedoine of vegetables in mayonnaise, arrange the half slices on it and coat them with mayonnaise thickened with gelatine. Between the cutlets arrange some bunches of asparagus tips, some carrots cut into pod shapes and some chopped French (green) beans, all these vegetables being first cooked in salted water and well drained. A thin slice of truffle may be placed on each cutlet.

Glazed salmon a la parisienne

Place a whole salmon in a fish stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 7-8 minutes. Leave it to cool in the cooking stock, then  drain it and remove the skin and bones without  breaking the flesh. Pat dry with paper towels. Coat it several times with half set aspic jelly (prepared form the cooking stock), putting the fish in the refrigerator between applications. Cover the serving dish with a layer of aspic. When the aspic is firmly set, arrange the salmon on top.

   Prepare some vegetable macedoine mixed with thick mayonnaise and use it to stuff some small round tomatoes. Hard boil (hard cook) some eggs and cut in half sieve the yolks and mix with some mayonnaise. Pipe the mixture into the whites. Garnish the border of the dish with the tomatoes and eggs and slices of lemon.

Omelette a la parisienne

Beat 8 eggs with 2 tablespoons chopped onion softened in butter and 2-3 tablespoons chopped mushrooms quickly sauteed in butter. Cook the omelette and roll it up on a warmed serving dish, cover it with grilled chipolata sausage.Surround with a thin ribbon of reduced veal stock mixed with butter.

Parisian salad

Prepare a vegetable macedoine and add to it a salpicon of langouste and truffles. Mix with mayonnaise thickened with gelatine, then pour it into a domed mould coated with aspic and lined with thin slices of langouste and truffle. Put in a cold place to set, them turn it out.

  Alternatively, the ingredients may be mixed together, turned into a salad bowl lined with lettuce leaves and garnished with slices of truffle and quarters of hard boiled (hard-cooked) eggs.

Parisian sauce

Beat 2-3 Petit Suisse cheeses in a mixing bowl. Alternatively, use 50-75 g (2-3 oz ¼ -1/3 cup) cream cheese. Season with salt and sprinkle with paprika. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, then beat the sauce like the mayonnaise, adding to it, in a thin tirckle.250 ml (8 ft. oz 1 cup) oil. Finally add 1 tablespoon chopped chervil. This sauce is served mainly with cold asparagus.

PARMENTIER, ANTOINE AUGUSTIN  Military pharmacist and French agronomist. Contrary to popular legend, parmentier did not invent the potato, which had been known and cultivated in France since the 16^th century, but he was an enthusiastic propagator  of it. While he was a prisoner of war in Westphalia during the Seven Years War, be discovered the nutritional value of this vegetable, which was highly prized by the local population but considered by the French at that time as unwholesome and indigestible, fit only as a food for cattle or the destitute. In the few provinces in France where it was eaten, it was usually used in the form of flour, mixed with wheat and rye to make a bread.

   Parmentier encouraged the spread of the potato throughout the whole of France by publishing booklets about its cultivation and its uses. His works also extended to other fields. An expert at milling, he founded a school of baking inParis, he brought out numerous reports on the Jerusalem artichoke, maize (corn) the sweet chestnut, wines, syrups, preserves and food hygiene. He was appointed inspector of Public Health and eventually ennobled as a baron. For a time the potato itself was known as the parmentiere in his honours, and he gave his name to various culinary preparations based on potatoes especially bacbis Parmentier chopped beef covered with pureed  potatoes and browned in the oven. Other dishes named after him include a cream of potato soup, various egg dishes (omelettes filled with diced fried potatoes, scrambled eggs mixed with sauteed cubes of potato, eggs cooked in nests of potato puree) and a garnish for lamb and veal.

 

RECIPES

Casserole of veal chops a la Parmentier

Season 2 fairly thick veal chops with salt and pepper and brown them on both sides in 25-40 g (1-1 ½ oz 2-3 tablespoon) butter in a flameproof casserole. Finish the preparation as for loin of lamb. Parmentier,but cook in a preheated oven a 200 ^oC (400 ^oF, gas 6 ) for 1 hour.

Eggs sur le plat Parmentier

Line some small buttered dishes with diced potatoes fried lightly in butter. Break 2 eggs into each dish and cook in the usual way

Bach is Parmentier

Dice or coarsely chop 500 g (18 oz. 4 ½ cups) boiled or braised beef. Melt 25 g (1 oz. 2 tablespoons) butter in a shallow frying pan and cook 3 chopped onions in it until they are bolden. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour, cook until lightly brown, and then moisten with 200 ml (7 ft. oz. ¾ cup) beef stock 9or braising stock with water added to ti) Cook for about 15 minutes, leave to cool, then add the beef and mix well. Place the beef and onions in a buttered gratin dish, cover with a layer of potato puree, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and moisten with melted butter.Brown in a preheated oven at 230 ^oC (450 ^oF, gas 8) for about 15 minutes.

   Although it is not traditional, a small cup of very reduced tomato sauce can be added to the chopped meat and a little grated cheese may be mixed with the breadcrumbs.

Loin of Lamb Parmentier

Brown a trimmed loin of lamb in 25-40 g (1-1 ½ oz. 2 –3 tablespoons) butter in a flameproof casserole.Add 400 g (14 oz, 2 cups) peeled, diced potatoes. 3 tablespoons melted butter, and season with salt and pepper. Place the casserole in a preheated oven at 220 ^oC (425 ^oF, gas 7) and cook for about 45 minutes. Drain the meat and the potatoes  and keep them hot in the serving dish. Deglaze the casserole with 4 tablespoons white wine and the same amount of stock (traditionally veal stock), reduce. Pour this sauce over the lamb and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

PARMESAN,  Parmigiano reggiano is the DOP Parmesan cheese. The King of Italian cheeses made from skimmed cow’s milk (28-32% butterfat content) mixed with rennet and cooked for 30 minutes. It goes through several processes of draining and drying before being coated. Hard, yellow and with a crumbly, granular consistency . Parmesan cheese has a very fruity, even piquant, flavour. It was known in Parma in the 13^th century and by the 14^th century was being used grated on pasta. It was introduced into France by a Duchess of Parma who married a grandson of Louis XV.

PARSLEY  A herb originating in southern Europe and cultivated mainly for its aromatic leaves, which are used to flavour or garnish  many dishes.

   Before the reign of Charlemagne parsley was thought to have magic powers, but since then it has become one of the most commonly used plants in cookery. There are three types of parsley, flat-leaf parsley, which has large, flat, relatively smooth leaves, has a strong flavour, curly leaf parsley, which has bright green, crinkly leaves and good flavour, and turnip rooted parsleyk which is cultivated for its swollen root, which is cooked like celeriac and used in soups. It is eaten in eastern Europe particularly in Austria, Germany, Hungary and the former Soviet Union. In fRance a number of other plants are known as parsley. Neapolitan or celery leaf parsley is a type of wild celery, corlander is known as Arabian or Chinese parsley and dill is commonly called Russian or Swedish parsley.

   In cookery fresh parsley is an ingredient of a bouquet garni and is used in marinades and stocks. When mixed with chopped garlic it is often served with sauteed or fried dishes. Chopped parsley is frequently added during the final preparation of a dish or is sprinkled over food just before serving to give  a fresh flavour it is also useful in salads, either coarsely chopped or broken into small sprigs. Deep fried parsley is used as an accompaniment and garnish for fried items, particularly fish and seafood. Finely chopped parsley is used to flavour butter, sauces  and vinaigrettes. Parsley freezes well, and it can be dried, but drying spoils the flavour and has been superseded by freezing as a preservation method for herbs that lose their flavour when dried.

   In former times meat was larded with parsley in Le Bourgeois Gerntilhomme (1670) Moliere mentions a loin of mutton rich with parsley.

RECIPE

Fried parsley

Wash, drain and dry some curly-leaf parsley and separate it into little sprigs. Place these in a wire basket and deep fry in very hot oil for a few seconds. Drain on paper towels and use immediately. Fried parsley is used as a garnish for skate with black butte sauce.

PARSNIP A  vegetable cultivated for its white or yellowish, sweet tasting root. Widely grown by the Greeks and enjoyed in the Middle Ages and during the  Renaissance, the parsnip has become a rarity in contemporary French cookery, although it is popular in other countries.

   The parsnip is used in the same ways as other root vegetables and is often preferred to turnips as it has more flavour. Parsnips may be boiled, steamed, roast or baked. They are excellent mashed or purred and make good soup either on their own or with mixed vegetables, poultry and meat.Creamed parsnips can be cooled, shaped coated in egg and breadcrumbs, then deep fried to make croquettes. They are complemented by curry spices and many well with celery and cauliflower in vegetble curries. In traditional British cookery they are a favoured accompaniment for roast beef when par boiled and then roasted I n the fat and cooking juices from the meat.

PARTRIDGE   A highly prized game bird, which is hunted throughout France and in Britain in France the word partridge is used for partridges of either sex up to the age of one year. They have tender, succulent flesh that needs very little cooking. The bird is barded or wrapped in vine leaves and roasted with juniper berries or grapes. It may also be stuffed. Young birds can be recognized by their flexible beaks and by the pointed first feather on the wing, which has a white tip.Very young partridges, found at the beginning of the season, are known as poutillards in France. One young partridge per serving is sufficient.

  The principal species found in France are the redlegged partidge and the common or grey partridge. The former has a red back and breast, a white throat and a red beak and feet. It is more often seen in south and south western France.

  The smaller and more common grey partidge, the main type found in Britain, has a reddish grey back  and ash grey breast. The male has a cornspicuous brown horsehoe mark on the breast. The meat of the grey partridge is fuller in flavour and superior to that of the red legged bird.

  The rock partridge is also found in France and has a high gastronomic reputation, although it has become extremely rare.

RECIPES

Partridge a la coque

Gut (clean) and singe a young partridge, season with salt and pepper, spread foie gras in the cavity and truss. Fill a saucepan with salted water and lay a stick across the top.Bring the water to the boil and hang the partridge by its feet from the centre of the stick so that it is suspended in the water. Boil briskly for 20 minutes, then remove the bird and allow it to cool. When cold, keep it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Partridge croustades

Completely bone 4 young partridges. Reserve the breast fillets and marinate them for 25 hours in 750 ml (1 ¼ pints, 3 ¼ cups) red wine. Mince (grind) the meat from the thighs with the liver and season with salt and pepper. Place the bowl of minced meat over a dish of ice and gradually work in 2 eggs, followed by 150 ml ( ¼  pint,  2/3 cup) crème frache. Refrigerate the resulting mousse and then shape it into small quenelles.

   Prepare a game stock with the partridge trimmings, the carcass and the marinate. Boil until reduced by half, then add 300 ml ( ½ pint, 1 ¼ cups) demi-glace. Strain this stock, bring it to the boil, add the quenelles of partridge mouse and poach them for 6 minutes.

  Make 4 rectangular croustades with puff pastry. Fry 4 sliced cep mushroom caps in butter and season with salt and pepper. When the quenelles are cooked, remove from the stock and keep hot. Reduce the stock to make about 400 ml ( 14 ft oz. 1 ¾ cups) sauce, removing any scum that rises to the surface. At the last minute, thicken the sauce with 50 g (2 oz. ¼ cup) foie gras. Fry the partridge fillets in butter, season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes only on each side, so that they are still pink.

   Fill the croustades with the quenelles, the fried mushrooms and the partidge fillets. Add a little sauce and place in a preheated oven at 150 ^oC (300 ^oF, gas 2) for 3 minutes. Serve the remaining sauce separately.

Partridge cutlets Romanov

Soak 2 pigs cauls (caul fat) in cold water. Pluck 4 young partridges, singe them, gut (clean) them and set aside the livers and hearts. Bone the breasts and remove the skin. Remove the feet, but keep them whose except for cutting off the claws. Marinate the breasts in a mixture of  4 tablespoons port 1  tablespoon brandy, salt and pepper.

   Prepare a forcemeat by finely mincing (grinding) 100 g (4 oz. 1 cup) pork, 100 g (4 oz, 1 cup) fat bacon 50 g (2 oz. ½ cup) chicken livers and the hearts and livers of the partridges. Saute 2 chopped shallots in butter, then place in a bowl and mix with an egg yolk, some spiced salt and a little truffle juice.

   Prepare  the sauce by first browning the partidge bones in a saucepan together with 1 onion and 1 carrot. Then add some powdered thyme, a peeled, crushed tomato, 250 ml (8 ft oz. 1 cup) white wine, the marinade and a ladleful of veal stock. Add 6 juniper berries and cook for 1 hour (the liquid should then be syrup).

  Spread the cauls out on the worktop, wipe them and cut each into 2 rectangles measuring 20 x 15 cm (8 x 6 in0 Spread a thin layer of forecemeat on each rectangle and put a patridge foot at the end. place a partidge breast on the forcemeat and add a thin slice of foie gras and slice of truffle.Cover with a thin layer of forcemeat.Fold the caul over the stuffing and shape it into a cutlet, using the partridge foot as the bone. When four cutlets have been prepared, roast then in a preheated oven at 230 ^oC (450 ^oF, gas 8) for 15-20 minutes they should still be slightly pink)

   Arrange the cutlets on a dish and  garnish the ends of the feet with a little white paper frill. Strain the cooking juices, add 150 ml ( ¼ pint ¾ cup) double (heavy) cream, and thicken with 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) butter. Adjust the seasoning and pour the sauce over  the cutlets. Serve with either chestnut puree or fried fresh cep mushrooms.

Partridge Monselet

Stuff 2 cleaned partridges with foie gras, adding a little diced black truffle.Truss and season well, then  brown the birds all over in butter in a small flameproof casserole. Cover the casserole and continue to cook gently for 15 minutes. Turn 4 lightly cooked artichoke hearts in a little lemon juice and melted clarified butter, then add them to the casserole and cook for a further 15 minutes.Add a finely diced black truffle. Heat 2 tablespoons brandy, add to the casserole and flambe. Lightly cook some chanterelles in butter in a separate pan. Arrange the partridges with the artichoke bottoms and sliced foie gras used as stuffing, with the cooking juices poured over.Add the chanterelles and serve at once.

Partridge salad with cabbage

Select arrange Savoy cabbage with a good heart. Remove about 8 of the leaves and wash them in plenty of water after removing the thick midribs. Blanch for 5 minutes in boiling salted water, cool and drain. Puck 6 partridges, gut them and retain the livers.Cut the birds into quarters and use the breasts only (the thighs can be made into a terrine).Bone the breasts and season them with salt and pepper. Wipe 500 g (18 oz. 6 cups) small firm cep mushrooms with a damp cloth and chop them coarsely.

  Brown 6 slices of belly of pork in a frying pan and add the partridge breasts and livers. Cook for 6 minutes and then add the mushrooms. Cover the pan and braise for a further 5 minutes. Remove the contents of the pan and keep hot.Deglaze the pan with 100 ml (4 ft oz. 7 tablespoons) sherry vinegar, add some crushed peppercorns, boil down to reduce and then thicken the sauce with 100 ml (4 ft oz 7 tablespoons) hazelnut oil. Dip the cabbage leaves in the sauce and lay then out on the serving dish. Arrange the slices of pork, the partridge and livers, and the sliced mushrooms on the top and sprinkle with chopped chieves.

Partridge with lentils

Roasts 2 partridges in 50 g (2 oz, ¼ cup) lard for 20 minutes. Then place them in a heavy based saupan with 100 g (4 oz. 1 cup) bacon pieces. 2 sliced onions, 2 sliced carrots, 175 ml  (6 ft oz. ¾ cup) white wine, 175 ml (6 ft. oz, ¾ cup) stock, some salt and a bouquet garni.Simmer gently for 1 ½  hours. In the meantime, boil in water until tender 250 g (9 oz. 1 ¼ cups) lentils (previously soaked for 2 hours and drained) with 200 g (7 zo) fat bacon, 4 small onions, 2 carrots (cut into quarters) 1 boiling sausage weighing 200 g (7 oz) and a pinch of salt. Arrange the lentils in a deep dish, place the partidges on top and surrround with the sliced sausage.

Stuffed partridges in aspic

Bone some young partridges from the back. Cut them open and season with salt and pepper. Stuff each bird with 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) truffed game  forcemeat wrapped around a piece of raw foie gras and a small peeled truffle.Season with salt, pepper and mixed spice and sprinkle with brandy.Close up the partirdges, truss them and wrap each one in thin bacon barding or a piece of pig’s caul (caul fat)

  Prepare an aspic stock with Madeira, the partridge carcasses and trimmings, knuckle of veal and fresh bacon rind. Cook the partridge in this stock then drain, remove the barding, untruss,  wipe and arrange them in an oval terrine. Leave them to cool, then chill them.

Clarify the aspic, adding gelatine if necessary for a good set, and cover the partridges completely with it.Chill again until ready to serve.

PASCALINE  A method of preparing lamb formerly traditional on Eastern Day.Dumas gives a recipe, which he describes as being common in france until the reign of Louis XVl, the labm stuffed and roasted, is served whole, like the paschal lamb sacrificed by the Jews for the feast of Passover. Monselet gives the same version and claims that he tasted it during a journey in Provence. Simon Arbellot, on the other hand, mentions a completely different pascaline of lamb, made by Kontagne, who had found the recipe in the papers of Talleyrand and Careme. In this recipe lambs heads are stuffed with liver, bacon and herbs, lightly fried in fat, then arranged in a round dish with lambs feet cooked in white stock, lambs sweetbreads larded with bacon, croquettes of tongue and brain, and fried croutons, the whole is coated with a veloute sauce to which finely sliced onions have been added.

RECIPE

Pascaline

Truss a 6-month old lamb to give a neat shape. Stuff with a forcemeat made of pounded lamb’s flesh, yolks of hard boiled (hard cooked0 eggs, stale breadcrumbs and chopped herbs, seasoned with quatre epices. Cover the lamb with thin strips of bacon, roast it over a brisk fire and serve it whole as a main dish following the soup, either with a green sauce or on a ragout of  truffles with ham coulis.

PASHKA A traditional Russian Eastern dish made of curd cheese, sugar , soured cream , and walnuts or almonds, then pressed in a pyramid shaped mould. The pashka mould is usually wooden, with the sides carved with symbols representing the tissue and with            drainage holes in the base.The cake is decorated with crystallized fruits forming the letter X and B (initials, in the Cyrillic alphabet, of Khrisios Voskeress, meaning Christ is risen)

PASSION FRUIT  The edible fruit of the passion flower, a climbing plant, also known as grandilla, originating in tropical America, but also grown in the West indies.Africa, Australia and Malaysia.The fruit, which is the size of a hen’s egg., has yellowish green or brownish red leathery skin, which is smooth and shiny when unripe and wrinkled when mature. The orange yellow flesh, which is slightly acid and very fragrant, contains small, edible, crunchy, black seeds. It can be eat en simply cut in half and scooped out of the shell with a small spoon easten raw, or the pulp can be pressed through a sieve and the juice made into sorbes, drinks, jellies and creams. Passion fruit pulp is used as a filling for the classic dessert pavlova.

RECIPE

Passion fruit sorbet

Scoop out the flesh from some very ripe passion fruit and press it through a fine sieve. Add an equal volume of cold sugar syrup  and a little lemon juice (the density should then be about 1.075, see sugar) Use an ice-cream maker to freeze the mixture. As a simpler alternative, granulated sugar canb e added to the  pulp, together with just enough water to reach a density of about 1.075, press the pulp through a fine sieve before setting in the ice-cream maker.

PASTA  There are many forms of pasta, most of which can be categorized as Italian style or Oriental Italian style pasta is primarily wheat based. Oriental pastas are prepared from a variety of  flours and starches, and they often take the form of long strands or strips of pasta.

Italian style pasta . This consists of a dough made from durum-wheat flour  water and sometimes eggs. Pasta is shaped in various ways and can be flavoured. It is sold dried or fresh, ready to cook in boiling salted water or it may be sold ready stuffed and cooked simply needing to be heated.

   The term Italian style is used here because this type of pasta is made in other countries. For example., noodles similar to tagliatelle are prepared throughout Europe, and filled pastas resembling Italian tortelini or ravioli are popular in Eastern European countries. Polish uska are little filled pasta  usually (containing a dried mushroom stuffing) traditionally served in beetroot soup and varentki or variety are semi-circular filled dumplings from Russia.

  Durum wheat is grown in Italy, the Mediterranean, the Middle-East, Russia and North and South America. It is a hard wheat, high in gluten, which is ground into semolina.British semolina is a course product and not suitable for pasta. Pasta flour is milled from the same wheat but to a finer degree although the term semolina is often used to describe pasta flour, it refers to the type of wheat used.

  It is a popular belief that the 14^th century explorer Marco Polo introduced pasta into Italy from China, but the first known reference to pasta can I n fact, be traced to Sicily in the Middle Ages. It had been a basic food in Italy for many years, particularly in Naples and Rome, before Catherine de Medici introduced it into France, although it became really popular throughout France only under the Empire.

   Until the early 20^th century, macaroni and vermicelli were the pastas most commonly used in France mainly to make timbales, gratins and sweet desserts and to garnish soups. After 1840 pasta was manufactured on an industrial scale.

   Pasta is made by kneading semolina flour with water, adding various other ingredients and then shaping it.

   There are hundreds of different shapes of dried pasta,but they can be loosely grouped into two types. Flat pastas are made industrially by rolling the dough between rollers into thin sheets, which are cut into various shapes with a punch, a stamp or some other suitable machine. The shapes include rectangles or squares with straight or wavy edges and flat ribbons of various widths. Cylindrical forms of pasta are made by extruding the dough or forcing it through a pierced plate. The hole through which the dough is forced may be straight, curved, notched or fluted to produce solid or hollow tubes of variable size and shape. Drying is an important  operation, and care must be taken to ensure that the pasta will mature and keep well.

   Fresh pasta is the same type product that has not been dried. It must, however, be eaten within a few days.

Cooking and serving pasta  Even when cooking a small quantity of pasta, a large pan must be used because plenty of boiling water is needed for the pasta to swell and move freely. Otherwise, the released starch makes it sticky. A tablespoon of oil added to the water can help prevent this. Sprinkle small pasta into briskly boiling water. Long pasta, such as spaghetti, is gradually pushed into the boiling water  until it softens and bends. It is by sealing the past in fast boiling water in this way that one obtains the degree of cooking known as al dente.

Oriental style pasta  Noodles are the predominant type, but similar types of dough are filled to make bite sized dumpling served as dim sum. Chinese dumplings may be filled with meat, such as well seasoned and slightly spicy pork, or seafood, such as minced prawns, a combination of pork and prawns is also used. Steaming is the usual cooking method for Chinese dumplings, which are often  served with a dipping sauce. Pot stickers are slightly larger dumplings cooked first by pan frying then by simmering.

  Wontons are small squares of wheat flour dough made with egg. A tiny portion of full flavoured filling is pinched into the middle of the dough, then the corners are free, making tiny bundles. These are simmered in broth or deep fried and served coated with sauce.

RECIPE

Cooking pasta

Plunge the apsta into a large quantity of boiling water – 2 litres (3 ½ pints, 9 cups) per 250 g ( 9 oz. 4 cups) pasta – containing 1 tablespoon salt per 1 litre ( 1 ¾ pints, 4  ½ cups), unless any additional ingredients are to be very highly seasoned. Gently stir the pasta so that it does not stick together and keep the water boiling at a constant rate. Drain the pasta completely when it is cooked and season immediately. If the pasta is not to be used straight away, drain it and keep it hot mixed with 1 tablespoon oil. When ready to use, plunge it into boiling water, drain once more and add the other ingredients.

PASTILLAGE  A paste, used in confectionery, made from a mixture of icing (confectioner’s) sugar and water with the addition of gelatine or gum tragacanth and powdered starch. It is kneaded by hand or by machine until firm enough to be rolled out and shaped easily, it may be coloured during kneading.

  The pieces shaped from the pastillage are left to dry and then attached to the cake with royal icing or softened pastillage.

  In the hands of a skilled confectioner, pastillage can be used to create decorative preparations closely resembling sculpture. Artistic pastrycooks paint pictures on pastillage plaques.

PASTILLE  A small, round flat sweet (candy0 manufactured in different ways. One type of pastille is made from a cooked sugar syrup to which icing (confectioner’s) sugar, a flavouring and a colouring have been added. The syrup is then dripped through a funnel to form drops, which are sometimes coated with chocolate. Another type of pastille is made from a mixture  of icing sugar and gum tragacanth or gum arabic, which is rolled and then stamped into various shapes .These pastilles are flavoured with mint, lemon, aniseed or with salt extracted from a mineral water they are rarely coloured.

  The word pastille comes from the the Spanish pastilla, derived form a diminutive of the Latin panis (bread). However, some authorities claim that these sweets were invented by and named after Jean Pastilla, a confectioner appointed by Marie de Medici.

PASTIRMA  Also known as pasterma, pasterma, pastarma or pastourma. Mutton beef or goat meat marinated with spices and garlic and then dried. Distinguished by a very strong taste, pastirma forms part of Turkish and Greek mezze and is eaten like dried ham.

  Popular pastrami of New York Jewish deli fame is a comparatively modern product adapted from the traditional wind dried beef. This is cured, highly seasoned, dried and cooked. It is known as a sandwich filling or topping (hot or cold), particularly on rye bread.

PASTIS  In the south of France, an aniseed flavoured, rather strong drink, somewhat similar to the famous Pernod in the north. The formula does not now, in fact, contain any of the absinthe that originally made this type of aperitif distinctive. The name  pastis is a local dialect word meaning confused or mixed, a reference to the cloudy appearance of the drink when diluted with water. Sometimes the water is dripped on the spirit through a piece of sugar held in a perforated spoon.The people of the region will spend hours sipping pastis while watching the local game of boule or petanque.Some regional recipes include pastis. Because the herby aniseed flavour is especially useful in fish dishes. There are many brands of pastis, two well known names being Richard and Berger.

·        Pastis the pastry  The term is also used for various pastries made in south western France At Andernos les Bains the pastis bourit is made from raised dough. The Gascon pastis is difficult to make because the dough  must be spread over the whole work surface to dry for an hour. It is then saturated with goose fat and cut into rounds. Half of these are spread with thin slices of apple macerated in Armagnac brandy,then covered with the other rounds, cooked in the oven and sprinkled with Armagnac. This method of making puff pastry seems to have been brought from Spain by the Moors and is reminiscent of the Moroccan pastilla.

RECIPES

Bearn pastis

Break 12 eggs into a mixing bowl and add 1 tablespoon orange flower water, 3 tablespoons brandy, 400 g (14 oz, 1 ¾ cups) caster (superfine) sugar, a little milk and 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) melted butter. Beat  quickly, then beat in 25 g (1 oz) fresh yeast (2 cakes compressed yeast) dissolved in a little water and sufficient flour to make a soft dough. Gather the dough into a ball in the bowl, sprinkle with flour, cover with a cloth and leave it to rise in a warm place for 12 hours. Place the risen dough in a buttered mould and cook in a preheated oven at 220 ^oC(425 ^oF, gas 7) for about 45 minutes.

Pastis bourrit

Make some leaven with 25 g ( 1 oz. ¼ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, 7 g ( ¼  fl. Oz, 7 tablespoons) water. Leave to rise. Make a well in 1 kg (2 ¼ lb, 9 cups) plain flour in a very deep mixing bowl and add 150 g (5 oz. 2/3 cup) melted butter, a pinch of salt, 250 g (9 oz. 1 cup) sugar, and 3 tablespoons rum or anisette cordial. Stir and add 7 g ( ¼ oz ) fresh yeast (1/2 cake compressed yeast) and the leaven. Beat everything well. Whish  6 egg whites into stiff peaks and add them to the dough. Leave to rise.

  When the dough has doubled in size, butter some moulds, half-fill them with dough (this quantity of dough is enough for 2 or 3 pastis) and leave to rise to the top. Cook in a preheated oven at 220 ^oC (425 ^oF, gas 7) for 45 minutes until the pastis are golden. This cake is served with caramel custard or at a wedding. Cut into slices and toasted, it may also be served with foie gras

PASTRY  A mixture of flour and liquid, usually enriched with fat, forming a light dough. Pastry is used for savoury and sweet recipes, to partly or completely encase a filling before cooking. Alternatively, pastry cases may be baked and filled, topped or layered after cooking.When flavoured or sweetened, the pastry may be baked to make a variety of items, such as cheese straws or palmiers.

Types of pastry. Depending on the ingredients and the proportions in which they are used, a variety of different pastry doughs can be made. Pastry doughs can be grouped according to their texture when cooked. As a rule, all ingredients should be chilled for pastry, and the mixture must be handled lightly and swiftly.

Choux Paste or Pastry.  Choux paste differs from the pastries in that it is a paste, not a dough. It is sometimes included in the pastry category, probably because it rises, becomes crisp and crusty, and forms a case or shell when cooked.

Fine layered pastries .  These have little or not fat but consist of a flour and water dough, sometimes with egg added. The dough is first rolled, then stretched until paper thin or even finer. The pastry is assembled  in several layers, each brushed with a little fat. The fat makes the layer of pastry stick together during shaping and also prevents the pastry from drying out and disintegrating. The fat  gives the pastry a crisp texture and golden colour. Filo and strueded pastries are two examples.

PASTRY BRUSH  A brush used for coating food or culinary utensils, with liquid. For example, for brushing food with butter or oil (especially meat for grilling) for greasing moulds and dishes, and also for brushing pastries or similar items with beaten egg or milk before they are cooked.

PASTRY (COOKIE) CUTTER  A round, semi-circular, oval or triangular utensil, with a straight or fluted cutting edge, for cutting sheets of pastry into various shapes and sizes. Pastry cutters are made of tin or stainless steel. An emporte piece a colonne is a cylindrical tin containing a set of pastry cutters with high edges and decreasing diameters, fitting into each older.

PASTRY, FLAKY  a layered pastry similar to puff pastry, but with fewer layers and not as rich. The dough is made with three quarters fat to flour and it is rolled and folded four times. Traditionally, a mixture of butter and lard is used, but the dough can be made with all butter.

    The pastry is used as for puff pastry, but it does not rise high enough for making deep pastry cases, such as bouchees or a vol-au-vent. It is the traditional choice for sausage rolls, pie crusts and apple turnovers. Flaky pastry is cooked at a high temperature, so that it rises and sets into crisp layer.

RECIPE

Flaky pastry

Mix 75 g (3 oz, 1/3 cup) butter with 75 g (3 oz. 1/3 cup) lard or white vegetable fat shortening) by chopping both types of fat, together in a basin. Divide into quarters and chill well. Rub a quarter of the fat into 225 g ( 8 oz. 2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, then mix in 7-8 tablespoons cold water  cold water to make a soft dough.

   Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface, then roll it out into a long rectangle measuring about 15 x 35 cm ( 6 x 14 in). Mark the pastry across into thirds. Dot another quarter of the prepared fat in lumps over the top two thirds of the pastry. Fold the bottom third over the fat on the middle third, then fold the top third down. Press the edges together and give the pastry a quarter turn in a clockwise direction. Chill the pastry for 15 minutes. Repeat the rolling and folding twice more once with the remaining portion of fat and once without any additional fat. Chill the pastry for 15-30 minutes between each rolling and at the end, before rolling it out and using as required.

PASTRY WHEEL A small fluted wheel, made of wood, steel or plastic, mounted on a handle. It is used to cut pastry into strips or serrated narrow bands, for decorating the top of tarts, or to cut out shapes for fritters or ravioli.

PATE  This word is used in three ways in French the word pate on its own should, strictly speaking, he applied only to a dish consisting of pastry case filled with meat, fish, vegetables or fruit, which is baked in the oven and served hot or cold. The best English translation of this word is  pie, although many of these dishes are much richer and move elaborate than the son of pie usually eaten in Italian and the United States and are often prepared in moulds rather than pie dishes.

   Pate en terrine is a meat, game or fish preparation put into a dish lined with bacon, cooked in the oven and always served cold. The correct French abbreviation of this is terrine, but in common usage the French also call it pate. The English have adopted both names.

   In general, baking starts in a preheated oven at 200-220 ^oC (400-450 ^oF, gas 6-7) which is then turned down to about 150 ^oC (300 ^oF, gas 2) The total cooking time is relatively long: 35-40 minutes per kg (15-18 minutes per lb) Some hot pates have a little sauce, gravy or juice poured into them through the chimney before serving for others, the sauce is served separately in a sauce boat. For pates that are served cold, aspic, flavoured with Madeira or port can be poured through the chimney when cold to fill up the spaces made during cooking. The pate is not turned out of the mould until the aspic has set, and it is kept cool until served. Hot or cold pates are cut into thick slices and served as an entrée. Small individual pates are arranged on plates, sometimes with aspic croutons.

RECIPES

Pates en Croute

Butter pastry for pate en croute

This pastry can be used for hot or cold pates. Put 500 g (18 oz. 4  ½ cups) sifted plain (all-purpose) flour in a heap on the worktop and make a well in the centre. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 125 g (4 ½ oz, ½ cup) butter, 2 whole eggs and about 3 tablespoons water. Mix together then knead lightly.Roll into a ball, cover and keep cool for 2 hours before use.

Lard pastry for pate en croute

Particularly used for pork pates, this dough is made by the same method used for butter pastry, but with 500 g (18 oz, 4 ½ cups) flour, 125 g (4 ½ oz, ½ cup) softened lard (shortening) 1 whole egg, 200 ml (7 ft. oz, ¾ cup) water and 3 teaspoons salt.

Ham pate (cold)

This is prepared like veal and ham pate, but lean minced (ground) ham or thin ham matchsticks are added to the forcemeat.

Lamprey pate a la bordelaise (hot)

This is made with lamprey fillets and fish forcemeat with herbs, which are layered in the pastry-lined mould with leeks sweated in butter.

Pate en croute pave du roy

Cut 300 g (11 oz) lean fillet of veal and 300 g (11 oz ) lean fillet of pork into small cubes and marinate for 12 hours in 175 ml (6 ft oz, ¾  cup) white wine and 175 ml (6 ft oz, ¾ cup) Cognac, salt, pepper and a pinch of allspice. Mince (grind) 500 g (18 oz, ¾ cu foie gras to the marinated meat.

  Make an extra-rich butter pastry with 500 g (18 oz 4 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 300 g (11 oz, 1 1/3 cups) butter and 2 eggs and use to line a pate mould, reserving enough for the lid. Cover the bottom with bacon and add half the meat mixture. Cover with a thin layer of bacon and use the remaining pastry for the lid. Make two holes in the lid and brush with beaten egg.

   Cook  in a preheated oven at 220 ^oC(425 ^oF, gas 7) for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180 ^oC (350 ^oF, gas 4) and continue to bake for 1 ¼  hours. If necessary, cover the top of the pate en croute loosely with foil to prevent the crust from becoming too brown. Leave to cool and pour some cold aspic jelly through the holes in the lid to top up the filing.  Place in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

Pork pate a la honroise (hot)

Cut 300 g (11 oz, 1 ½ cups) pork loin into strips and leave in a cold marinade for ingredients of pates and  terrines for 5-6 hours (see marinade) Peel and dice 150 g ( 7 oz, 2 ½ cups) mushrooms, then sweat both vegetables in butter with salt, pepper and paprika. Bind with 2-3 tablespoons veloute sauce.

  Line the pate mould with pastry for apte en croute. Coat the bottom with 200 g (7 oz. 1 cup) cream forcemeat containing chopped chives and paprika. Add the mushrooms and onions and press down gently.Drain the strips of pork, stiffen them slightly in hot butter, then put them on top of the vegetables. Cover with 200 g (7 oz. 1 cup) forcemeat and then with pastry (which can be pastry for pate en croute, shrotcrust or puff pastry) Finish the pate in the same way as veal and ham pate and bake in a preheated oven at 180 ^oC (350 ^oF, gas 4) for 1 ½ hours. Pour some Hungarian sauce.

Salmon pate (hot)

Prepare 600 g( 1 ¼ lb) pike forcemeat and add a chopped truffle.Finely slice 575 g (1 ¼ lb) fresh salmon and marinate it for 1 hour in a little oil with some salt, pepper and chopped herbs. Line a shallow oval pate mould with pastry for pate en courte made with butter. Cover the bottom with half the pike forcemeat, then add the salmon slices (drained) and the remaining forcemeat. Top with a piece of pastry. Finish as for veal and ham pate. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 ^oC (375 ^oF, gas 5 ) for 1 ¼ hours.

Veal and ham pate (cold)

Remvoe the sinews from 300 g (11 oz) noix of veal and cut into matchsticks about 10 cm (4 in) long. Prepare 300 g (11 g) lean pork and 200 g (7 oz) ham in the same w ay. Put all these meats into a terrine, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon spiced salt, add 100 ml (4 ft oz. 7 tablespoons ) Madeira and leave to marinate for 6-12 hours (some herbs and chopped shallots can also be added to the marinade.

   Line a round or oval pate mould with pastry for pate en croute made with butter. Coat the bottom and sides with very thin strips of fatty bacon (200 g 7 oz) and cover this with a layer of about 250g ( 9 oz, 1 cup) fine forcemeat. Fill up with layers of the veal, pork and ham matchsticks, separating them with thin layers of forcemeat. If desired, add 1 or 2 truffles cut into quarters or a few pistachio nuts. Finish with a layer of 200 g (7 oz, ¾ cup) forcemeat. Place a sheet of pastry over the top and pinch all round to seal.

  Glaze the top with egg and garnish with shapes cut out from leftover pastry (rolled out thinly) Make a hole in the centre and insert a small smooth metal piping nozzle.Glaze the top again.

   Bake the pate in a preheated oven at 190 ^oC (375 ^oF gas 5) for about 1 ¼ hours. Pour a few tablespoons of melted butter, lard (shortening) or aspic in through the chimney. Turn the pate out of the mould when completely cool.

Woodcock pate (cold)

Prepare about 575 g (1 ¼ lb) game forcemeat a gratin. Remove the wings from 2 large woodcocks, season with salt and papper and roast for about 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 230 ^oC (450 ^oF, gas 8 ) (they should still be very pink).Remove the flesh from the thighs and carcass and mince (grind) in a food processor with the liver and intestines. Add this minced (ground) meat to the forcemeat and adjust the seasoning.

   Line  an oval pate mould with butter pastry. Coat the bottom and sides of the mould with a layer of forcemeat, then add the 4 wings. Cover with thick slices of truffle lightly fried in butter, spread the remaining forcemeat on top and cover with pastry. Finish as for veal and ham pate and bake in a preheated oven at 190 ^oC (375 ^oF, gas 5) for about 1 ½ hours. Leave to cool completely, then pour in some chicken aspic through the chimney. Keep the pate cool until it is served.

PATE PANTIN A variety of pate en croute rectangular or oblong in shape, that is not cooked in a mould. The filling (meat, chicken, game or fish) is placed in the centre of the pastry, the edges are folded over and sealed, and the pate is placed on a baking sheet and baked in the oven. The pate may be baked with the sealed edges underneath or a second layer of pastry may be placed over the joint and the edges sealed by pinching them together. It is served hot or cold as an entree.

RECIPE

Chickec pate pantin

Prepare the chicken  (or use duck or young turkey) as for a ballotine. Half cook it in a light chicken stock, drain it and leave it to cool. Roll out about 575 g (1 ¼ lb) brioche dough and divide it into 2 equal portions. Coat one of the halves with very thin strips of bacon, place the chicken in the centre and turn up the edges of the dough all around the sides. Place some more thin strips of bacon on top of the filling and cover with the second piece  of dough.Seal the edges and make a small hole in the centre of the top  to allow steam to escape.Bake in a preheated oven at 190 ^oC(375 ^oF, gas 5 ) for about 70 minutes and serve hot.

PATISSERIE  Sweet or savoury pastries and cakes generally baked in the oven.The term also applies so that art of the pastry cook as well as to the place where pastries are made and sold. The pastrycook, however, usually makes sweet things hot, cold or iced desserts, all types of cakes gateaus, petits fours and the highly decorated sweet creations that were traditional centre pieces, known as pieces montees in French. Quiches, vol-au-vent, pates en croute, tarts, bouchees, rissoles and savoury crepes are generally made by the chef or cook. Patisserie is closely linked with the manufacture of ice cream and confectionery, which includes working with sugar, crystallized fruits, almond paste, nougatine and decorations, and uses sweetened creams and sweet sauces.

    Prehistoric man made sweet foods based on maple or birch syrup wild honey, fruits and seeds. It is thought that the idea of cooking a cereal paste on a stone in the sun to make pancakes began as far back in time as the Neolithic age.

    There were about a hundred pastrycooks in Paris at the end of the 18^th century. This number vastly increased over the next 200 years.

PATTE A Canadian terms for leg of pork.The prok ragout typical of Quebee is characterized by being thickened with toasted flour.

PAUILLAC  A communal appellation in the Haut Medoc region of Bordeaux. Many good and some very great clarets come from the estates here, as well as a nubmer of small scale wines.The most famous of all the superb first growths Chateaux Lafite Rothschild, latour and Mouton-Rothschild.All of these are AOS Pauillac.

PAULEE  A feast at the end of the harvest or the grape gathering, which used to be traditional in all region of France. The word paulee comes from Burgundy, in other regions of France the feast is known by other names. In the Maconnais, Dauphine and Lyonnais region, for instance, it is referred to as the revolle, in the Bordeaux region as the pampaillet, in Champagne, Lorraine and Franche-Comte as the tue-chien, and in central France as the gerbahudes.

  Today, the Paulee de Vendanges survives only at Meursault and is celebrated at the end of November on the third day of theTrois Glorieuses of the Cote de Beaune. The first day is devotee to the great annual chapter of the Chevaliers du Tastevin at the Clos de Vougeot, and the second to the auction of the Hospices de Beaune wines that takes place in the fermenting room of the Hotel Dieu

PAUPIETTE  A thin  slice of meat spread with a layer of forcemeat and then rolled up. Paupiettes may be barded with thin rashers of fat bacon and tied up with string or secured with small wooden cocktail sticks.They can be braised in a little liquid or fried.Veal is most often used, but beef, lamb and turkey escalopes, or even slices of calves sweetbreads, are also suitable.

RECIPES

Braised paupiettes of beef

Flatten some thin slices of beef fillet, sirloin or chuck steak, season with salt and pepper, and spread with a layer of well seasoned sausagemeat. Roll them up wrap in thin rasher (slices) of fat bacon and tie with string.Braise the paupiettes in white wine or madiera, drain them, untie the string, remove the bacon and arrange them on a heated dish.. Coat with the cooking juices.

   All the accompaniments for small cuts of braised meat are suitable for these paupiettes, noisette potatoes, braised vegetables, vegetable puree, stuffed artichoke hearts, risotto, rice pilaf. Some garnishes (bourgeoise or chipolata) can be added to the casserole halfway through the braising time.

   Paupiettes of beef can also be braised in red wine. In this case,the accompaniments (baby onions, bacon and mushrooms) can also be added while the paupiettes are cooking.

Paupiettes of beef Sainte –Menehould

Braise some beef paupiettes until three quarters cooked. Leave to cool in their strained cooking juices, then drain, pat dry and spread with French mustard mixed with a little cayenne. Moisten with melted butter, roll in fresh bvreadcrumbs and gently grill. (broil) them.Arrange the paupiettes on a serving dish garnished with watercress. Reheat the cooking juices and serve, strained, in a sauceboat.

Paupiettes of braised calves sweetbreads

Blanch and clean some calves sweetbreads and cook them gently for 15 minutes, with a little dry white wine, on a bed of carrots, celery and leeks that have been softened in butter.Drain the sweetbreads, cut them into slices and roll up in blanched spinach leaves. Keep hot on a serving dish. Reduce the cooking juices in the pan, thicken with beaurre manie and add a little curry powder, a dash of mustard and a little double (heavy) cream.Adjust the seasoning.Strain the sauce over the paupiettes on the serving dish.

Paupiettes of chicken with cabbage

Blanch some large leaves of green cabbage for 15 seconds. Drain and wipe them. Remove the legs, wings and breast from an uncooked chicken and seaon them with salt and pepper.Wrap the chicken pieces in cabbage leaves to make 5 large paupiettes and tie them up tightly with string. Brown some chopped carrots and onions in goose fat or dripping in a pan, add the paupiettes and cook them until they brown. Add 400 ml (14 ft oz. 1 ¾ cups) water, cover the pan and cook for about 1 ½ hours.

   The chicken pieces may be boned and skinned before use, if preferred.

Paupiettes of lamb a la creole

Cut 6 even slices from a leg of lamb. Flutten them well and season with salt and pepper. Peel and chop 6 large onions. Seed, then chop 1 large green (bell) pepper into very small dice. Gently cook half the onions and all the pepper in 25 g (1 oz, 2 tablespoons) butter.Add 350 g (12 oz. 1 ¾ cups) fine pork forcemeat and season with salt and pepper. Spread the forcemeat evenly over the slices of lamb, roll them up and tie with string.Brown the paupiettes in a casserole with 25 g ( 1 oz. 2 tablespoons) butter and the remaining onions, cook until brown, then add 3 peeled tomatoes (seeded and chopped), some chopped parsley. 1 small crushed garlic clove, 1 piece of lemon rind, some salt and pepper and a little cayenne.Cover and cook in a preheated oven at 200 ^oC (400 ^oF, gas 6) for 45 minutes.

   Drain the pauplettes, arrange them in a circle on a serving dish and keep warm. Reduce the pan juices until thickened, add 1 tablespoon rum, strain and coat the paupiettes with the sauce. Fill the centre of the dish with rice a la creole.

Paupiettes of turkey a la crecy

Flatten some slcies of turkey breast, roll them into paupiettes and cook as for paupiettes of veal braised a brun. Drain the pauplettes and return to the pan with the strained braising liquor. Add 1 kg (2 ¼ lb) glazed carrots and heat through. Serve the  paupiettes coated with their sauce and surrounded with the carrots.

Paupiettes of veal braised a brun

Coat some flattened veal escalopes (scallops) with a pork forcemeat mixed with dry mushroom duxelles and chopped parsley and bound with egg. Roll them up, bard them with thin rashers (slices) of fat bacon and tie with string. Arrange them in a buttered flameproof casserole lined with pieces of pork skin or bacon rinds and sliced onions and carrots browned in butter. Place a bouquet grani in the middle. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes.

   Add some dry white wine or (depending on the accompaniments) Madeira- 200 ml (7ft oz, ¾ cup) per 10 paupiettes. Reduce almost completely, then  pour in some thickened vel stock until the paupiettes are two thirds covered. Cover and braise in a preheated oven at 200 ^oC (400 ^oF, gas 6) basting frequently, for 45-60 minutes. Drain the paupiettes and remove the barding, then glaze them in the oven. Arrange them on the serving dish and coat with their braising liquor, reduced and strained. Serve with braised buttered vegetables or with vegetable puree.

PAUVRE HOMME, A LA Describes preparations of leftover meat served wit a type of clear miroton sauce made by degrlazing a roux with vinegar reducing it and adding stock, chopped shallots, chieves or onions, and chopped parsley. In the original recipe breadcrumbs were used instead of flour.

   The term is also used for fried noisettes or cutlets of venison coated with a sauce made by deglazing the pan with vinegar and any marinade from the meat, thickening it with beurre manie and adding sliced gherkins. The name of the sauce (meaning poor man’s sauce) derives from the fact that it was originally made with leftovers.

RECIPE

Poor man’s sauce

Make a golden roux with 1 tablespoon butter and 1 heaped tablespoon flour.Deglaze with 3 tablespoons vinegar boil to reduce and add 200 mll (7 ft. oz. ¾ cup) stock ( or use water with a little added meat glaze or extract) Season with salt and pepper and boil for a few minutes. Just before serving add 1 tablespoon chopped blanched shallots, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons dried white breadcrumbs.

PAVE  This word, which literally means slab or block, is applied to several dishes but most commonly to a square shaped cake or dessert made from Genoese sponge cake sandwiched with butter cream or squares of rice or semolina pudding.

   It also used for a cold entrée, usually a mousse, set in a square or  rectangular mould, coated with aspic jelly and garnished with slices of truffle.

   Pave also describes a square block of gingerbread and thick piece of prime grilled beef.

RECIPE

Fried rice paves

Make a thick rice pudding using 125 g (4 ½ oz, ½ cup) short grain rice and 600 ml (1 pint, 2 ½ cups)  milk, sweetened to taste (the grains must be completely soft and the mixture sticky). Butter a baking sheet soft and the mixture sticky. Butter a baking sheet and spread with a layer of rice about 1 cm (1/2 in) thick.Smooth the surface, sprinkle with a little melted butter and leave to cool completely. Cut the rice into 5 cm (2 in) squares.

 Stew 800 g (1 ¾  lb) fruit with a little sugar until reduced to a puree (use apricots, apples, plums, oranges or greengages).Strain the pulp into a pan, add some chopped canned pineapple and boil to reduce by one third. (Chestnut puree could also be used).

  Spread half of the rice squares with the fruit and top with the remaining squares. Press them together, coat in breadcrumbs and deep fry in hot oil at 175-180 ^oC (347-356 ^oF) until golden brown. Drain them on paper towels and serve very hot with strawberry or custard cream.

PAVE D AUGE  A Normandy cow’s milk cheese (50% fat content) with a soft straw coloured centre and a washed crust. A firm cheese with a s trong flavour, it is sold in 11 cm (4 in0 squares, 5 cm (2 in) deep. Pave d’Auge (or Pave de Moyaux) resembles Pont-Eveque, but is more full bodied and contains more fat.

PAVLOVA  A meringue basket or case, the best being of beautiful appearance with a crisp and soft texture, filled with cream and fruti.This is the national dessert of both Australia and New Zealand.The meringue is made from egg whites whisked with vinegar and a little cornflour as well as sugar to give the crisp crust concealing a marshmallow inside.The whipped cream filling is topped with sliced or diced fruit, including peaches and  kiwi. Passion fruit seeds ornament the top.

  The dessert was named for the Russian blaerina Anna pavlova on her visit to Australia in 1929 and honous her most famous role as the dying s wan.First winning a newspaper prize in New Zealand, the recipe was perfected by Bert Sachse in Perth.

PAYSANNE  A mixture of vegetables cut into small squares and used to make soups known as potages tailles or rot prepared en paysasne are first cut into small sticks  8-10 mm  thick, which are in turn cut across into thin slices. Cabbage leaves are cut into strips 8-10 mm ( 1/3 in0 wide, and each strip is then cut into small squares. Leeks are cut in half lengthways, if large, or slit lengthways and washed if small they are then sliced evenly.

  By extension, the term a la paysanne describes various braised dishes cooked with softened vegetables, the vegetables need not necessarily be cut en paysanne. Potatoes a la paysanne are cut into rounds and simmered in a herb flavoured stock. Omelette a la paysamme is a potato omelette flavoured with sorrel and herbs.

Casserole of veal chops a la paysanne

Prepare a vegetable fondue with 4 carrots, 2 onions, 2 leeks (white part) a turnip and 4 celery sticks, all diced and softened in 25 g ( 1 ox. 2 tablespoons) butter. Add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. Fry 2 firm diced potatoes in a mixture of 20 g ( ¼ oz. 1 ½ tablespoons) butter and 2 tablespoons oil. Brown 200 g (7 oz) diced smoked streaky (slab) bacon in butter. Mix all these ingredients together. Fry 4 veal chops in butter, place them with the other ingredients in a casserole, season with salt and pepper, reheat thoroughly and serve.

Omelette a la paysanne

For an 8 egg omelette, prepare 3-4 tablespoons sorrel braised in butter, 200 g (7 oz) potatoes boiled in their skins, skinned sliced and browned in butter, and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and chervil.Beat the eggs and add the garnish. Pour the mixture into a large frying pan and make a flat omelette.

Potatoes a la paysanne

Peel and slice 1 kg (2 ¼ lb) waxy potatoes. Braise 100 g (4 oz. 3 cups) chopped sorrel in 25 g ( 1 oz. 2 tablespoons) butter with a crushed garlic clove, 1 tablespoon chopped chervil and some salt and pepper. Put a layer of potatoes in a buttered saute pan, then a layer of the cooked sorrel and top with the remaining potatoes. Sprinkle lightly with salt, add generous quantity of pepper and pour in sufficient stock to just cover the contents of the pan. Sprinkle with 25 g (1 oz 2 tablespoons) butter cut into small pieces. Cover the pan and bring to the boil. Then transfer to a preheated oven at 200 ^oC (400 ^oF, gas 6 ) and cook for 50-60 minutes.

Sole a la paysanne

Thinly slice a carrot, an onion, celery stick and the white part of a small leek. Braise in butter, seasoning with salt and a pinch of sugar. When cooked, add enough warm water to just cover. Then add 1 tablespoon diced French (green0 beans and an equal quantity of fresh peas. Finish cooking all the vegetables together, then boil the liquid to reduce it by one third.

   Place a trimmed sole weighing about 300 g (1 oz) in a buttered, oval, earthenware dish, season with salt and pepper and cover with the vegetables and their cooking liquor. Poach the fish in a preheated oven at 180 ^oC (350 ^oF, gas 4) When cooked, remove most of the cooking liquor from the dish, boil to reduce and then whisk in2 tablespoons butter. Coat the sole with the sauce and glaze in a very hot oven. Serve immediately.

Soup a la paysanne

For 4 serving, peel and dice the following ingredients and palce them in a large pan 200 g (7 oz. 1 ¾ cups) carrots, 100 g (4 oz. 1 cup) turnips. 75 g (3 oz. ¾ cup) leeks (white part). 1 onion and 2 celery sticks. Cover the pan and sweat the vegetables in 40 g ( 1 ½ oz. 3 tablespoons) butter.

  Add 1.5 litres (2 ¼ pints, 6 ½ cups) cabbage cut into small squares, refresh, drain and add them to the pan. Leave to cook gently for 1 hour, then add 100 g (4 oz.  2/3 cup) diced potatoes and 100 g (4 oz. ¾ cup) small fresh peas. Cook for a further 25 minutes.

  Crisp a long French stick in the oven. Just before serving the soup, add 25 g ( 1 oz. 2 tablespoons) butter and sprinkle with chopped chervil. Serve with the hot French bread.

PEA  The small round green seed of the plant Pisum sativum up to eight of which are enclosed in a long green pod.

   Peas have been cultivated as a vegetable since ancient times, but they did not become widely appreciated inFrance until the 17^th century, when Audiger introduced a new Italian variety to the French court. However, Tailevent had already made known his recipe for cretoumee de pois. Madme de Maintenon, in a later to the Cardinal of Noailles in 1696, wrote. The question of peas continues.The anticipation of eating them, the pleasure of having eaten them and the joy of eating them again are the three subjects that our princes have been discussing for four days… It has become a fashion indeed, a passion.

    Peas can be frozen, canned, bottled and dried. Frozen peas can be used in the same way as fresh peas. InFrance a distinction is made between early fresh garden peas and the late varieties.

   When buying peas, make sure that the pods are smooth and bright green. The peas should be shiny and not too large, tender but not floury. The sooner peas are eaten after picking the better they taste. Peas can be boiled or cooked in butter a la with lettuce and small onions. They can also be cooked with bacon a la bonne or  carrorts or flavoured with mint.The cooking time is quite short for freshly picked peas, but longer for those picked a few days previously. Peas are regarded as the classic accompaniment for veal, lamb and poultry, they are often served with asparagus tips or artichoke hearts, as well as in a lardiniere or a macedoine. Peas can also be pureed, made into soup or used to garnish soups and broths. When cold,. They can be incorporated into mixed salads and vegetable terrines.

RECIPES

Boiled peas

Shell the peas and cook them in boiling salted water in an uncovered saucepan. They should be tender without becomign mushy or losing their colour (10-20 minutes depending on size and freshness).Drain them thoroughly and serve with butter. The epas can be flavoured by cooking them with a sprig of fresh fennel or mint and serving them sprinkled with chopped fresh fennel or mint.

Peas a la bonne femme

Melt some butter in a frying pan and lightly brown 12 baby (pearl) onions and 125 g (4 ½ oz, ½ cup0 diced lean bacon. Remove the onions and bacon from the pan, add 1 tablespoon flour to the hot butter and cook for a few minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Moisten with 300 ml (1/2 pint, 1 ¼ cups) white consomme, boil for 5 minutes, then add 675 g (1 ½ lb, 4 ½ cups) fresh shelled peas. Add the onions and bacon together with a bouquet garni and cook, covered, for abut 30 minutes.

Peas a la crème

Boil 800 g (1 ¾ lb, 5 ¼ cups) fresh peas, shelled, drain them and put them back in the saucepan.Dry out a little over a brisk heat, then add 150 ml ( ¼  pint, ¾ cup) boiling crème fraiche and boil until  reduced by half. Adjust the seasoning and add a large pinch of sugar. Just before serving, add 2 tablespoon crème fraiche, blend well and serve sprinkled with chopped herbs.

Peas a la fermiere

Clean 500 G (18 OZ) BABY CARROTS AND PEEL 12 BABY (PEARL) ONIONS.Brown them in butter in a saucepan.When the carrots are brown but still firms, add 800 g (1 ¾ lb, 5 ¼ cups) fresh peas, shelled a coarsely shredded lettuce and a bouquet garni composed of parsley and chervil. Season with salt and sugar, moisten with 2 tablespoons water, cover the pan and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni.Blend in 40 g (1 ½ oz, 3 tablespoons) butter just before serving.

Peas a la francaise

Place 800 g ( 1 ¾ lb, 5 ¼ cups) fresh peas, shelled, in a saucepan together with a lettuce shredded into fine strips, 12 new small (pearl) onions, a bouquet garni composed of parsley and chervil, 75 g (3 oz., 6 tablespoons) butter cut into small pieces, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar and 4 ½ tablespoons cold water. Cover the pan, bring gently to the boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes. When the peas are cooked, remove the bouquet garni and mix in 1 tablespoon fresh butter just before serving.

Peas in butter

Cook the peas in boiling salted wter, drain them, and put them back in the saucepan over a brisk heat, adding a pinch of sugar and 100 g (4 oz. 1/2 cup) fresh butter per 1 kg (2  ¼ lb, 6 ¾ cups) fresh peas, shelled.Serve hot, sprinkled with chopped herbs.

Peas with ham a la languedocienne

Cut a medium onion into quarters and brown in goose fat with125g (4 ½ oz) lean unsmoked raw ham. Add 800 g ( 1 ¾  lb 5 ¼ cups) fresh shelled peas and brown lightly. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour and cook for a few minutes. Then add 300 ml (1/2 pint, 1 ¼ cups) water, season with salt and caster (superfine) sugar, add a small bouquet garni and cook, uncovered for about 45 minutes. Remove the bouquet grni and serve hot.

PEACH The fruit of the peach tree, with a velvety skin, juicy sweet flesh, which can be white or yellow in colour, and a single stone (pit).The peach tree originated in China, where it has been grown since the 5^th century BC. It was introduced to Japan and then to Persia, where it was discovered byAlexander the Great. He in turn introduced it to the Greeks. The English name comes from the French Peche, and the Latin name, Prums persica (literally Persian plum0 is an indication of its origins.Throughout the centuries, the peach has been highly regarded as a table fruit and has been used as an ingredient in many delicate desserts. In the reign of Louis XIV splendid varieties of peach were grown inFrance by La Quintinie, and the peach was nicknamed teton de Venus (Venus breast.  It was also much in favour during the Empire and the Restoration. The peach forms the basis of various refined dishes, including peach Bourdaloue, cardinal Conde, a and the internationally famous peach Melba.

   Peaches are harvested from the end of May to September. In France peaches come mainly from the southeast and the southwest. White peaches have an delicate, fine textured flesh, which is full of flavour. They make up 30% of the total crop and are used. They make up 30% of the total crop and are used for jamps, compotes, sorbets and souffles, as well as being a table fruit. The majority of the crop consists of yellow peaches, which generally mature later than the white forms and are less aromatic and not as juicy. They are best suited for jams, tarts, fritters and for decoration.

   Alberge is a type of peach particularly esteemed in Touraine Balzac considered jam made from alberges to be unrivalled. The fruit has a wrinkled skin, and its juicy flesh, which has a tart flavour, clings to the stone.It was traditionally used in Anjou in certain ragouts. Lesser known today, its principal role is in jam making.

RECIPES

Chilled peaches with raspberries

Poach some peaches in a vanilla-flavoured sugar syrup, leave to cool completely, then chili.When ready to serve, drain and arrange them in a glass dish. Prepare a fresh raspberry puree, add a little of the reduced sugar syryp and flavour with a few drops of  raspberry liqueur. Cover the peaches with the puree and decorate with fresh raspberries.

Crown of peaches with Chantilly cream

Prepare an egg or caramel custard (see custard) or a Bavarian cream in a 1 litre (1 ¾ pint, 4 ½ cup) ring mould. Bring a mixture of 1 litre  ( 1 ¾ pint, 4 1/3 cup) and 575 g (1 ¼ lb 2  ½ cups) granualted sugar to the boil, add a vanilla pod (bean) and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Plunge 6 ripe peaches into boiling water for 30 seconds.Drain peel and remove the stones (pits) Poach the fruit gently in the sugar syrup for 15 minutes, then drain thoroughly.

   Unmould the custard (or Bavarian cream) on to a round dish.Arrange the peaches in the centre of the ring and chill. Whip 300 ml ( ½ pint, 1 ¼ cups) double (heavy) cream with 100 ml (4 ft. oz, 7 tablespoons A) very cold milk, 65 g (2 1/2 oz,. 1/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar. Pipe this whipped cream in a dome over the peaches, using a piping bag fitted with a star (fluted) nozzle.

   Decorate with glace (candied) cherries and pieces of angelica.

Peach conserve

Plunge 1 kg (2 ¼ lb) peaches into boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain, peel and remove the stones (pits) Poach the fruit in pan with 100 ml (4 ft. oz, 7 tablespoons) water and the juice of 1 lemon for about 30 minutes. Then add 900 g (1 lb. 4 cups)  granulated sugar. Bring back to the boil and cook until setting point is reached (about 20 minutes) Pot and cover in the usual way.

Peaches a la bordelaise

Plunge 4 peaches into boiling water for 30 seconds.Drain, peel and remove the stones (pits).Sprinkle the fruit with sugar and leave to steep for 1 hour. Boil 300 ml ( ½ pint, 1 ¼ cups) Bordeaux wine with 8 lumps of sugar and a small piece of cinnamon stick. Place the peach halves in this syrup  to poach for 10-12 minutes. When the fruit is cooked, drain, slice and place in a dish.Boil the syryp to reduce it, pour over the peaches and leave to cool. Serve with vanilla ice cream, decorated with wild strawberries and mint.

Peaches Penelope

Prepare a strawberry mouse as follows. Wash and hull 1 kg ( 2 ¼ lb) ripe strawberries and puree them in a blender. Add 300 g (11 oz. 1 ½ cups) caster (superfine) sugar Stir to dissolve. Prepare some Italian meringue with 100 g (4 oz, ½ cup) caster sugar and 2 egg whites and set aside to cool completely. Whip 250 ml (8 ft oz., 1 cup) double (heavy) cream with 150 ml ( ¼ pint, 2/3 cup) very cold milk. Add the Italian meringue to the strawberry puree, then carefully fold in the whipped cream. Put the mouse into individual 10 cm (4 in0 souffle moulds and place in the refrigerator to set.

   In the meantime, poach some peaches as for crown of peaches with Chantilly cream, allow them to cool, then place in the refrigerator. To serve, turn out the mousses into sundae dishes, place either a half peach or slices of peach on each mouse and decorate with fresh raspberries. Sprinkle with a little icing (confectioner’s) sugar and serve with zabaglione flavoured with Parfait Amour liqueur.

Peach jam

Plunge the peaches into boiling water for 30 seconds .Drain peel and remove the stones (pits) Weigh the fruit. Using 800 g ( 1 ¾ lb 3 ½  cups0 sugar and 100 ml ( 4 ft. oz, 7 tablespoons) water per 1 kg ( 2 ¼ lb) peaches, boil the sugar and water for 5 minutes add the fruit and simmer gently, stirring occasionally. The jam is ready when it coats the back of a wooden spoon (about 40 minutes) Pot and cover in the usual way.

Peach sorbet

Prepare a sugar syrup with 350 g (12 oz, 1 ½ cups) sugar and 300 ml ( ½ cups) water.Bring to the boil, simmer for  3 minutes and cool. Plunge 1 kg ( 2 ¼ lb) ripe peaches into boiling water for 30 seconds.Drain, peel and remove the stones (pits) Reduce the fruit to a puree in a blender and add the juice of 1 lemon. Mix the cold sugar syrup and the peach puree together, pour into an ice-cream maker and freeze

Peach sundaes

Prepare 500 ml (17 ft oz. 2 cups) vanilla ice cream. Plunge some peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds (allow 6 peaches for 4 sundaes) Drain, peel and remove the stones (pits).Reserve a few slices of peach for decoration and chop the remainder. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 2 tablespoons fruit liqueur (preferably strawberry) Whip 200 ml (7 ft oz. ¾ cup) double (heavy) cream. Chill 4 sundae glasses in the refrigerator, put a quarter of the peaches into each cup, cover with a layer of ice cream and pipe the whipped cream on top, using a piping bag fitted with a star (fluted) nozzle.

  Decorate with a few thin slices of raw peach, which have been soaked in liqueur

PEACOCK  A bird of the same family as the pheasasant originating in the Middle East. Greatly prized in ancient times for its beauty, the peacock appeared on the table of Europe under Charlemagne, essentially as a banquet dish. Throughout ht Middle Ages it enjoyed considerable prestige but more for the beauty of its plumage than for the succulence of its flesh. For several centuries now, it has practically disappeared from cookery.

    The peacock was served with great ceremony, roasted and entirely reconstituted, sometimes spitting fine. It was skinned, roasted then recovered with its skin and its feet were gilded. The task of carving it was allotted to the most eminent guest, who did so to the applause of the company present and then made a vow to perform some ex ceptional deed for example, in a war or in the service of his lady or of God.

PEANUT  The edible seed of a widely cultivated tropical plant. Originating in South America, the plant was introduced into Africa by Portuguese slave traders and was widely grown from the colonial era onwards. It is also grown in India and the Unites States.Each pod matures underground and contains from two  to four seeds, also called groundnuts or sometimes ground pistachios.

   In Africa the seeds may be made into a paste, grilled (broiled) or served in a variety of dishes. In  Egypt they are made into cakes. However, they are now primarily an oil crop.Groundnut oil, which ahs a neutral flavour, is one of the most  widely used cooking oils as it is very stable. The same oil can be used for frying over and over again, and it can be heated to high temperatures without losing its qualities. It is also suitable for mild flavoured salad dressings. Furthermore, groundnut oil plays an important role in the canning industry and in the manufacture of margarine. Raw groundnuts have a high energy value.

  Roasted and salted peanuts are served as cocktail snacks. They can replace pine nuts in salads, and almonds and pistachios in patisserie. They are made into smooth or crunchy peanuts butter, which is used in sandwiches and snacks, and also used in making some biscuits (cookies).

PEAR   The fruit of the pear tree, which narrows towards the stalk and has a yellow, brown, red or green skin, a fine white slightly granular flesh and a central core. The tree is native to Asia Minor and grew wild in prehistoric times. It was known to the Greeks and was even more popular with the Romans, who ate it raw, cooked or dried. They also used to prepare an alcoholic drink with the fruit.

   Today there are countries varieties of pears (Pyrus communis) produced by progressive selection of cultivated varieties.

   A distinction is made between summer, autumn and winter pears, which can be either dessert or cooking varieties.

  The first pears ripen in mid-July, but the main season is between September and January. The pear is the third most popular fruit in France. Most French  varieties come from the south east Lot et Garonne, Normandy and Maine-et-Loire. Pears are also imported from Argentina, South Africa and Australia. In Britain many of the same varieties are grown or imported.

Dessert pears can be eaten raw as a table fruit or used in fruit salads and desserts. They can be used as a decoration, in which case they should be sprinkled with lemon juice to prevent discoloration as the flesh oxidizes quickly. Many of the cooking varieties have now disappeared  and dessert pears are used instead. Nevertheless, the flavour of the Gure and Belle Angevine becomes apparent only when they have been cooked.

  Pears are used in numerous desserts, including mouses, charlottes, souffles, tarts, ice creams, sorbets and compotes and in a number of specialties. Pears can also be cooked with poultry and game  and can be prepared as hors d’oeuvre . Dried pears are used especially for compotes and to accompany savoury dishes. The most common variety of pears that is canned  in syrup is the Williams Bon Chretien, which is also used for making pear brandy and pear liqueur.The brandy is allowed to mature for a few months in an earthenware jar or bottle, it develops a delicate bouquet, very much like the natural fragrance of the fruit, which is intensified by serving it in chilled glasses. Pear liqueur, which is not as highly regarded, is made either from diluted sweetened brandy or from a mixture of steeping and distillation.Both may be drunk as digestive and used in a number of dessert.

RECIPES

Baked pears withSauternes

Make some walnut ice cream with a custard base made from  1 litre (1 ¾ cup) walnuts ground to a puree with a little milk, 150 g (5 oz, 2/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar and 6 whole eggs. Peel, core and halve 2 sugar and 6 whole eggs. Peel, core and halve 2  Doyenne du Comice pears. Put 200 g ( 7 oz, ¾ cup) butter and 300 g ( 11 oz, 1 ½ cups) sugar in a saute pan over a medium heat. As soon as the caramel begins to thicken, add the pears, then a bottle of Sauternes and cook slowly until the fruit is tender. Serve coated with the ice cream.

Bourdaloue pear tart

Roll out some shortcrust pastry (basic pie dough) thinly. Use to line a buttered pie dish, making a little crest along the edge. Cover the pastry with a layer of frangipane cream and arrange thinly sliced pears in syrup on top. Cook in a preheated oven at 190 ^oC(375 ^oF, gas 5) for 30 minutes. Leave to cool, then coat with apricot glaze

Pear charlotte

Put 15 g ( ½ oz, 2 envelopes) gelatine to soften in 5 talbespoons cold water. Press 350 g (12 oz) drained canned pears through a sieve and warm the pulp gently in a saucepan.Add the softened gelatine to the pear puree and stir to dissolve.Cut 350 g (12 oz) drained canned pears into 1 cm ( ½ in) cubes. Whip 250 ml (8 ft oz. 1 cup) whipping cream with 3 tablespoons icing (confectioner’s) sugar Whisk 2 egg white with 50 g (2 oz. ¼ cup) caster (superfine) sugar until they form stiff peaks.

  Line a charlotte mould with a ring of greaseproof (wax) paper. Line the bottom and the sides with sponge finger (ladyfingers) trimmed at the ends to the height of the mould. Pour the pear and gelatine mixture into a large bowl, add the diced pears and 1 ½  tablespoons pear brandy, then incorporate the cream and the egg whites, using a spatula. Pour this mixture into the charlotte mould and chill in the refrigerator for about 10 hours until set.

   Turn out the charlotte on to a serving dish and surround it with a ring of raspberry sauce. Serve the remainder of the sauce in a sauceboat.

Pear in wine

Peel 8 fine Williams Bon Chretien or Passe Crassane pears, but leave the stalk on and brush them with lemon juice. Put the pear peelings in a large saucepan and add 1 litre ( 1 ¾ pints, 4  ½ cups) red wine (cotes du Rhone or Madiran) 100 g ( 4 oz., 1/3 cup) honey, 150 g (5 oz, ¾  cup, firmly packed) soft brown sugar, the zest of 1 lemon (previously blanched) a little white pepper, a few coriander seeds, a pinch of grated nutmeg and 3 vanilla pods (beans) slit in two. Bring to the boil and simmer. After 20 minutes, add the pears, stalks upright. Cover the pan and cook slowly for 20 minutes. Leave to cool before putting in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Serve coated with the gelled juice.

Pear Joinville

Line 23 cm ( 9 in) savarin mould with caramel. Boil 1 litre ( 1 ¾ pints, 4 ½ cups) milk with half a vanilla pod (ean) Beat 12 eggs with 200 g ( 7 oz. ¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar until thick and pale. Add the boiling milk gradually, whisking all the time, then strain the mixture through a fine sieve and pour it into the caramel lined mould. Put the mould into a baking dish filled with enough water to reach halfway up the sides. Cook in a preheated oven 200 ^oC (400 ^oF, gas 6) for 20 minutes or until the custard has set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before turning out.

  Drain the contents of a large can of pears. Melt 200 g (7 oz, 2/3 cup) apricot jam over a gentle heat and flavour with 100 ml (4 ft oz. 7 tablespoons) kirsch or pear brandy. Make a Chantilly cream by whipping together 200 ml (7 ft. oz, ¾ cup) double (Heavy) cream, 5 tablespoons ice milk, 50 g ( 2 oz. ½ cup) icing (confectioner’s) sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar. Cut the pears into thin slices and arrange them in the centre of the caramel mould. Put the Chantilly cream in a piping bag fitted with a star (fluted) nozzle and decorate the pears.

  Serve immediately with the warm apricot sauce.

Pear Wanamaker

Cut 6 madeleines in half and arrange them on a buttered dish, spacing them out slightly. Soak with kirsch and coat with a thick, sweetened, pear puree mixed with a little redcurrant jelly. Poach 6 peeled pears in vanilla flavoured syrup, cut in half, remove the cores and place a pear half on each half madeleine. Prepare a vanilla souffle mixture and cover the pears with it. Brown in the oven. If desired, serve with a kirsch zabaglione.

Wild duck with pears

Pluck, draw and season a small wild duck. Roast it for about 30 minutes so that the flesh remains pink and leave it in its cooking dish. Make caramel with 2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar and add 150 ml ( ¼ pint, 2/3 cup) red wine, a small stick of cinnamon, 6 coriander seeds, 6 black peppercorns and the zest of an orange and a lemon. Bring it to the boil and cook 2 peeled pears in it for no longer than 15 minutes.

   Remove the breast fillets of the duck, bone the legs and put the carcass and bones to one side.Cut the pears in half, slice them and keep them warm. Dilute the duck cooking juices with 150 ml ( ¼  pint, 2/3 cup) red wine. Add the carcass and the pear cooking syrup. Bring to the boil, reduce and then strain.Cut the duck fillets and leg meat into thin slices.Cover with the sauce and surround with slices of pear (the finished dish may be warmed up for 30 seconds in a microwave cooker just before serving if desired).

PECAN NUT  The fruit of a tall tree found in the north eastern United States. It has a smooth brown fragile shell enclosing a bilobed brown kernel, which looks and tastes similar to a walnut but has a slightly softer texture. Peacan nuts are eaten as a snack or widely used in cooking for cakes, biscuits,  in ice cream or a topping.They are also ersatile for savoury dishes. Pecan pie is a popular American sweet dish.

PECHARMANT  A red AOC wine from the Bergerac region of the Dordogne, for which the same grape varieties as those in the Bordeaux vineyard are used, especially Merlot.

PECORINO An Italian ewe’s milk cheese Pecorino is hard pressed with a yellow crust when mature.The name is derived from the Italian word for ewe. The cheese was praised by Pliny and his contemporary Columella, who described its manufacture inDe re rustica Pecorino cheese has a white, cream or straw yellow centre, depending on its degree of maturity.  It is produced from October to June  in southern Italy. There are several variety, the  best known being Pecorino Romano, a cooked cheese from Lazio. It is matured for at least eight months and contains 36% fat. It is manufactured in cylinders 20-25 cm (8-10 in) in diameter and 15-25 cm (6-9 in) high. It has a strong salty flavour and is used as a table cheese or, when sufficiently aged, as a condiment, like Parmesan cheese. Pecorino Sicilliano and PecorinoSardo, the Sicillian and Sardinian varieties, contain more fat and are uncooked cheeses. They have an equally strong flavour.

PECTIN  A natural gelling agent found in plants. It is a polysaccharide and is especially abundant in certain fruits. Pectin can be extracted on an industrial scale from dried apple marc.

   Pectin is an essential ingredient in making set preserves, such as jam and jellies. When making jellies and marmalades, a small muslin (cheesecloth) bag containing the seeds and skins of apples, quinces and citrus fruit is boiled with the sugar and fruit juice, the pectin from the seeds and skins is released and helps set the jelly.

PEDIMENT  An element of food presentation which was once very popular but is not often used today. Pediments of rice shaped in  dariole moulds to accompany eggs or small pieces of meat remain a classic method. In catering pediments are used for cold dishes, which have been set in a mould with milk and gelatine and are cut as desired.

  In decorative cookery, pieces of melt, poultry and fish used to be arranged on elaborate pediments. Turkey  was served on a pediment made from a mixture of ordinary very white lard with a proportionate quantity of kidney and mutton fat, which must be very pure and very fresh. All filaments, fibres and pieces of skin must be removed, it should then be cut into small pieces and soaked in water for at least four hours. Like pieces montees pediments were influenced by architecture and by the animal and floral word, their shapes and ornamentation were very varied, bastions, crowns, saltys, angels, heads, peasants, sailors, swans, wings, dolphins, claws, animals and flowers moulded in lard, butter and wax etc. Careme left many designs for pediments.

PEELING  The action of removing the skin of fruits and vegetables. The French term, eplucbage is also used for the removal of stalks, ribs, wilted leaves and roots of salad plants spinach and cabbage.

   Peeling is generally done by hand, using a knife or peeler, although sometimes in restaurants an electric peeling machine is used, this reduces waste to 5%, whereas up to 25% can be wasted in peeling by hand. When peeling potatoes in this way however, any eyes have to be picked out afterwards. The peelings are not always thrown away, cabbage stalks are kept for soups, cucumber peel is sometimes used to decorate cocktail glasses and truffle parings are as precious as the truffle itself.

PEKING DUCK  A famous dish from classical mandarin cookery. Its preparation is intricate and involved. The duck should be drawn, washed, rapidly scalded and dried. An air pump is used to separate the skin from the flesh, so that the skin swells outwards. The duck is then stuffed with a mixture of spring onions (scallions), aniseed, ginger, celery and sesame oil, sewn up, then hung, preferably in a draught, where it is coated every half hour with mixture of honey and flour. After 3 hours it is roasted in the oven and basted with its own juice and a little sesame oil.

  There is a precise ritual for serving Peking duck, the skin is cut into 3 x 4 cm ( 1 ¼ x 1 ½  in ) rectangles, which, in theory are the only parts of the bird to be eaten, the meat being saved for other uses. In common practice, however, the meat is also cut into pieces and rolled in pancakes. Using chopsticks, a rectangle of the skin is placed on a small hot savoury pancake, to this is added a piece of spring onion (scallion) which has been dipped in a sauce with a sour plum base, the pancake is covered with a little sugar, and garlic, rolled up, still using the chopsticks, and eaten. Apart form requiring that only the skin is  served, tradition also dictates that the carved re-formed duck is presented in advance to the diners.

PEKINOISE, ALA  A method of preparing pieces of fried fish or scampi in batter served with a sweet and sour sauce, inspired by Chinese cookery. The sauce is made with chopped garlic and onions mixed with slivers of ginger.These are braised in butter, then sprinkled with sugar. Soy sauce is added, followed by fresh tomato juice. The mixture is thickened with cornflour and flavoured with Chinese mushrooms.

PELAMID  Another name for the bonito, one of the smallest members of the Scombridae family, that includes mackerel and tuna. The pelamid is no more than 70 cm (28 in) long and lives in warm seas. All recipes for tuna can be prepared with pelamid. Its flesh is considered to have a finer flavour and to be less dense than that of the albacore, the long  fin tuna.

PELARDON  A small goat’s-milk cheese from Cevennes (45% fat content), with a soft white centre and a very fine natural crust. Its full name depends on the region whose it is produced in Cevennes it is known as the Pelardon des Cevennes, in the Ardeche as  Pelardon de Ruoms, and inGard, where it is often steeped in white wine, it is caleld Pelardon d’Anduze. It measures 6-7 cm (2 ¼ -2 ½ ) in diameter and is 2.5 –3 cm (1-1 ¼ in) thick.This cheese is made on the farm and has a delicious nutty flavour.

PELLAPRAT, HENRI PAUL  French chef born Paris, 1869, died Paris, 1950) After serving his apprenticeship with Pons, a Parisian pastrycook, Pellaprat obtained work at the Champeaux and then became assistant chef to Casimir Moisson at the MaisonDorce, where he eventually became the chef on the army he was assigned to the officers mess at Verdun. Pellaprat became a cookery instructor at the Cordon-Bleu schools in Paris and wrote many books on the culinary  art that are still considered to be important today.

PELLE  The French name for various kitchen utensils designed for lifting foods, tart or pie slice, fish slice, flour scoop and oven shovel. Tart or pie slices can be made of porcelain, earthenware, stainless steel or silver plate and are often manufactured to match the cutlery or crockery. They can also be used for cakes and the ice creams. Fish slices are made of stainless steel or silver plate. They are sometimes slightly concave and may be slotted for lifting large fish. Flour scoops are used for scooping up flour, sugar and other dry ingredients. Oven shovels are made of wood and have handles 2 metres (6 ½ ft) long. They are used in bakeries and large kitchens to remove large baking sheets of pastries from the oven.

PELMIENI  A type of Russian ravioli originating from Siberia, made with noodle dough and stuffed with minced (ground) meat, potato puree with cheese, or with chicken. The pelmient are cooked in boiling salted water and served with melted butter poured over them. Soured cream, or meat juice mixed with lemon juice, can be served separately.

PELURE D’ OIGNON  A French term, meaning literally onion peel that is sometimes used to describe the shade of red that certain wines acquire with age and that other rose wines posses naturally

PEMMICAN  A North American Indian cake of dried and pounded meat mixed with melted fat, a food product famous since the early explorations of North America. It is no longer in demand.

   Permmican could be kept for a long time, did not deteriorate and took up little space. It was first made from the meat of bison (wild ox, now almost completely extinct) or from venison. The ump of the animal was cut into thin slices, dried in the sun and pounded finely. This meat powder was then   mixed with melted fat in the proportion of two parts meat to one part fat and enclosed in bags made from the animals skin. It was eaten raw or boiled in water.

   The word comes from the Algonquian pime, meaning fat or grease.

 PEPERONE Also known as peperoni. A spicy Italian salami or sausage of pork and beef, which may be eaten raw. It is a popular topping for pizza.

PEPINO The fruit of a shrub of theSolanaceae family, cultivated in New Zeland and in Central and SouthAmerica. Also known as the pepino melon, the pepino has a firm, juicy and slightly sweet flesh under golden skin streaked with purple.The fragrant flesh is eaten like a melon.

PEPPER (BELL PEPPER)  The vegetable known as sweet or bell pepper, this is a large, fleshy capsicum with a mild flavour. Green pale cream yellow, yellow, orange, red, purple or black, these are widely used in cooking. Choose peppers that are firm and glossy, avoid any with wrinkles or soft spots. Peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C.

   The flavour varies slightly according to the colour and type green peppers are strong with a distinct edge to their flavour, making them slightly bitter, red pepper are sweet with a rounded flavour, and orange or yellow peppers are often lightly flavoured by comparison.

   Peppers are used raw in dishes such as salads or salsas. They features in a wide variety of cooked dishes, including fish, meat, poultry, egg, rice and pasta recipes. They may be stuffed with meat  or rice and cooked in a sauce.Classic dishes with peppers include gazpacho, ratatouille, piperade and peppeorata, they are also characteristic ingredients in dishes prepared a la basquaise, a la portugaise, a la turque, a I andalouse and a la mexicaine.

Preparing peppers Halve the pepper or cut around the stalk to remove the core, seeds and white fibrous ribs from inside.

   To peel peppers, grill (broil) then close to the heat, turning as necessary until the skin blackens and bisters all over. Alternatively, spear on a long fork or skewer and run in a gas flame until blackened. Place in a polythene bag or wrap in foil until cool enough to handle, by which time the skin will have  loosened and can be removed easily by peeling and / or scraping off with a knife.

RECIPES

Grilled pepper salad

Cut some green (bell) peppers in half, removing the stalks and the seeds. Oil them very lightly and cook in a very hot oven or under the grill (broiler), skin side up, until the skin blisters and blackens. Peel them and cut into strips.  Make a vinaigrette with olive oil, very finely chopped garlic, chopped parsley, lemon juice and a very small quantity of vinegar. Sprinkle over the pepper strips while they are still warm, marinate at room temperature for at least 2 hours, then chill in the refrigerator. Serve as a cold hors, d’oeuvre with toast spread with tape nade, shrimps, small octopuses in salad and so on.

 Langoustines royales with sweet red pepper

Shell 20 large langoustines. Brown 1 sugar lump (dry) in a saucepan, then add 1 tablespoon vinegar and the juice of half a Seville (bitter) orange. Reduce to a thick syrup, then add  2 glasses red port wine and 3 strips of orange peel. Reduce by half, leave to cool slightly, then whisk in 60 g (2 ox. ¼  cup) butter.

  Cook 2 red (bell) peppers for 10 minutes in a very hot oven or grill (broil) them, turning until the skins blister and blacken. Peel the peppers, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into strips.

   Steam the langoustine tails for 3 minutes. On each of 4 ovenproof plates pour 1 tablespoon sauce and arrange 5 langoustines in a circle, alternating with strips of pepper. Place in the oven for a few minutes to heat through.

Mille-feuille of scallops with sweet peppers

Prepare some puff pastry. Roll out thinly and divide into 16 equal rectangles, about 10 x 7 cm (4 x 2 ½ in) Cook in a preheated oven at 220 ^oC(425 ^oF, gas 7) under golden.Trim the edges and keep warm. Cook 6 peeled and crushed garlic cloves in 250 ml (8 ft oz, 1 cup) whipping cream. Strain, season with salt and pepper and add 25 g ( 1 oz. 2 tablespoons) butter. Keep warm.

   Clean, peel and remove the seeds from 3 red peppers and 3 green peppers. Cut into strips and cook in 3 tablespoons olive oil. Saute 32 walnut halves and 16 scallop corals in butter. Keep all prepared ingredients warm.

   Construct 8 mille-feulles by layering the puff pastry, red pepper, 4 walnut halves, 2 scallop corals, a little garlic cream, green pepper and finally, a rectangle of puff pastry.Glaze the mille-feuilles with hot melted butter and arrange on a serving dish. Serve with scalloped mushrooms sauteed in butter and beaurre blanc.

Peppers a la piemontaise

Grill (broil) some peppers or cook in a very hot oven until the skins blister and blacken. Peel them, remove the seeds and cut into strips. Make a risotto a la piemontaise. Arrange alternate layers of peppers and risotto in a buttered gratin dish. Finish with a layer of pepper, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and melted butter, and brown in a hot oven.

Stuffed peppers

Cut the stalk ends off 12 very small green peppers. Remove the seeds and blanch for 5 minutes in boiling salted water. Prepare a stuffing by coarsely chopping 2 handfuls of very fresh sorrel leaves, 4 peeled seeded tomatoes, 3 Spanish onions, 3 green peppers and a small sprig of fennel. Place in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons warm olive oil and cook gently, stirring, until soft but not brown. Strain to remove the liquid and mix with an equal volume of rice cooked in meat stock.

   Stuff the peppers with this mixture.Pour a little oil in a deep frying pan and arrange the stuffed peppers in it, closely packed together. Half-fill the pan with thin tomato sauce to which lemon juice and 200 ml (7 ft oz, ¾ cup) olive oil have been added. Cook for about 25 minutes with the lid on. Arrange  the peppers in a shallow dish together with the liquid in which they have been cooked. Leave to cool and then refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve as an hors, d’oeuvre.       

Stuffed Pepper fritters

Peel and seed some very small green peppers, as for stuffed peppers a la turque. Marinate for 1 hour in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and chopped garlic, seasoned with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Peel and chop equal quantities of onions and mushrooms. Gently fry them in butter, add an equal volume of well-reduced tomato sauce, then some chopped garlic and parsley. Cook this mixture until it has the consistency of a thick paste. Drain and dry the peppers and stuff them with the mixture. Dip them in a light fritter batter and fry in very hot fat (180 ^oC, 350 ^oF) until golden. Drain and serve with a well-reduced tomato sauce.

Stuffed peppers a la turque

Cut away a small circle around the stalks of some (bell) peppers and place them in a very hot oven or under the grill (broiler) until the skin has blistered and blackened. Peel them, cut off the stalk ends and remove the seeds. Blanch for 5 minutes in boiling water. Cool, drain and dry thoroughly. Mix equal quantities of rice cooked in meat stock and cooked coarsely chopped mutton.Add some crushed garlic, chopped parsley and well-reduced tomato sauce, a handful of raisins soaked for 1 hour in warm water may also be added. Slightly widen the opening in the peppers and stuff them with the rice and mutton mixture.

   Peel and chop some onions and fry them gently in olive oil in a casserole without allowing them to brown. Then add the stuffed peppers, packing them tightly together. Pour in a mixture of equal proportions of stock and tomato sauce to come a quarter of the way up the peppers. Adjust the seasoning. Bring to the boil, then cover and cook in a preheated oven at 230 ^oC(450 ^oF, gas 8) for 30-35 minutes. Arrange the stuffed peppers in a serving dish and pour the cooking liquid over them.

PEPPERCORNS AND PEPPER  The berry like fruits of the pepper plant (Piper nigrum), a climbing vine native to India, Java and the Sunda Islands. The peppercorns ripen from green to red and finally to brown. Peppercorns harvested at various  stages of maturity provide different types of pepper. Black pepper is whole red peppercorns sold dried, it is very strong and pungent. Unripe green peppercorns are sold dried or pickled in vinegar or brine, they are less pungent than black pepper and more fruity. While pepper is ripe peppercorn with the outer husk removed, it is less spicy and particularly suitable for seasoning white sauces. Grey pepper is a mixture of black and white pepper.

   The name pepper is also used loosely for several other seasonings and condiments, notably cayenne, paprika and chilli powder (all derived from varieties of capsicum).

Whole  or ground pepper.  Pepper is sold either as peppercorns or ready ground. The peppercorns must be solid, compact and of uniform colour, and they must not crumble. Ground pepper quickly loses its flavour and aroma, it is therefore best to buy whole peppercorns and grind or crush them yourself as required.

Pepper in cooking.  Several dishes take their name and character from pepper, the French poivrade sauce, steak au polvro, the German Pfefferkuchen (gingerbread, literally pepper cake) and the Dutch pepper pot (a spicy ragout of mutton with onion). Whenever a recipe states adjust the seasoning, salt and pepper are added at the discretion of the cook. Pepper is required in practically all savoury dishes, whether they are served hot or cold. Whole peppercorn are used in court—bouillons, marinades and pickles, crushed pepper for grills, certain raw vegetable dishes, forcemeats and hashes and freshly ground pepper mill produces a very spicy fresh seasoning whereas a pinch of pepper gives a more discreet flavour to sauces and stews.Green peppercorns are used in specific dishes, sucha s camard poele, fish terrines and avocado salad.

PEPPERMINT  A mint liqueur made from various kinds of mint steeped in alcohol. The infusion is then filtered and sweetened. Peppermint is drunk on its own, with ice cubes, with water or poured over crushed ice and sucked through a straw.

PEPPERY A word defining a slightly piquant taste combined with an aromatic flavour, as is found in pepper mint or some boletus mushrooms. As long as it remains tolerable, the sensation in the mouth is reminiscent of pepper.

PERCH A freshwater fish belonging to the genus  Percat. The common or river perch is considered in France to be one of the best freshwater fish. It is usually 25-35 cm (10-14 in) long but can grow to 50-60 cm (1 ½ -2 ft) and weight up to 5 kgs (6 ½ lb) which is exceptional, as the fish grows slowly. It has a bumped, greenish brown back marked with dark hands and bearing two dorsal fins, the first of which is spiny, the remaining fins are red the first of which is spiny, the remaining fins are red Perch must be scaled as soon as they are caught otherwise the task becomes impossible .Small poerch are fried, medium ones are prepared a la memire or in a stew, and large ones can be shiffed, like shad.

RECIPE

Perch fillets milanese

Make a risotto a la pienontaise with 250 g (9 oz. 1 ¼ cups) rice.Wash the fillets of 4 perches and pat dry with paper towels. Coat the fillets in breadcrumbs and fry on both sides in butter. Butter an oval serving dish and put the risotto in it. Arrange the perch fillets on top. Garnish with lemon quarters.

PERE LATHUILE  A small suburban café established in 1765 by Lathuile, near the Pone de Clichy in Paris, which was invogue for a while because its cellar, its sauteed chicken and its tripe a la mode de Caeu. It became famous on 30 March 1814, at the time of the fall of the Empire, when Marshal  Moncey installed his command post there in a last attempt at resisting the opposing forces.Pere Lathuile distributed all his food and drink provisions to the soldiers, so as to leave nothing for the enemy.

PERIGOURDINE, A LA  Describing egg, meat, poultry or game dishes served with perigourdine sauce or Perigueux sauce. Perigourdine sauce consists of demi glace sauce enriched with a little fole gras pauree and truffles cut into large slices

   Many other dishes from the Perigord region are described as a la perigourdine despite the fact that they contain neither foie gras nor truffles.

RECIPES

Calves sweetbreads a la perigourdine

Clean some calves sweetbreads, blanch them in boiling water, thenc ool and press them in the usual way.Stud them with small pieces of truffle and braise in brown stock.Drain and keep hot. Make a Perigueux sauce with the reduced cooking liquor. Coat the sweetbreads with some of the sauce and serve the remainder separately.

Eggs en cocotte a la perigourdine

Butter some remekins and line them with a puree of foie gras.Break 1 egg into ramekin, place a knob of butter on top of each yolk and cook in a bain marie in the oven. When serving surround the yolks with a ring of Perigueux sauce.

Salpicon a la perigourdine

Fry some diced truffles gently in butter, add some diced duck or goose foie gras, season with pepper and blend with a little Periguex sauce. The ingredients should barely be coated with sauce.

PERIGUEUX  A Madeira sauce containing finely diced or chopped truffles. It is served with small cuts of meat, poultry or  game and with bounchees, these preparations are described as Perigueux or a la perigourdine.

RECIPES

Perigueux Sauce

Clean, peel  and dice some truffles and gently braise them in butter for 10 minutes. Then add them to some Madeira sauce just before mixing in the cornflour (cornstarch) and Madeira.

Pheasant Perigueux

Pluck, singe and gut (clean) a pheasant .Season the carcass inside and out with salt and pepper, then insert some slices of truffle between the skin and flesh. Fry the truffled pheasant in butter in a heavy based saucepan and arrange on a slice of bread fried in butter. Prepare some Perigueux sauce with the cooking juice and serve separately. The dish can be garnished with large quenelles of truffled game forcemeat.

PERMIT  An official docuent that must accompany wines and spirits in circulation within France attesting that the required excise tax has been paid before the wine was put on the market. Wines intended for export must be accompanied by a paper known as an acquit.

PERRY  A fermented drink made like cider but with pear instead of apple juice. It has been made since ancient times in western France. Normandy, Brittany and Maine et Loire. Sparkling perry is an inexpensive alcoholic drink in the UK.

   The French word polre should not be confused with the pear alcool blanc, referred to in full as Poire William.

PERSANE, ALA  Describing a preparation of mutton or lamb noisettes or chops garnished with slices of fried aubergine (eggplant) fried oniosn and tomato stewed with peppers. The cooking juices are flavoured with tomato and spooned over, the garnishes. Pilat a la persane, more obviously influenced by Iranian cuisine, consists of a mixture of rice and diced mutton fried with onions which is simmered in stock with pepper and various condiments. The dish is finally sprinkled with melted mutton fat.

PERSILLADE  A mixture of chopped parsley and garlic, which is added to certain dishes at the end of the cooking time.

   Beef persillade is a piece of leftover boiled beef sauteed in oil and seasoned with persillade. Persillade mixed with fresh breadcrumbs provides the finsihing touch to a loin of lamb persille and stuffed tomatoes a la provencale. It is also a basic ingredient in snails a la bourguignounne.

   The word persille is also used to describe dishes finished off with persillade or with chopped fresh parsley (for example, potatoes or sauteed tomatoes) and for dishes in which a large quantity of chopped parsley is used, such as ham with parsley.

PERSILLE  The French term to describe certain cheeses veined with bluish green moulds. The term is often included in the name of the cheese. For example, Persille des Aravis, Persille de Thones and Persille du Grand Bornand are Savoyard goat’s milk cheese (45% fat content) with pressed centres and brushed natural crusts.They have a strong flavour and are manufactured in cylinders 8-10 cm (3-4 in) in diameter and 12-15 cm (5-6 in) high. Persille du Mont-Cenis is made with a mixture of cow’s and  goat’s milk (45% fat content) and has a lightly pressed centre and a natural crust. It also has a strong flavour and is sold in cylinders 30 cm (12 in) in diameter and 15 cm (6 in) high.

   The word persille is also used to describe dishes prepared with persillade and a piece of top quality beef flecked with fat.

PERSIMMON  The fruit  of a tree of Japanese origin that has been cultivated for centuries in China and Japan and is now cultivated commercially in Italy and other Medieterranean countries and also in the Middle East and the United States. The Japanese persimmon resembles an orange tomato, with soft, sweetish, orange red flesh and up to eight seeds, depending on the variety. It should be eaten when very ripe, otherwise, it has a bitter taste. When it ripens, the skin becomes transparent. The flesh is usually eaten fresh, but it can be made into compotes, jams or sorbets or cooked a I imperatrice.

  The Sharon fruit is similar to a persimmon, but the flesh is sweeter, even when firm and slightly underripe. It can be used in the same recipes as the persimmon.

RECIPE

Iced persimmon a la creole

Cut a hole in the fruit around the stalk and scoop out the pulp with a teaspoon, taking care not to break the skin. Sprinkle a little marc brandy or liqueur into each fruit and leave to macerate for 1 hour. Mix the fruit pulp with some pineapple ice (1 tablespoon pulp to 3-4 tablespoons pineapple ice) Press the mixture through a fine sieve and fill the fruit shells with the cream .Freeze for about 1 hour before serving.

PESSAC-LEOGNAN AOC red or white wine produced on the left bank of the Garonne, near Bordeaux. It includes all of the estates listed in the Graves 1959 classification and other renowned chateaux, notably Haut Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion and Pape-Clement.

PESTLE A utensil used for crushing or pounding food in a mortar. It can be used for such items as garlic, tomatoes, butter, coarse salt, spices, nuts, parsley or bay leaves.The rounded head may be integral with a short stem or may fit on to a separate handle.The puree pestle, nicknamed champiguon inFrench, has a relatively long handle ending in a large, solid head made of boxwood, beech or lignun vitae or sometimes of perforated metal. It is used for pressing purees and forcemeats through a sieve and for pressing poultry carcasses in a strainer to extract the juice.

PESTO A cold Italian sauce from Genoa. Large quantities of basil are ground with garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese and olive oil is added gradually to make a bright green, aromatic and full flavoured sauce with thick pouring consistency. In its simplest presentation, pesto is toosed with freshly cooked pasta to make a fabulous meal, it may be served to complement a wide variety of other foods, including fish, poutlry, meat and vegetables. Many variations have been created from this classic sauce using different herbs and ingredients, such as sundried tomatoes.

PETERAM  A well known speciality from Luchon in the haute-Garonne. It is a stew of sheep’s trotters (feet) and tripe, ham, calf’s mesentery, bacon, potatoes, garlic and herbs, cooked slowly over a period of 10 hours in dry white wine.

PETILLANT the term used to describe wine with a slight sparkle. This is sometimes naturally present, but may also be encouraged and regulated.

PETIT-BEURRE  A small square or rectangular biscuit (cookie)_ with fluted edges. The dough is made with flour, sugar and butter, but contains no eggs. Petits-beurres are a speciality of Nantes, where they are manufactured on an industrial scale. Theya re eaten for afternoon tea or served with various desserts, they are also used as an ingredient in a number of desserts.

PETIT DEJEUNER  The traditional French, or continental, breakfast consists of a cup of tea, coffee, café au lait or hot chocolat,e with buttered croissants, bread or biscoiltes spread with jam or honey.

PETITE MARMITE A type of pot-au-feu served in the receptacle in which it was cooked (originally an earthenware to but now often small individual dishes made of flameproof porcelain) The petite marnite was created in Paris in 1867 by Moderate Magny in his famous restaurant. In theory it should contain lean beef, oxtail, chicken, marrow bone, stock pot vegetables and small cabbage balls. The soup is usually served with grated cheese,croutons spread with rounds of marrow and sprinkled with pepper, or slices of a long thin French loaf crisped in the oven and sprinkled with fat from the stew.

RECIPE

Petite marnite a la parisienne

Pour 2.5 litres (4 ½ pints, 11 cup0 cold consomme into a pan.Add 500 g (18 oz) rump roast (standing rump) and 250 g (9 oz) short rib of beef. Bring to the boil and skim.Then add 100 g ( 4 oz, ¾ cup) chopped carrots, 75 g (3 oz, 2/3 cup), chopped turnips, 75 g (3 oz) leeks (white part only, cut into chunks) 2 baby (pearl) onions browned in a dry frying pan, 50 g (2 oz) celery hearts (cut into small pieces and blanched) and 100 g (4 oz) cabbage (blanched in salted water, cooled and rolled into tight balls).Simmer these ingredients for 3 hours, occasionally adding a little consomme to compensate for the evaporation.

  Lightly brown 2 sets  of chicken giblets in a preheated oven at 200 ^oC (400 ^oF, gas 6) add them to the pan and cook for a further 50 minutes. Finally add a large marrow bone wrapped in muslin (cheesecloth) and simmer for another 10 minutes. Skim off the surplus fat, unwrap the marrow bone and replace it in the pan. Serve the soup hot with small slices from a long thin French loaf that have been crisped in the oven and sprinkled with  a little fat from the stew. Spread some of the bread with bone marrow and season with freshly ground pepper.

PETIT FOUR  A small fancy biscuit (cookie) cake or item of confectionery. The name, according to Careme, dates from the 18^th century, when ovens were made of brick and small items had to be cooked a petit four (at a very low temperature ) after large cakes had been taken out and the temperature had dropped.

   After the bonbons, dragees, marzipans, pralines and crystallized fruits that were in vogue during the Renaissance and in the reign of Louis XIV, other titbits were created. They requires imagination and flair by the pastrycooks to reproduce the la ge scale decorations in miniature.Careme himself attached great importance to the petits four known as colifichets part of the pieces montees, which decorated the table and buffets.  Today, petits four constitute an important part of patisserie. They are served mainly at buffets, lunches or with cocktails, but also with tea, ice creams and some desserts. At a sophisticated meal in France, an assortment of petits fours may be served either with or after the dessert.

PETIT MAURE  A cabaret that opened in Paris in 1918, on the corner of the Rue de Seine and the Rue Visconti. It was frequented by Voiture, Theophile de Viau, Colletet, Tallemant des Reaux and most notably, the poet Saint-Amant, who is said to have died there in 1661, after a violent beating occasioned by a rather biting epigram. In the following century, another Petit Maure was fashionable for a time.This was a small suburban restaurant of Vaugirard, where one could enjoy the strawberies and petits pois that grew in the surrounding district, drink the local wine and eat the home bred turkeys.

PFLUTTERS  Also known as Floutes. These Alsatian dumplings are made with potato puree, beaten egg and flour or semolina, sometimes  moistened with milk, they are poached in boiling water and served as an entrée with melted butter. Pflutters can also be made into cakes and fried. In this case, the dough is rolled out and cut into shapes with a pastry (cookie) cutter, and they are served with a roast.

RECIPE

Pfutters

Prepare 500 g (18 oz ) very fine potato puree and mix with 2 eggs and about 76 g (3 oz, ¾ cup) plain flour (all-purpose flour) to obtain a fairly stiff dough.Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Shape the dough into balls and drop them into a saucepan of boiling salted water. Poach for 8-10 minutes, drain and arrange in a buttered dish.Sprinkle with hot noisette butter in which fine stale breadcrumbs have been browned to give a crumbly topping.

PHEASANT  A long-tailed game bird introduced into Europe from Asia in the early Middle Ages. In many countries shooting has considerably reduced the pleasant population, in spite  of the periodic supply of reared birds. These are either released in January and allowed to breed in the wild or they are liberated just before the shoot. In the latter case,  the flesh of the birds has less flavour than that of the truly wild pheasant. Hens and young cock pheasants can be roasted without being barded, but barding fat on the back and breast is necessary for old male birds.True connoisseurs prefer the hen pheasant to the cock because the hen has finer flesh.The male bird is larger than the female. It is also more brightly coloured, with iridescent blue and green feathers, bright fleshly wattles, longer tail feathers and large leg spurs. Pheasants should be hung for a period of between three days and two weeks, depending on taste and the weather, in a cool dry, airy place. A bird has usually been hung for long enough when the tail feathers can be pulled out easily. Reared birds should not be hung but cooked immediately like poultry.

RECIPES

Preparation of pheasant

Keep the pheasant in the refrigerator for a few hours as this makes it easier to pluck.Begin by twisting the large wing feathers to remove them. Then pluck the remaining feathers in the following order, the body legs, neck and wings.Draw the bird in the same way as a chicken.Season the inside of the carcass with salt and pepper. Bard if necessary and truss the bird with the legs present as tightly as possible against the breast, especially if the bird is to be roasted.

Cold Pheasant Dishes

Ballotine of pheasant in aspic

Take a Strasbourg foie gras.Soak in cold water and (from Careme’s recipe) blanch.Cut each half into 4 fillets and trim. Pound 2 of these fillets in a mortar with the trimmings and the meat of a red partridge with an equal weight of pork fat. Season the mixture very well.Add 2 egg yolks and some cultivated mushrooms tossed in butte. Pound the lot thoroughly. Press the stuffing through a quenelle sieve.

  Carefully bone a well hung fat pheasant. Lay it on a cloth and season  very well. Lay on top of it half the stuffing and them 3 fillets of foie gras, interspersing these with halved truffles. Add as much spiced salt as required.Cover the whole with half the remaining stuffing. Lay on top the rest of the foie gras and the halves of truffle. Season and cover with the rest of the stuffing.

  Fold the pheasant into shape.Wrap in a cloth. Tie and cook in aspic stock flavoured with Madiera, to which have been added the bones and trimmings of the pheasant and partridge. Leave the ballotine to cool under a light weight. Glaze with aspic in the usual way.

Grilled pheasant a I americaine

This recipe is particularly suitable for young pheasants. Split the pheasant along the back and flatten it gently. Season with salt and pepper, then fry in butter on both sides until the flesh is firm. Coat both sides with freshly made breadcrumbs seasoned with a large pinch of cayenne.Grill (broil) the pheasant slowly. Place on a dish and cover with grilled bacon rashers (slices). Garnish with grilled tomatoes and mushrooms, bunches of watercress and potato crisp (chips) or game chips.Serve with maire  d’hotel butter.

Pheasant with truffles

At least 24 hours before cooking, insert some large slices of prepared truffle under the skin of a pheasant. Make a forcemeat with 250 g (9 oz) diced truffles and 350 g (12 oz) fresh pork fat and use it to stuff the pheasant. Cook in a preheated oven at 220 ^oC (425 ^oF, gas 7) for 50-55 minutes or for 55-60 minutes on a spit. Place it on a large crouton, arrange some balls of game forcemeat around it and serve with Perigueux sauce.

Roast Pheasant

Truss and bard a young pheasant, brush with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated oven at 240 ^oC (475 ^oF, gas 9) for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the bird, basting 2 or 3 times. Fry some croutons until golden brown. Untruss the pheasant and remove the barding fat. Place it on top of the croutons and keep warm. Deglaze the roasting tin (pan) with a little poultry stock and serve this gravy separately.

Salmi of pheasant

Pluck, draw, prepare and truss a young pheasant. Roast in a preheated oven at 240 ^oC (475 ^oF, gas 9) for only 20 minutes so that it is still rare. Set the roasting tin (pan0 aside. Cut the pheasant into 6 pieces of follows, remove the legs, remove the wings, leaving sufficient white meat on the breast bone, cut the breast into 2 pieces, widthways.Trim  each piece carefully and remove the skin. Place the portions of pheasant in a buttered saute pan and add a dash a good quality.Cognac. Season with pepper. Cover and keep warm.

   Crush the bones of the carcass, the skin and  trimmings, and brown briskly with 1 unpeeled garlic clove in the roasting tin in which the pheasant was roasted. Reduce the heat and add 3 finely chopped shallots, cover and sweat the hallots gently for 5 minutes, then spoon or pour off excess grease. Deglaze with a dash of Cognac and add 500 ml (17 ft oz. 2 cups) good red wine. Season the mixture and add a bouquet garni. Cook the wine, uncovered, for a few minutes and then add a generous ladle of game stock. Simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered. Skim thoroughly. Strain the sauce through a chinoois, pressing the mixture to extract as much of the juice as possible. Pour the liquor into clean pan and bring back to simmering point. Correct the seasoning. Flavour the sauce with a little truffle juice and thicken with 50 g ( 2 oz. ¼ cup) foie gras pressed through a sieve and pour over the pheasant. Fry a few sliced button mushrooms in butter, add to the pheasant and heat through gently, but thoroughly. Garnish with a few slices of truffle. Serve with garlic croutons.

(17 fl oz. 2 cups) good red wine. Season the mixture  and add a bouquet garni. Cook the wine, uncovered, for a few minutes and then add a generous ladle of game stock.  Simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered. Skim thoroughly.  Strain  the sauce  through a chinois, pressing the mixture to extract as much of the juice as possible.  Pour the liquor into a clean pan and bring back to simmering point. Correct the seasoning. flavour the sauce with a little truffle juice and thicken with 50 g (2 oz. ¼ cup) fole gras pressed through a lieve and pour over the pheasant. Fry a few sliced button mushrooms in butter, add to the pheasant and heat through gently, but thoroughly.  Garnish with a few slices of truffle.  Serve with garlic croutons.

Sautéed  pheasant

Cut a young tender pheasant (preferably a hen) into 4 or 6 pieces. Season with salt and pepper, brown in butter and continue to cook gently in an open pan.  arrange the pieces of pheasant on a warmed, covered serving dish.  Deglaze the sauté  pan with 4 tablespoons white  wine and a little veal stock, reduce the sauce by half and add some butter.  Pour the sauce  over the  pheasant and serve very hot.

Slices of pheasant with orange juice

Remove the flesh from a  pheasant. Make  a sauce as  follows.  Crush and pound the carcass and place it  in a saucepan with some veal stock and a bottle of  flat champagne. Add salt and pepper, bring to the boil and leave over a low heat to reduce.  Press through a fine sieve and return to the heat. Add the minced (ground) heart and liver; cook for another  10 minutes.  Cut the pheasant flesh into long, thin  slices and sauté  these in butter for 10 minutes, adding a handful of chopped parsley, chervil and chives. Arrange the slices on a dish.  Add the cooking juice from the pheasant to the sauce, together  with the strained juice of an orange. Stir  and pour the hot sauce over the slices of pheasant.

PHILIPPE A  Paresian restaurant established  in the 19^th century  in the Rue Montorgueil, near Les Halles, on the site  of an old post house.  It began as  a modest public house, but when Magny was  installed as head chef in 1842,  followed by Pascal, ex-chef of the Jockey Club, I 1848, the Philippine became very fashionable. It was  famous  for  entrecote steaks, onion soup, Normandy sole and matelotte, its cliemetele  was not as sophisticated as  that of the neighbouring  Rocher de Cancale, but people  went to Philippine mainly to eat well. In the  1870s the club des Grands Estomacs used to meet there and it is said that their Gargantuan meals could last as long as 18 hours!

PIC, ANDRE French chef (born saint-Peray, 1893; died Valence, 1984). He began his career at  the auberge le Pin, the family inn near Valence, with his mother  Sophie, who was herself a famous cook. He then became and apprentice chef at various  houses  in the Rhone Valley. In 1924 he returned to Le Pin, which  became a renowned stopping place  on the road to the Midi.  In 1936, he opened  at  restaurant in Valence itself, and in 1939 it was  awarded three starts in the Michelin Guide. André  pic, Alexandre Dumaine and ‘Fernande  Point were  the three greatest French chefs in the period between the wars.

            In the 1950s, however, pic’s health deteriorated  and his son Jacques took over, Jacques began by  reviving  his father’s great specialities : paoularde en  vessie (chicken in a bladder), crayfish gratin, Grignan truffle turnover and bouildin de brocher a la Richelieu (made with pike) – in a style similar to that of  Escoffer. His own creations include bass fillets with  caviar, cassolette of crayfish with morel mushrooms,  calves’ kidneys with sorrel or mind and fishermen’s salad with shery.

PICCALILLI An english pickle consisting of small florets of cauliflower, sliced gherkns, shallots and  other vegetables cooked and preserved in a spicy mustard and vinegar sauce, flavoured with turmeric, which also gives a bring yellow colour.  It may be  strong or mild and is eaten with cold meats, particular ham and roast pork.

PICCATA In France a small round veal escalope (scallop) cut from the noix or the sousnoix and fried in butter. Three piccaias per person is usually sufficient.  It was originally an Italian dish, most often served with marsala or lemon

RECIPE

Veal piccata with subergines and  tomatoes

Cut a filler of veal weighing about. 1.4 kg (3 lb) into  12 round slices (piccatos).  Cut an aubergine  (eggplant) into round slices and dust them with  flour. Fry the piccatas in a frying pan in 50 g (2 oz. ¼ cup) clarified butter and drain them.  Fry the  aubergine  slices in the same butter. Sauté  2 sliced white onions gently in a covered pan. cut a sweet red (bell) pepper into strips, and fry them in butter for about 15 minutes. Crush 450 g (l lb.) ripe tomatoes.

            Arrange the picaatas on a ovenproof serving dish  alternating them with  small strips of  cooked ham and the aubergine slices. Garnish with the  onions, the strips of red pepper and the tomatoes.  Cook in a preheated oven at 200-220°C (400-425°F, gas 6-7) for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with noisette butter and garnish with parsley just before  serving.

PICHET An earthenware pitcher  used in France for  serving water, fruit juice, cider or carafe wine (but  not good-quality wine).  In restaurants, vin au picbet is an unbottled medium-quality wine served in large quantities.

            A picket is also an old measure for salt and  liquids. Made of tin, with or without a lid, it is one of  the most handsome regional utensils.

PICKLE A condiment consisting of vegetables or fruit(or a mixture of both) preserved in spiced vinegar.  Of Indian origin, pickles are milder version of  the acbars of Madrawyand Bombay.  Pickles are sold injars, sometimes  arranged decoratively, but an also be made at home. They a re served with cold meats, cheese and curries with apertitifs and in mixed hors d’oeuvre.

            The vegetables used for pickling – cauliflower, cucumber, cabbage, marrow (squash) and courgettes (zucchini), mushrooms, small onions and unripe tomatoes – are sliced if necessary and soaked I brine or in cold water.  They are then rinsed, put into  jars and covered with spiced vinegar. They can also be cooked in vinegar with spices.  Fruits (plums,  cherries, apples, pears, peaches) are cut into small pieces and usually cooked for a short time so that they will soak up the vinegar.  Eggs and walnuts can  also be pickled.  The best salt to use is course sex salt, as this gives the optimum flavour.

            Malt, wine, cider  or spirit vinegar may be used.  The spices enhance the flavour and also act as  preservatives. The classic formula is as follows to 1 litre (1 ¾ , 4 1/3 cups) vinegar, add a 5 cm (2 in) stick of cinammon, 1 teaspoon cloves, 2 teaspoons  fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (or 5 teaspoons whole pickling spice  and 2 or 3 bay leaves. Bring the mixture to the boil and then steep for 3 days. The vinegar is then strained and used either cold (for vegetables, which  should remain crisp)  or hot (form fruit, which should be a little  softer). Mixes pickles may combine any number of vegetables, such as onion,  cabbage, cucumber, green beams, carrots and green peppers.  But some vegetables and fruits are pickled on their own; for example, beetroot (red beet) with dill, red cabbage with white wine vinegar, sweet (bell) peppers with  white wine vinegar, sweet (bell) peppers with rhyme and  bay leaf, lime with pepper and  peaches with spices and lemon zest.

RECIPES

Cauliflower  and tomato pickles 

Divide 2 medium-sized cauliflower into florets and arrange them in layers in a terrine together with  657 g ( 1 ½  lb firm tomatoes (quartered), 4 coarsely chopped onions and a chopped cucumber.   Sprinkle each layer with an equal quantity of salt – a total of about 200 g (7 oz. 1 cup).  Cover completely with  cold water, place a sheet of foil over the top and leave in a cool place for 24 hours.

            The next day place the vegetables in a strainer and  rinse them thoroughly  under running water to wash away the excess salt.  Drain and place them in  a large  saucepan. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon mustard powder, 1 teaspoon ground ginger and 1 teaspoon black  pepper.  Then add 250 g (9 oz. 1 ½  cups, firmly packed) brown sugar. Pour in 750 ml (1 ¼ pints, 3 ¼ cups) white wine vinegar and bring to the  boil over a medium heat, stirring frequently.  Then simmer for 15-20 minutes, continuing to stir, until the vegetables are just beginning  to soften but are still firm when pricked with the tip of a knife.

            Remove  the pan from the heat, put the vegetables in clean jars and completely cover with vinegar. The proportions given make 3 kg (6 ½  pickle.  The  jars should be stored in a cool, dry place away from the light.

PICKLED.  Describing pork or beef that has been  preserved by steepiong in brine to which saltpetre has been added, and then boiled. For recipes using pickled tongue.

            The word is also used to describe vegetables and fruit preserved in brine or vinegar.

PICNIC ‘An informal meal in which everyone pays his share or brings his own dish’, according to the Littre dictionary.  That was the original meaning of  the word, which  is probably of French origin (the French piquer means to pick at food; nique means  something small of no value).  The word was  acc epted by the Academie francaise inn 1740 and  thereafter became a universally accepted word in many languages.

            From the informal picnic, the outdoor feast developed. In Victorian Britain picnics may not have been  as formal as country-house dinners, but they were often elaborate affairs. Weekend shooting parties  and sporting events were occasions for grand picnics with extensive  are still served on  some occasions, notably during the evening intervals at the Glyndebourne opera festival and at Henley regatta. Traditional fare,  such as smoked salmon sandwiches, raised pies, dressed salmon, chicken chaud-froid and strawberries and cram, ware often  complemented by contemporary alternatives.

            The popular family picnic is still informal meal  in the  open air, the dishes are usually cold and easy to carry:  for example, hard-boiled (hard-cooked eggs, salads, pates, cold  meats, sandwiches, cheeses tarts and fruit. These days, however, with the aid  of vacuum flasks, camping  stoves and portable barbecues, picnics can take on whole new dimensions with  as much hot food  as cold on the menu!

PICODON  An AOP Goat’s-milk cheese (45% fat content) with a soft centre and a fine natural crust that is baluish, golden or reddish, depending on the name comes  from the languedocian word pico (to sing) – has a strong or nutty flavour. It is produced in several regions and is in season between May and December Picodon de Dieulefit (in Dauphine) is 6-7 cm (2 ½  in) in diameter and 2-3 cm (3/4- ¼ in ) thick; it is steeped in white wine.  Picodon de Saint-Agreve (in  Language doc) is slightly larger and has  a less pronounced flavour; Picodon  de Valreas is eaten when half-ripe.

PICON Very similar to Cabrales, but reputed  by some to  even better, this DOP blue cheese from  Cantabria in northern Spain may be made with  cow’s , ewe’s or goat’s milk. It has a sharply  piquant flavour with a lingering complexity.

PICPOUL DE PINET A white wine, one of the named crus from the Coteaux du Languedoc, made  exclusively from the Picpooul Blanck grape, which is  attracting a lot of interest.

PIE The French have adopted the English word for the classic British and American pies. A pie consists  of filling topped with a crust and baked.  Pastry is  the usual crust, and the filling can be savoury or  sweet.  The name is said to originate from magpie, the bird notorious for collecting items and hiding them in its nest,  reflecting the idea that a  mixture of ingredients could be combined under the pie crust.

            Confusion often over the terms pie and tart.  Traditionally, the British pie is made in a deep  dish and has a pastry lid,  but not a pastry base.  The traditional pie dish has a wide rim on which to place a  strip of pastry to which the top crust can be attracted once the filling is in place. A pie funnel, paced in  the middle of the dish to support the pastry lid once  the filling has cooked and reduced, allows steam to escape during cooking.

            Raised pies are served cold.  They consist of pastry  completely enclosing savoury filling, and they stand  along without a dish or container. Hot water crust pastry is used for the crust.  Small pies are traditionally raised by hand, by shaping a ball of pastry over the  fist, then placing  the filling in the hollow and attaching a lid.  Pork is a classic filling  for small raised pies.  Alternately, the pastry crust may be shaped over  jam jars, placed upside down, and it is left until set before removing and filling.  Pie moulds are used to  shape small or large pie and many more very elaborate. The sides of the mould are removed towards the  end of baking the  tops of raised pies are garnished  with pastry trimmings, and a hole is left to allow steam to escape. Aspic  is poured into the cooked pie  and left to set before serving. Game and pork are typical filling for large raised pies, in Scotland, small raised pies are filled with  lamb in gravy.

            A British tart is shallow, baked on a tart plate, which is deeper than a standard dinner plate, with a pastry base and a lid. When a lattice of pastry strips replaces the lid, the tart becomes a lattice tart. British tarts are usually sweet. An apple tart, or plate tart, differs from an apple pie in being shallow and having a

            A British tart is shallow, baked on a tart plate, which is deeper than a standard dinner plate, with a pastry base and a lid. When a lattice of pastry strips replaces the lid, the tart becomes a lattice tart. British tarts are usually sweet. An apple tart, or plate tart, differs from an apple pie in being shallow and having a pastry base. The  French open tart, with a pastry base but no lid, is now accepted as a tart, particularly when the filling is cooked individual jam tarts or strawberry tarts are traditionally open. In Britain the word flan is often used  to describe tarts that consist of a baked pastry case that is filled when cooked.  American pies can have a bottom crust but no lid, and they would generally be known as tarts in  Britain.

            A pie can also have a mashed potato topping, as in shepherd’s pie or fish pie.

            Savoury pies are usually served as a main course.   The best known are chicken pie, steak and kidney pie, game pie, and pork and apple pie. Buffalo and beer pie (make with buffalo meat, vegetables, spices and beer), oyster pie, clam pie and salmon pie are American specialties.

            The classic dessert pies are apple pie and plum pie, but almost any stone (pit) fruit can be used as well as pears, blackeurrants, redeurants, blackberries gooseberries and  rhuburb.  American  specialties  include pecan pie, pumpkin pie and blueberry pie.  These dessert pies are traditionally served with custard or cream.

RECIPES

British-style apple pie

Make shortcrust (basic pie) pastry using 225 g (8 oz, 2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour and 100 g  (4 oz. ½  cup) butter.  Instead of all butter, half white vegetable fat (shortening) and half butter can be used. Roll out a small portion of pastry into a strip and  press this on the dampened rim of a deep pie dish.  Peel, core and slice 900 g (2 lb.) cooking apples.

            Roll out the remaining pastry and use to cover the top of the pie, dampening the pastry rim with  water and  pressing the edge firmly to seal  in the fruit. Make several slits or a hole in the middle  the pie and decorate the top with pastry trimmings. Brush with milk and bake in a preheated  oven at  200°C (400°F, gas 6) for 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 180°c (350°F, gas 4 ) and cook  for a further 30 minutes, until the top of the pie is  browned. Sprinkle with caster (superfine) sugar and  cool slightly before serving.

Chicken pie

Cut a raw chicken weighing about  1.25  kg (2 ¾  lb.) into pieces. Sprinkle  the pieces with 100 g  (4 oz. 2/3 cup) finely chopped onions and shallots, 150 g  (5 oz. 1 ¾ cups) sliced mushrooms and some  chopped parsley.  Season with salt and pepper.  Line  a buttered pie dish with 200 g (7 oz) very thin slices of veal seasoned with salt and pepper. Place  the chicken in the dish, first the thighs, then the  wings  and finally the breasts. Cover with 150 g (5 oz) bacon cut into very thin rashers (slices).  Add 4 hard-boiled (hard-cooked) egg yolks cut in half.  Pour in some chicken stock to three-quarters fill the dish.

            Press a strip of puff pastry around the  rim of the  pie dish, brush with water, then cover the whole dish with a layer a pastry.  Seal the edges, then flute with the back of a knife.  Brush the whole surface with beaten egg and make a hole in the centre. Bake for 1 ½ hours in a preheated oven at 190°C (375°F, gas 5), just before serving, pour 2-3 tablespoons concentrated chicken stock in into the  pie.

French-style double-crust apple pie

Rub 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) better into 200 g (7 oz. 1 13/4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour.  Add ½ teaspoons water. Knead to form a soft ball of dough that does not  stick to the bowl.  Allow the pastry to rest in a cool place for at least 20 minutes, then divide it into 2 unequal pices.

            Butter a china manque mould or deep ovenproof dish. Roll out the larger piece of dough and line the  bottom and the sides of the mould. Mix 2 heaped  tablespoons plain flour,   2 heaped tablespoons soft brown sugar,  a pinch of vanilla powdered, ½  teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of grated nutmeg.  Sprinkle half of this mixture over the pastry.  Peel 800 g (  ¾  lb. ) pippin (eating) apples, cut into  quarters, then into slices.  Arrange  these on the pastry, forming a dome in the centre.  Add a dish of lemon juice and sprinkle with the remaining spice mixture. Roll out the second piece of pastry and cover the pie, sealing the edges with beaten egg. Make an opening in the centre. Glaze the top with the beaten egg. Put in a preheated oven at 230° C (450°F, gas 8).  After 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to  180°(350°F, gas 4), glaze again with the egg and  return to the oven.  It may be glazed again a third time if desired.  Cook for a total of 50 minutes.   Serve on its own, with  crème fraiche, blackberry coulis or some ice cream.

Pear pie

Peel the core 4 pears, cut into slices and sprinkle  with lemon juice.  Arrange the pear  slices in a buttered pie dish and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar; a little ground cinnamon may also be added. Dot with 25 g (1 oz. 2 tablespoons) butter.

            Prepare some shortcrust (basic pie) pastry (see short pastry) and put a border around the rim of the dish, brush it with beaten egg and cover the dish with a lid of pastry. press down to seal the  edges, then crimp between finger and thumb, brush with beaten egg and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F, gas 4) for 1 hour. When cooked, dust with sugar and serve very hot.

PIECE MONTEE A large ornamental item of patisserie, formerly very popular, used to decorate the table at a banquet or party.  It  usually reflects the theme of the other decorations. Such set pieces are  much rarer today than in the past, often now being  replaced by arrangement of flowers, especially on sideboards.  In France the piece manotee is still popular for a wedding or baptism and displays the artistic  skills of the confectionery trade.

            The piece montee can be made of various ingredients  layers of sponge cake or Genoese sponge, nougat; shaped or blown sugar; flowers ribbons and leaves made out of drawn or twisted the  sugar, baskets of woven sugar; inedible decorative  sugarwork; crests and pompons of spun sugar;   crisp petits fours crystallized (candied0 fruit; dragees; items of almonds paste, and chocolate shavings.  Classic pieces montees  a la francaise are constucted on a metal framework with a central pivor the enables trays to the stacked one above the other  in tiers. Pieces montees a l’espagmole, on the  other hand, consist  of separate trays of confectionery arranged in layers one on top of the  outer edges of the tray beneath.  Whichever style is chosen the confectioner may give free rein to his or her  imagination, working on various subjects, some  of which have become  standard since  the great era of  pieces montees when  Careme reigned  supreme; the  harp, the lyere, the  globe, the Chinese pagoda, the  horn of plenty, the ship, the chapel, the banstand.  The  waterfal, the Louis XV carriage, the dolphin on  the rock, the harvester’s basket, the temple and the cart,. Today  a simple a popular  type of piece montee is the croquembouche made of profiteroles filled  sweetened cream, glazed with sugar and arranged on top of one another with glazed fruit.

            Pieces montees were very popular in the Middle Ages, when they were very spectacular, of gigantic proportions and often made in the shape of animal, such as the peacock.  But  it was in the 18^th and  19^th centuries that the pieces  montees reached their greatest heights, depicting allegorical subjects (for  which Childboust and Frascati were famous) and  pastoral or historic subjects, such as ‘The Great St. Bernard Pass’ or ‘The  Episode  of the Lodi Bridge’.  However, these sumptuous  items were rarely edible,  and their function was first and foremost a decorative one. Today’s pieces montees are more modest but combine pleasure to the eye with pleasure to the taste.

            One ‘literary’ set piece has remained famous. It was conceived by Flaubert for the wedding reception of Madame Bowry: ‘At the base was piece of  blue cardboard represented  a temple with porticoes, colonnades and stucco statuettes all around in tiny niches, embellished with gold stars.  Above  this, on the second tier, stood a castle  keep of Savoy cake, surrounded by tiny fortification made out of angelica, almonds, currant and pieces of orange. Finally  on the top tier, was nothing less than a verdant meadow where there were rocks, pools made of jam and boats made out of nutshells. The tiny figure of  Cupid could be seen, playing on a chocolate swing, the  posts of which were tipped with two real rosebuds.’

PIEDMONT A quality wine-producing region in northern Italy making intense, full-bodied wines from the renowned Nebbiolo grape variety including DOCG Barolo, Babaresco and Gattinara, DOC wines includes those produced from Barbera, the lighter  style Dolcetto, Bonarda, Cortese and Moscato. Sparkling wines  are also produced,  notably Moscato d’Asti – sweet, aromatic and sometimes with a delicate sportiz, and Asti  or Asti Spumante, produced through natural bottle or  tank  fermentation and ideal drunk with deserts.

PIEDS ET PAQUETS A speciality of Provence, consisting of stuffed sheep’s tripe tied up to form small packets (paquets) and simmered in white wine  and stock with bacon and sheep’s trotters or feet(pieds). Sometiems called pieds-paquets or pieds-en-paquets, the dish apparently originated in the Restaurant  de la Pomme, on the outskirts of Marselle.

RECIPE

Pieds et paquets de la pomme

Clean a sheep’s tripe and cut it into 8 corner of each  piece. In the middle of each place a spoonful of a  minced (ground) mixture of 100 g  (4 oz) raw ham, 100 g (40 oz ) lamb’s mesentery, a garlic clove and a  bunch of parsley. Roll each piece of tripe around the stuffing and form a packet (paquet by pushing one corner of skin into the  slit; tie if necessary.

            Clean,  blanch and single  some sheep’s troters (pieds), in a flameproof casserole place 100 g  (4 oz. ¾ cup) diced bacon, I leek and  a thinly sliced  onion. Brown them, the add a sliced carrot and 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and crushed.  Cover  with 500 ml ( (17 fl oz. 2 cups)  white wine and  2 litres (3 ½ pints, 9 cups)  meat stock, then add the  trotters and the ‘packets’.  Add a bouquet garni 2 crushed garlic cloes, salt, pepper and 2 cloves. Cover and seal the lid with a flour-and-water paste. Simmer very gently for 6-7 hours.

            Open he casserole, remove the  ‘packets’ (untie then if necessary) and remove the bones form the trotters. Skim of excess fat from the stock and  reduce to the desired consistency by simmering with the lid off until ready to serve.

PIEMONTAISE, A LA  Describing various dishes  that incorporate a risotto, sometimes accompanied by white Piedmond truffles. Arranged in a variety of  ways – in darioles, in timbale moulds or a conquettes   -  the risotto is used to garnishe poultry, meat and fish.  The term a la piemontaise also refers to dishes  of the Piedmont region of northern  Italy that do not necessarily feature truffles, such as polenta, ravioli and macaroni, pastries a la piemontaise are usually based  on hazelnuts, another famous product of Piedmont.

RECIPES

Artichoke hearts a la piemontaise

Cook some artichoke hearts in butter.  Prepare a risotto a la piemontaise and garnish each artichoke heart with a dome of 2 tablespoons risotto. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and a little melted  butter and brown in a very hot oven. Serve with  tomato sauce.

Attereaux a la piemontaise

Prepare  some polenta; season wit salt and pepper.  Spread it over a lightly oiled square  baking sheet and allow  to cool completely. Cut  into 4 cm (1 ½ in )  squares and thread on to  skewers.  Coat in breadcrumbs and deep-fry is not  oil at 175-180°C (347-356°F) until brown.  Drain  on paper towels and arrange on a dish garnished  with fried parsley. Serve with a well-reduced tomato sauce.

Fillets of mackerel a la piemontaise 

Prepare a risotto a la piermontoise using  200 g  (7 oz. 1 cup) rice. Fillet 4 mackerel; wash and pat them dry with a clean cloth or paper towels, then  dip in  breadcrumbs  and fry in butter on both sides. Butter  a long serving dish, cover with the risotto  and arrange the fillets on top.   Garnish with  quarters of lemons. Serve with a slightly thickened  tomato sauce.

Piemontaise sauce

(from Careme’s recipe) finely dice 2  large onions  and  brown in  clarified butter.  Strain, then cook in a good stock, skimming off al the fat. Blend in  enough bechamel sauce  to accompany an entrée, together with 225 g (8 oz. 2 cups) diced Piedmont truffles and 2 tablespoons pine nuts (kernels). After  the sauce has boiled  for a short while, add a little  chicken glaze, a little garlic butter and the juice of 1  lemon (The quantity of truffles can be reduced  without affecting the recipe.)

spring chickens a la piemontaise

prepare a risotto a la piemontaise, using 250 g  (14 oz. 2 cups) finely minced (ground) sausage meat and  the minced livers of 4 spring chickens (poussins0.  Season the chickens with salt and pepper, stuff with the forcemeat, truss, and cook in a casserole  containing 50 g (2 oz. ¼ cup) butter in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F, gas 4 ) for about 50 minutes. Place the risotto in a ring on a heated serving dish, arrange the chickens in the centre and keep warm. Deglaze the casserole with 300 ml  (1/2 pint, 1 ¼ cups) white wine and 3 tablespoons tomato puree (paste). Reduce by half, thicken with  1 tablespoon beurre manie, add  tablespoons freshly chopped parsley and pour this sauce over the chickens.

Veal chops a la plemontaise

Season 4 veal chops with salt and  pepper; dip them in flour, beaten egg and, finally, fresh breadcrumbs mixed with grated parmesan cheese – 40 g (1 ½ oz. ½ cup) Parmesan to 50 g (2 oz. 1 cup) breadcrumbs. Cook gently in 40 g (1 ½ oz. 3 tablespoons) clarified butter.  Serve with squares of risotto a la piemontaise, prepared with 20 g (7 oz. 1 cup) rice, and a well-reduced tomato sauce.

PIERRE-QUI-VIRE A soft cow’s-milk cheese (45% fat content) from Burgundy with a reddish,  washed crust. Pierre-qui-Vire is a disc, 10 cm (4 in) in diameter and 2.5 cm (1 in) thick, weighing 200 g  (7 oz).  Made by the monks of the abbey of the same name, it has  a taste similar to  Eposses.  Badly formed cheeses are reshaped and flavoured with fines berbes to make Bouette de la Pierre-quivire.

PIGEON A domesticated or wild bird of which several species are eaten  as  poultry or game. Young  pigeons (squabs; pigeonmeaux in French) are particularly  tender and are usually roasted. The rock  dove, which still lives in the wild in Brittany.  Provence and  in mountainous regions of southern  Europe, is the ancestor of all the varieties of domestic pigeon. The  most common wild pigeon in  France  is the wood pigeon or ring dove. Its flesh is  denser and more highly flavoured than the domestic  pigeon, although both are prepared in the same  way.  Most recipes  for  woodcock are applicabale to pigeons.  Casseroles, stews, ballotines, pates and  ragouts re suitable for older birds, whereas younger and more tender birds are good roasted,  grilled (broiled) a la crapaudine, sautéed  and en  papillotes. It is customary to leave the liver inside when dressing the bird since pigeon’s liver does not contain bile.  Otherwise  it is drawn and prepared like other poultry.  Young  pigeons are only very lightly barded, it at all,  whereas it is essential for  adult birds.

            Pigeon has been a popular dish since  the Middle Ages and was much  in vogue during the reign  of Louis XIV, especially served with peas.  The  French cook La Verenne gives a recipe for pigeon and  gree-pea stew in which the birds are poached in  stock and then garnished with lettuce, peas and pieces of bacon.

RECIPES

Dressing roasting pigeons

To pluck the birds more easily, chill for a few hours in the refrigerator;  the flesh will tighten and there  will be less changer of tearing. Pluck each bird beginning with the large wing feathers, then the tall and  proceed upwards to finish at the  head. Singe  and  draw. Place a thin rasher (slice) of bacon on the back and breast of the birds. Truss by folding the head down between the wings.

Pigeon compote

Season 4 pigeons with salt and pepper, inside and  out, then place 3-4 juniper berries and 1 tablespoon mare brandy in each bird.  Turn the birds  over so that  the brandy is evenly distributed inside. Put a thin strip of bacon over the breast and truss. Brown the pigeon in a flameproof casserole containing 50 g (2 oz. ¼ cup) butter, then remove  drain and keep warm.

            In the same butter, brown 20 small (pearl) onions and 100 g (4 oz. 2/3 cup) smoked streaky bacon, cut into small pieces. Then add 150 g (5 oz.  1 2/3 cups) thinly sliced mushrooms.  When these have turned a good  golden colour, add a bouquet garni, 200 ml (7 fl. oz. ¾ cup) white wine and the same quantity of chicken stock. Reduce by two-thirds, return the pigeons to the  casserole, cover and bring  to the boil.  Then cook in a preheated oven at 230°C (450°F, gas 8)  for 30 minutes. Remove  the bouquet garni, until the pigeons, arrange them on a heated serving dish and spoon the cooking  liquid over.

Pigeons a la nicoise

Peel 18  small pickling (pearl) onions. Put them in a  flameproof casserole with 20 g (1/4 oz. 1 ½   tablespoons) butter. Season with salt and pepper.  Add 3 tablespoons  water, cover and cook for 20 minutes  over a moderate heat.  Meld-40 g (1 ½ oz. 3 tablespoons) butter in a braising pan, add 6 pigeons, turning them over so they brown on al sides. Add 1 crumbled bay leaf and 2  pinches of winter savory. Pour over 100 (4 fl. oz. 7 tablespoons) dry  white  wine and incorporate the drained onions. Simmer  for 15 minutes.  Add 200 g  (7 oz.) small black olives and cook for another 5-10 minutes.  Steam 1 kg  (2 ¼ lb.) sugarsnap (snow) peas. Put them in a serving dish and arrange the pigeons on top, garnished with  the olives,  onions and a few fresh bay leaves and sprigs of savory.

Roast pigeons, shallots vinegar

Debone 2 pigeons, each weighing about 375 g  (1 ¼ lb.).  in a medium saucepan, prepare  a stock with the carasses, 1 carrot and  2 onion cut into slices, a bouquet garni, 150 ml (1/4 pint, 2/3 cup) white wine, salt and pepper. Add just enough water  to cover and cook for 30 minutes.  Strain the stock and boil down to reduce by a third to a half; the  exact volume of stock will depend on the  size of  the pan and volume of water added.

            Fry the pieces of pigeon in 1 tablespoon of olive  oil, turning occasionally, until just cooked; deglaze with 2 tablespoons shallot vinegar then add the  pigeon stock.

            Boil 800 g (1 ¾ lb) potatoes in their skins. Peel  them, then mash with a fork, adding 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) butter and 2 teaspoons ground cumin, Use two spoons to scoop the potatoes in quenelle shapes. Arrange the pieces of pigeon on 4 plates, surround with the quenelles and pour over the sauce.

Squab a la minute

Split the bird in half lenghways.  Remove the small bones, gently flatten the 2 halves and fry quickly in butter. When the squab is almost cooked, add  1 tablespoon chopped onion lightly fried in butter.  Finish cooking.  Arrange the squab on a dish and  keep warm. Dilute the pan juices with a dash of brandy, thicken with a little dissolved  meat essences and add   1 ½  teaspoons chopped parsley.  Pour the sauce over the bird.

Squabs en papillotes

Take 4 squabs and split each in half lengthways. Remove  as many bones as possible, especially the  breastbone. Season each half with salt and pepper, and fry in a casserole containing 50 g 92 oz. ¼ cup)  butter to seal them. Prepare a duxellies from 40 g  (1 ½ oz. ½ cup) mushrooms and 200 g (7 oz.   1 ¼ cups) raw unsmoked ham. Cut out 8 heart-shaped pieces  of greaseproof (was0 paper, all each pieces lightly on one side and  spread with the duxellies.  Place  a pigeon half on each and  fold over the edges of the  papillotes to seal. Cook in a preheated oven at 230°C (450°F, gas 8)  until the paper cases have  swollen and browned (about 15 minutes.)

Squabs with peas

Season 4 squabs with salt and pepper inside and  our.  Truss, then brown on all sides in 50 g  (2 oz., ¼ cup) butter in a flameproof casserole. Remove  and drain.  Dice 150 g (5 oz. ¾ cup) slightly salted streaky bacon, scald for 5 minutes in boiling water then drain and cool.   Peel 12 small (pearl) onions.  Brown the bacon and onions in the butter in which. Brown the bacon and onions in the butter in which  the pigeons were cooked, then, without removing them, deglaze the casserole with 175 g (6 fl. oz. ¾ cup) white wine and 175 ml (6 lf. Oz. ¾ cup) stock. Reduce by half.

            Return the pigeons to the casserole and add 800 g (1 ¾  cups) fresh peas, shelled, 1 lettuce heart and a bouquet garni. Season with alt and pepper, cover and cook in a preheated oven at 220°C (425°F, gas 7) gently for about 30 minutes.  Adjust  the seasoning, remove the bouquet garni and serve from the casserole. The peas may be  flavoured with savory if wished.

Stuffed pigeons with asparagus tips

Starting at the backbone, bone 4 pigeons, each weighing about 400 g (14  oz.). prepare  a forcemeat with 250 g (9 oz. ) noix of veal, 250 g (9 oz) fat bacon, 250 g (9 oz) calves’ sweetbreads and 250 g  (9 oz) fole gras. Chop al these ingredients very  finely and add 25 g (12 oz. ¼ cup) broken truffle pieces and 1 whole egg.  Blend together.  Stuff the pigeons and then wrap each in a caul (caul fat), which  will prevent the skin from drying while they are cooked.

            Place the pigeons in a flameproof casserole, cover and cook over a gentle  heart for about 15 minutes. Remove the pigeons, deglaze the casserole with 4 tablespoons vermouth the reduce over a brisk heat before pouring the sauce over the pigeon.

            Serve with a gratin of asparagus tips prepared as follows:  boil 32 asparagus tips in plenty of salted  water, spread on a buttered gratin dish, cover with 100 ml 4 lf. 7 tablespoons) crème fraiche blended with 1 beaten egg yolk and brown under  the grill (broiler).

PIGEON PEA Also known as Ango pea and  cajan.  A pulse vegetable consisting of pale green to dark red seeds enclosed in long  pods; the shrub itself is native to Asia but is also cultivated in Africa and the  West Indies. The  peas are used either fresh or dried, in purees or as a base for sauce. A type of flour made from the peas  used to prepare  fritters and cakes.

PIGOULLE A soft cheese from poitou made from  sheep’s  milk or cow’s milk (45% fat content), lightly  crushed  with mould.  Pigouille is a small round cheese weighing about 250 g (9 oz.).  It has  a  mild, creamy flavour, like Caillebottle. The word  pigouille originally referred to the long pole used to steer the flat-bottomed  boats of the Poitou marshes.

PIKE  brochet A freshwater fish with a long bread and strong jaws equipped with hundreds of small sharp teeth. The  body is long and thin, marbled with  green or brown, and the belly is silvery, Nicknamed grand  loup d’eau water wolf) in the Middle Ages because of its voracious nature, pike was much appreciated at the royal table and was reared in the  Louvre fish ponds. It measures from 40 cm (16 in) – the minimum is size below which it is not allowed  be fished – to 70 cm (28 in); exceptional fish may reach up to 1.5 m (5 ft) and weigh up to 25 kg (55 lb. ) but, over 4 kg (9 lb.), the flesh is good only for quenelles and mousses.

            In addition to the traditional preparation au beurre blanc, pike is prepared with white wine; a la  juare or roasted.  At spawning time the roe and eggs  and slightly toxic (but they are eaten in some countries, especially Romania).  River pike are better than  those from ponds.

RECIPES

Pike au beurre blanc

Gut (clean) the pike, clean it carefully and cut off the fins and tail. Prepares a court-bouillon in a fish kettle and  boil for about 30 minutes. Add the pike. As soon as the court-bouillon starts to boil again, reduce the temperature to keep it at a barely perceptible simmer.  After 12-20 minutes remove the fish kettle from the  heat.

            Meanwhile, prepare the beurre blanc boil down some vinegar containing 2-3 chopped shallots and freshly ground pepper (one turn of the pepper mill); when it has reduced by half remove from the heat. Soften a large piece of butter – about 225 g  (8 oz. 1 cup) to 2 tablespoons reduced vinegar – 0n a plate using a spatula and incorporate it gradually in the vinegar, into the vinegar, beating vigorously with a whisk. It  will turn frothy without becoming liquid and will acquire its characteristics whiteness. Drain the  pike, arrange on a long dish and coat with the beurre blanc, adding fresh sprigs of parsley.  Alternatively, serve the beurre blanc separately in a  sauceboat.

Alternative recipe Wash the pike in plenty of water, sprinkle with fine salt and leave for about  15 minutes. Wash again and place in the fish kettle, surrounded with parsley, 2 sliced onions, 2 quartered  shallots, 2 garlic cloves, 8-20 or the green part of a leek, a sprig of fresh thyme, a buy leaf and a few slices of carrot; season with salt and pepper. Cover with sprigs of parsley and add enough dry white wine to cover the whole fish. Leave to marinate for 1 hour. About 35 minutes before serving, place the fish kettle over  a high  heat; as soon as it begins to bubble, reduce the heat and simmer as gently as possible.

            While it is cooking prepare a beurre blanc as in the first recipe, using 250 g (9 oz. 1 cup) slightly  salted butter.  Keep the beurre blanc warm in a bain for a few seconds on a cloth and  place on a long, very hot dish. Using the blade of a knife, quickly slit the middle of the side, from the head to the tail, following the lateral line.  Detach and remove  the main bone, holding the head in the left hand, then  reshape the fish.  Quickly stir the beurre blanc with a spatula to mix the shallots in well, pour over the pike and serve.

Pike au bieu

This method is used mostly for cooking young or very small pike.  Cook the fish in a court-bouillon prepared as for trout au bleu.  Drain place on a  napkin and garnish with fresh parsley.  Serve with melted butter or with one of the sauces recommended  for poached fish. To accompany the fish serve boiled potatoes, various purees (celery, turnip, onion), leaf spinach or broccoli.

Pike du meunier

Scale, beard, gut (clean), remove the heads from, and wash 3 young pike, each weighing 675-8—g (1/2-1 ¾ lb.).  cut into pieces and season; dip in milk  and then flour. Cook gently in a sauté  pan with 200 g (7 oz. ¾ cup) butter and 1 tablespoon oil. Separately, soften 4 medium chopped onions in butter. When the pieces of pike are lightly  coloured, add the onions and 3 tablespoons very good white vinegar. Reduce by half, season  with salt and pepper and serve each portion with 2 croutons cooked in butter.

Pike in vinegar

Take a pike weighing about 1.5 kg (3 lb.).  remove  the fillets and season with salt and pepper, then  dust with flour. Cook them a la meuniere, but then  deglaze with white wine vinegar; reduce add 3 tablespoons fresh double (heavy)  cream, and  bind with a little bichamel.  Pour the sauce over  the fillets. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

Terrine of pike with Nantua sauce

Cut the fillets from a pike weighing about.  1.5 kg  (3 ¼ lb)  and remove the skin.   Cut the fillets form the belly into narrow strips, then into dice.

            Prepare a frangipane by mixing 100 g (4 oz. 1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, 40 g (1 12 oz. 3 tablespoons) butter and 3 egg yolks with 200 ml (7 fl. oz. ¼ cup) hot milk.  Work this mixture over the heat, until the dough collects in a ball around  the spatula. Then spread the frangipane on a button mushrooms and chop 4 or 5 shallots.

            Brown the dice pike in butter in a frying pan, then add the mushrooms and brown, finally add the shallots, but do not allow them to change colour. Remove  all ingredients with a skimming spoon and pour  100 ml (4 fl.   oz. 7 tablespoons) good dry white  wine into the frying pan, stir  with a spatula to deglaze, then replace the ingredients and add 25 g (1 oz. ½ cup) chopped parsley. Remove  from the heat.

            Pound or finely chop the  remaining flesh of the  pike (about 500 g.18 oz.); season liberally with salt and pepper. Add the cooled frangipane in small pieces, then 3 unwhisked egg whites.  Mix well, then pas twice through the mincer (or chop finely in food processor). Beat the mixture with 350 ml (12 fl. oz. 1 ½ cups) double (heavy) cream and add  the diced fish, mushrooms and shallots.

            Generously butter a flameproof pate dish and  heap the mixture into it. Cover and place in a bain marie. Bring to the boil on top of the stove. Then place in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F, gas 4 ) and cook gently for about 1 ½ hours. The top of  the terrine  should turn pale gold, but not down. Serve the terrine in the container in which it was cooked, with Nantua sauce.

PIKE-PERCH sandre a large fish of the perch family, living in rivers and lakes, which can reach a  length of 1 m (39 in). and  a weight of 15 kg (33 lb.)  its back it grenish-grey, stripped with dark  bands; the gills and dorsal fins have hard spines, which are  difficult to remove, as are the scales, which are light and lend to fly around and adhere to the hands when  scraped. The delicate flesh is firm and white and has few bones, it is prepared  in the same way as pike or perch.  The pike-perch comes  from central Europe, in France it is caught in the Doubs, the Soane an din the small lakes into which it has been introduced.

            Smaller than the European pike-perch, the fish is called dore in Canada because of its golden scales. There are blue, green and yellow varieties, particularly appreciated by fishermen for their fighting  spirit. It is cooked like perch or other  filmfleshed fish.

RECIPES

Fillets of pike-perch with cabbage

Trim and clean  a pike-perch weighing about 1.5 kg (3 ¼ lb.). remove the 2 filets, trim and  wash them then cut each in half.

            Prepare the flavourings for a court-bouillon: a  carrot a celery stick, 2 small white young onions, a  shallot, a garlic clove, a bouquet garnis with a sprig of tarragon, a sage leafe and the green part of a leek  added, and a muslim (cheesecloth) bag containing 3 lightly crushed peppercorns, a clove a star arise and 2 coriander seeds. Put all these ingredients in a large saucepan with 1 ½  teaspoons coarse sea salt and 500 ml (17 fl. oz. 2 cups) water, boil for 5 minutes and leave to cool.

            Cut away the thick ribs from the leaves of a small green cabbage weighing  675-800 g (1 ½ - 1 ¾ lb), wash the leaves and blanch for 8 minutes in boiling water.  Drain, squeeze in a sieve and keep warm.

            Prepare the sauce: in a large bowl  put ½ teaspoon table  salt, a pinch of freshly ground pepper and 4 tablespoons wine vinegar, beat in 150 ml (1/4 pint 2/3 cup) olive oil and  keep in a warm place.

            Arrange the pike-perch fillets in a fish kettle, on  top of the vegetables from the  court-bouillon, and just cover  with the cooled court-bouillon; add 100 ml (4 fl. oz. 7 tablespoons) spirit vinegar and  the juice of half a lemon. Bring to the boil, cover, remove  from the heat and leave to poach for 5-8 minutes.  Arrange the cabbage leaves in the serving dish. Lift out the fillets with a fish slice, removing any vegetables, and arrange on top of the  cabbage. Pour  the sauce over and sprinkle with 3 small young onions, finely chopped, and 1 tablespoon chopped chives.

Marinated pike-perch with cardoons

Finely chop 5 garlic cloves, a small bunch of parsley and 2 thyme sprigs. Mix with the juice of 2 lemons  and 150 ml (1/4 pint, 2/3 cup) olive oil in a large shallow dish. Lay 4 pike-perch cutles in the dish, turning  them once in the marinade to make sure they are  well coated.  Cover and leave in a cold place for 2-3 hours.

            Trim 2 kg (4 ½ lb.)  cardoon stalks and cut them into 2.5-5 cm (1-2 in) lengths. Cook the cardoons in boiling salted water, adding a little lemon juice, for 1 hour.  Peel 300 g (11 oz) picking onions and brown  them gently in butter, turning occasionally so that they are evenly glazed. Set the onions aside to keep hot.  Drain  the cardoons and return  them to the pain; add a knob of butter and keep them hot.

            Remove the fish cutlets from the marinade. Pour the  marinade into a saucepan and heat it gently then cover and leave to infuse over a low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Grill (broil) the fish cutlets until golden on both sides.  Arrange the buttered cardoons on a serving platter or individual plates and top with the fish cutlets. Add the glazed onions, then spoon the sauce over the fish and vegetables.

Pike-perch and oyster-mushroom salad

Peel and wash 657 g (1 ½ lb) oyster mushrooms;  slice thirty, sauce brisky in 100 ml (4 fl. oz  7 tablespoons)   olive oil with salt and pepper  and drain. Gently heat 2 tablespoons vinaigrette with  2 tablespoons cream until warm; add the mushrooms and a vegetable julienne made from 1 carrot, ¼ celeraic, 100 g (4 oz) French (green) beans and I turnip all stewed  in butter.  Season 4 fillets of pikeperch, each weighing 200 g (7 oz), and cook in  a covered dish in a preheated oven  at 180°C (350°C (350°F, gas 4) for about 20 minutes.  Serve with the cryster mushroom salad, pouring a few drops of vinegar  over each fillet just before serving.

PILAF also known  as pilau. A method of preparing  rice that originated in the east.  The word is Turkish and is related to the persian pilaou (boiled rice).  In  the basic recipe the rice is browned in oil or in butter with onion, then cooked in stock; halfway through  cooking, vegetables, meat or fish may be added  Pilaf is-always spiced, sometimes with saffon, particularly in paella.

            There are many variations of pilaf, including  garnishes of seafood, shrimps, prawns, lobster, fole garas,, sautéed  chicken’ livers, lambs’ sweebreads, sheep’s kidneys, fish in sauce, minced (ground) meat or  thinly sliced chicken. The rice is often moulded in the  shape of a crown and the garnish in its sauce is arranged in the centre. Pilaf rice can also be moulded in darioles, as a garnish for meat, fish or poultry.

RECIPES

Chicken pilaf

Prepare some pilaf rice as in the recipe for garnished pillaf. Select a chicken weighing about 1.25 kg (2 ¼ lb) and divide it into 8 pieces. Season with salt and pepper and cook in a flameproof  casserole containing 50 g (2 oz, ¼ cup) butter.  Remove  with a draiing spoon.  Add to the casserole 1 tablespoon chopped onion, 175 ml (6 lf. Oz. ¾ cup) dry white wine, 200 ml (7 fl. oz. ¾ cup) chicken stock, 1 tablespoon well-reduced tomato sauce, a crushed garlic clove and a bouquet garni.  Cook this sauce for 5 minutes, stirring,  then strain and  return it to the casserole with the pieces of chicken reheat thoroughly. Shape the pilaf rice into a ring on the serving dish and pour the chicken and its sauce into   the centre. Serve hot.

Garnished pilaf

Thinly slice and chop 1 large onions. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a flameproof casserole. Measure 250 g (9 oz. ¼ cups)  long-grain rice.  Test the  temperature of the oil by tossing a grain into it; when the grain begins to change colour, pour in all  the rice at once and stir with  a wooden spoon until the grains are transparent. Incorporate the chopped onion and stir.  Add to the rice 2 ½  times its volume of stock or boiling water and season with salt,  pepper, a small sprig of thyme and half a bay leaf. Stir, cover, reduce the heat and cook gently for 16-20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Remove the thyme and by leaf, then place a cloth under the lid to absorb  the steam. Butter may be added just before serving.

            Mould the rice to form a ring and fill the centre  with any of the  following garnishes; slices of foie gras and truffles, sautéed  in butter and sprinkled  wit their  cooking juices deglazed with a little  Madeira; poultry liver and mushrooms, sliced, sautéed  in butter and flavoured with garlic, shallots and parsley, halved lambs’ kidneys sautéed  in butter and sprinkled with their cooking juices deglazed with white wind and enriched with butter, or fish in sauce (bream in white wine or a l’americaine, tuna en doube or monkfish o l’americaine.)

Shellfish pilaf

Dice 150 g (5 oz) cooked crab, lobster or longousta meat.  shell 150 g (5 oz) cooked shrimps and toss in  butter. Cook 500 ml (17 fl. oz . 2 cups)  mussels (or  cockles or clams) a la mariniere, allow them to cool in the cooking juices, then remove  the shells  and keep warm. Strain and measure the cooking juices and dilute  with boiling water to obtain 680 ml (23 fl. oz. 3 ¾ cups)  liquid.  Wash and drain 300 g (11 oz. 1 ½ cups) long-term rice. Heat  4 tablespoons olive oil in frying pan; add the rice  and stir.  When it is  transparent, add the diluted  mussel juice, salt and pepper; cover and cook for 15 minutes. Then add the shellfish meat (bound with lobster or  langouste butter), the  shrimps and the mussels, serve piping hot.

PILCHARD A small fish related to the  herring and sprat; young pilchards are called sardines.  Pilehards are often solds canned in oil or tomato sauce.

PILI-PILI A small, hot-tasting.  African pepper, the name of which is a corruption of the Arabic felfel (strong pepper. It use is virtually confined to Africa (especially Senegal) and Reunion Island.  Crushed with ground seeds and tomato pulp, it is a basic ingredients of rougail and numerous  sauces.  In Africa pill-pill is eaten with semolina, foulou, meats and griddle cakes.

PAMBINA A‘gonquin Indian name used  in Canada to describe the fruit of the trifoliate viburnum, a shrub of the Caprifoliaceae family. These berries, which remain hanging  by their  stalks all winter, are much appreciated by game birds such as grouse, whose flesh it flavours. The  berries become soft in severe frost, and this is when they are picked to  make a bright, rather bitter red jam or jelly, which  is a perfect accompaniment to game.

PINCER A French culinary term meaning to brown certain foods, such as bones, carcases or flavouring vegetables, in the oven with the addition of very little  or not fat, before moistening them to make  a brown stock. The word also means to caramelize meat juices slightly  in their cooking fat before skimming off the fat and diluting the juices to make gravy.

            The word also means to crimp up the edges of pies  or tarts before cooking to improve their appearance.

PINEAPPLE A tropical plant whose fragrant fruit weighing 1-25 kg (2 ¼ - 5 ½ lb), resembles a large pine cone and is topped with a cluster of green  leaves. When  the fruit is ripe the skin colour changes quite yellow-brown, the fruit may be over-ripe. Its  russet skin, covered with lozenge-shaped scales, encloses the juicy yellow flesh. Spines, or  short  prickly spikes, on the skin are firmly implanted in the flesh and have to be cut out with the point of  knife. A hand core runs  down the centre of the fruit.

            Discovered in Brazil by Jean de Lery in the 16^th  century, the pineapple  was introduced first into England  and then France.  The earliest  pineapples repined  under glass were  presented to Louis xv in about 1733. Still rare and expensive at the beinning of the 19^th century, this fruit is now widely grown in the West Indies, Africa and Asia and is common in European markets, particularly  in winter. There are  many varieties, ranging from miniature fruit suitable for one r two portions to very large specimens.  Some are quite tart and mild and in flavour, others are sweet, fragrant and luscious. There are a few  pineapple products: it is widely consumed canned  in  syrup or juice and as pineapple juice.  Semi-dried pineapple is available for use in sweet dishes and  baking and candied pineapple is very sweet.

            Pineapple may be served plain or with kirsh in salads and in numerous sweets and desserts. It can also be sued to dress fatty meats (pork and duck, as  in Creole, Asian and West Indian recipes)

            Because fresh pineapple deteriorates in  temperatures lower than 7°C (45°F), it is not advisable to store it in the refrigerator.  When served plain, it is better to cut it along its length, as it is sweeter at the base. Round slices  are always served with the tough central core removed.

RECIPES

Savoury Dishes

Caribbean chicken with pineapple and rum

Season a large thicken inside fat, butter or oil and dust with a pinch of ginger and  cayenne. Chop 2 large onions and 1 shallots and soften them in the fat around the chicken.  Pour 3 tablespoons rum over the chicken and set light to it. Then add 60 ml (2 fl.  oz. ¼ cup) pineapple syrup  and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Cover and cook in a  preheated oven at 180°C (350°F, gas 4 ) for 45 minutes. Dice 6 slices of pineapple and add them to the casserole. Add salt and pepper and cook for  about 10 more minutes.

Duck with pineapple

Prepare  a young duck, season its liver  with  salt and  pepper and replace inside the carcass. Slowly  brown  the duck in butter in a flameproof casserole  for 20 minutes, add salt and pepper, and then flame  it in rum.  Add a few tablespoons canned pineapple syrup.  I tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon black pappercorns.  Cover the dish and finish cooking (50 minutes altogether).  Brown some pineapple slices in butter and add them  to the casserole  5 minutes before the end of the cooking time.  Check the seasoning.  Cut the duck into pieces and  arrange on a warm plate. Garnish with the pineapple and pour the cooking juices over the top.

Loin of pork with pineapple

Brown a loin of pork in a flameproof casserole with a little  butter and oil.  Add salt and pepper, cover  the casserole and cook gently for about 1 ½  hours, either on the top of the stove or in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ). Brown some pineapple  slices and apple quarters in butter and add  them to  the casserole 5 minutes  before the end of the cooking time.  Place the pork with the apples  and pineapple on a warm plate  and keep hot. Deglaze the casserole with a little  hot water or  rum and  serve this separately as a sauce.

Sweet dishes

Apple and pineapple jam

Dice 450 g (lb ) peeled and cored cooking apples  and 450 g (1 lb) peeled pineapple. Simmer the fruit in 4 tablespoons water until soft. Stir in 900 (2 lb.4 cups) preserving sugar until dissolved. Boil the jam rapidly until setting point is reached. Pot and  cover as usual.

Iced pineapple a la bavaroise

Choose a large, well-shaped pineapple with a good cluster of fresh leave.  Cut off the top 1 cm (1/2 in) below the crown and set aside. Scoop out the flesh, leaving an even 1 cm (1/2 in ( thickness around the  outside. Fill the  inside with a mixture of pineapple.  Bavarian cram and a salipicon of pineapple soaked  in white rum.  Leave to set in a cool place or on ice. Replace the top of the  pineapple before serving.

Iced pineapple a la broubonnaise

Prepare a large pineapple, scooping out the flesh as for iced pineapple a la bavaoise. Soak the chopped flesh in rum. Sprinkle the inside of the pineapple  case with  2 tablespoons white rum and leave in a cool place for about  2 hours. Just  before serving, fill the pineapple case with alternate layers of rum ice cream and the soaked flesh. Replace the top and arrange the pineapple on a napkin or in a fruit bowl,  surround with crushed ice.

Iced pineapple a la Chantilly

This dish is prepared in the same way as iced pineapple a la bourbonnise, but the rum ice cream is replaced with a mixture of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.

Iced pineapple a la parisignne

This dish is prepared in the same way as iced pineapple  a la bourbonnise, but  with banana ice cream.  Each layer of ice cream is scattered with blanched sliced almonds.

Pineapple ice

Add the crushed flesh of half a fresh pineapple  to 500 ml (17 fl. oz 2 cups) sugar syrup and leave to soak for 2 hours. Reduce  to a puree in a blender and flavour with rum. Measure the density with a syrup hydrometer and  adjust the sugar content as a  necessary to achieve a density of 1,609.  Freeze I nan ice-cream maker.

Pineapple surprise

Cut a pineapple in half lengthways  through the  whole fruit, including the leaves, and scoops out the  flesh carefully, making  sure you do not damage the skin.  Cut the flesh into small, equal-zied cubes and macerate in 100 g (4 oz. 1`/2 cup) caster (superfine) sugar and 3 tablespoons light rum for 2 hours.

            Bring 500 ml (1 pint. 2 ¼ cups) milk to the boil with a vanilla pod (bean)c cut in half. Beat 1 whole egg and 3 egg yolks with 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) caster sugar. When the ixture is white and foamy, add 65 g (2 ½ oz. Cup) plain (all-purpose ) flour and  stir to obtain a very smooth mixture.  Pour the hot milk on the this mixture, very slowly so as not to cook the yolks and make the mixture curdle. Return to a low heat and whisk briskly until the  custard has thickened.  Remove from the heat.  Drain the pineapple and add the rum-flavoured in syrup to the crème pastissiere. Chill the mixture  the refrigerator. Reserve a few piece of pineapple for decoration, then add the rest to the crème  patissiere. Fold in 3 very stiffy whisked egg whites  and 100 ml (4 fl. oz. 7 tablespoons) crème frache. Fill the pineapple halves with this mixture. Decoration with the reserved pineapple and a few wild strawberries. Add a little finely pared lime rind if liked. When they are available, small pineapple can be used, allowing ½ per portion.

PINEUAU DES CHARENTES  A sweet aperitif  made in the Charentais by ‘stopping’ grape juice from fermenting by the addition of Cognac. It varies  according to the maker, in both colour and style, and said to date from the time of Francois 1.  It can  be served with melon or even with foie grass and features in some regional recipes.

PINE NUT Also known as pine kernel. The small oblong edible seed of the stone pine, which grows in the Mediterranean region.  Surrounded by a hard  husk, pine nuts (or pignolet, as they are known in the south of France) are extracted from between the scale of the pine cones.

            Pine  nuts taste a little like almonds but are sometimes more resinous and spicy. Pine nuts are sometimes eaten raw or used in a variety of dishes, but  they are often lightly browned in a dry frying pan to  bring out their  flavour. They are often used to garnish rice dishes in India and in Turkey, where they are  also used in stuffed mussels, poultry forcemeats and  mutton balls. In Italy pine nuts are used in sauces for  pasta, fish forcemeats, fillings for omelette and to flavour sautéed  chicken. In Provence they are used in  charcuterie, in fourte aux bettes nicoise  and  in a  raw vegetables salads dressed with olive oil. They are also used in patisserie – for macarroons and biscuits (cookies -  and in other recipes.

 RECIPES

Pine-nut crescents

Boil 4 tablespoons water with an equal quantity of sugar in a small saucepan, then remove the syrup from the heat. In a mixing bowl blend 50 g (2 oz. ½ cup)  plain (all-purpose ) flour with 150 g (5 oz.  1 ¼ cups) ground almonds, 200 g & oz. ¼ cup) caster (superfine) sugar and 3 egg whites. When  the dough is quite smooth, divide it into 30 pieces  and shape into small crescents. Cover a baking  sheet with lightly oiled greaseproof (was) paper.  Dip the crescents in beaten in beaten egg, then roll them in 200 g (7 oz. 2 cups) pine nuts.  Arrange  the crescent on the baking sheet and bake in a preheated  oven at 200 °C (475°F, gas 9). Arrange them on a serving dish.  Remove the fat from the cooking liquor, reduce and strain it, and pour it  over the pinions.

            Serve with one of the following garnishes:  Choisy, financiere, forestiere, Godard, jordiniere, languedocienne, macedoine, milanaise, piermontaise, rice pilaf or  risotto. Braised  pinions may also be garnished with  all kinds of braised or boiled vegetables, coated  with butter or cream.

Turkey pinion fritters.

Stuff and braise small turkey pinion as in the  recipe for stuffed braised turkey pinions. Strain the hot cooking liquor, then pour it back over the pinions and leave until cool.  Remove the opinions from  the liquor, pat dry, then marinate for 30 minutes in olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and chopped parsley.

            Drain and dry the pinions, then dip them in batter and fry in very hot deep fat until crisp and golden.  Drain and sprinkle with salt.  Serve that pinion fritters on a doilley or napkin, garnished with fried parsley and lemon quarters or, more originally, with fresh mint leaves. A well-seasoned tomato sauce may be served with this dish.

Turkey pinions a la fermiere

Prepare and braise the pinions as in the recipe for stuffed braised  turkey pinions. Cooked  chopped onions and parsley parsley may be added to the finely minced (ground) pork forcemeat. Arrange the drained pinion in casserole with a fermiere vegetable garnish. Remove the fat from the reserve cooking liquor,  reduce and strain it into the casserole over liquor,  reduce and strain it into the casserole over the vegetables. Cover and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) for about 25 minutes or until piping hot.

PINOT One  of the great grape families, used for making classic wines and grown in many countries the Pinot Noir makes the finest red burgundies; it and the  Pinot Meunier are two of the black grapes  used in champagne. The pInot  Blac and Pinot gris are two of the white varieties of Pinot

PINOT BLANC Pinot Blanc is widely planted in Germany, Italy, Hungary, Australia and parts  of California.  It is also cultivated in Aisace where it is  blended with Auxerrois to make the AOC Pinot  Blanc, also known as Klevner, and Cremant d’Alsace,

PINOT GRIS A  permatuation of the  well-known grape variety Pinot Noir, from which it is distinguished by the bluish-grey colour of its grapes, producing white wines.  Grown in Alsace, Germany (Graver  Burgunder or Rulander), Italy (Pinot Grigio), Austria, Hungary (Szuekebarat), California, Oregon, Australia and New Zealand, it produces  full, dry wines that partner food well.

PINOT NOIR A high  quality red grape variety that is notoriously difficult to grow, Pinot Noir has small, compact bunches of grapes that are bluish with a thick skin, rich in colouring matter, protecting  a colourless flesh. It  has made the reputation of the great red wines of Burgundy, such as Romanee-Conti, La Tache, Musigny, Chambertin, Clos-deVougeot, Pommard and Corton.  It is also one of the  traditional champagne grape varieties, together with  Chardonnay and pInot Meunier. For champagne, pressing is carried out very rapidly so that the skins do not colour the juice.  In a favourable  climate  Pinot Noir can produce the richest, silkiest wines in  the world, especially on calcareous soil.  Excellent wines are also being produced in Switzerland, Oregon,  New Zealand and some estates in South Africa.

PIPE To force  a paste, icing (frosting), cream stuffing or similar substance from a piping (pastry) bag. The operation must be carried out steadily, holding the nozzle in the bag at an single. The shape of the nozzle and the way it is handled determine the final shape of the preparation – eclairs are made by piping out choix pastry into finger shapes, the mixture for langues de chat is piped out in thin tonque shapes, while the mixture for duchess  potatoes is forced about into large spiral rosettes.

PIPERADE A Basque specially consisting of a rich stew of tomatoes and sweet (bell) peppers (piper in Bearnais), sometimes seasoned with onion and garlic, cooked in olive oil or goose fat and then mixed with beaten eggs and lightly scrambled a  garnish of Bayonne ham may also be added or piperade may be eaten with slices of fried  ham on the side.

RECIPES

Eggs a la piperade

Peel and seed 1 kg (2 ¼ lb) tomatoes and cut into  quarters.  Seed 500 g (18 oz) red and green sweet  (bell) peppers and cut into strips. Gently fry the  peppers and tomatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper, in a large  frying pan in 2 tablespoons olive oil for 30-40 minutes.  Dice 150 g (5 oz. 2/3 cup) Bayonne ham and add to the fried vegetables. Beat 8 eggs and pour them gently into the frying pan, stirring until they have coagulated but are still quite soft, serve piping hot.

Pipeprade with poached  eggs

Melt a little fat (prferably ham fat) in a large sauté  pan finely slice 1 kg ( 2 ¼ lb. ) onions and 1 kg (2 ¼ lb.) seeded green sweet (bell) peppers and cut into foru, lengthwasy. Add to the  ham fat in the  ham and a bouquet garni.  Add 2 kg (4 ½ lb. )peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped tomatoes. Seasoned with salt and pepper.  Add a little sugar if the tomatoes are too acid and 1-2 pinches of paprika. Cook over a high heat, stirring often until the liquor from the tomatoes has evaporated. Correct the seasoning serve topped with poached eggs.

PIPING (PASTRY) BAG A cone-shaped bag fitted with nozzles of different sizes and hapes.  The bag may be made  of coarse linen or nylon.  The nozles, made of plastic or metal, have large or smal apertures that may be plain, starred, fluted, slidelike or serrated.

            Small piping bags can be made from greaseproof (wax) paper or other cooking parchment – these are used for line work, such as intricate cake decorating or piping chocolate. Piping bags are used extensively in confectionery and patissence for creating   decorative designs of icing (frosting) and cream. They are also used for shaping certair, pastries, notably eclari, and for piping potato or meringues.  They are also used in savoury cookery, for example to pipe creamed potatoes or to hand-till sausage  skins.

            A rigid syringe may also be used for piping bag, but it has a restricted capacity and is not as easy to handle.

PIQUANT The term used to describe an  acid flavour.  In France if pique, it may also be said of  a fizzy drink, meaning that it creates a prickly sensation in the mouth. In general use, the term describes a mildly spice acidity and a more  complex flavour than simple acid. For example, sauces that are  piquant usually combine the merest hint of a hot flavour with a little acidity-this may be the result of  suing chilli with lemon, mustard with vinegar or a  complex condiment based on slightly hot spices with acid ingredients.  It can also be used to describe a positive quality in matured ingredients, as, for instance, in a well-matured cheese that combines a  rich spiny tone with remnants of immature acidity.

PIQUETTE A home-made drink obtained by soaking the residue from grape-pressing in water.  By extension, the word denotes a sour wine of poor quality with a low alcohol content.

PIROSHKI Also known as  pirozzi, in Russian and polish cooking, small filled pastries served with soup or  as a hot entrée. They are made of choux pastry, puff pastry, or a yeast or brioche dough; the savoury filling may be based on dish, rice game, poultry, meat  brains, cream cheese or chopped vegetables.  They  can be baked or deep-fried.

RECIPES

Causcasian piroshki

Spread a thin layer of cheese-flavoured choux pastry on a large baking sheet and cook in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F, gas 4 ) for about 25 minutes Turn the pastry out on the  work surface and cut in half.  Coat one half with a layer of thick becahemel sauce to which grated cheese and cooked sliced mushrooms have been added.  Cover with the other  half and  seal the edges well. Cut into 6 x 6 cm (2 ½  1 ¼ in )  rectangles.  Coat completely with  more breadcrumbs. Deeply  in very hot oil or fat, drain on paper towels and arrange on a napkin.

Cheese piroshki

Butter 8 dariole moulds an 1 line them with unsweetened brioche dough. Mix 225 g (8 oz.  1 cup) curd cheese with 75 g (3 oz. 6 tablespoons) creamed butter and 3 beaten eggs; season  with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Fill the moulds  with this mixture and cover with a thin layer  of brioche dough. Trim this flush with the edge and press firmly on to the base.  Leave torise at room temperature away from draughts for about. 1 hour, then cook in a  preheated oven at 220° 9425°F, gas 7) for 25-30) minutes. Turn out and serve very hot.

Moscow piroshki

Prepare some unsweetened brioche dough and cut  small ovals.  6-7 cm (2 ½ in) wide and 10 cm (4 in) long. Prepare filling shop and mix 12 5 g  (4 ½ oz ) cooked white fish fillets (whiting  or pike). The  sturgeon) and 2 hard-boiled (hard-cooked eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Put a large knob of this mixture on each oval. Moisten the edges of the ovals slightly, fold over to cover the filling and press to seal tightly.

            Leave for 30 minutes in a warm place for the  dough to rise, them brush with beaten egg and cook in preheated oven at 220°C (425°F, gas 7) for about 25 minutes. When ready to serve, drizzle with a little melted matre d hotel butter.

Puff-pastry piroshki

Make 400 g (14 oz. ) puff pastry. Prepare 5 tablespoons finely diced cooked game (wild duck, pheasants, young rabbit or patridge) or  the same  amount of white  fish (fillets of whiting or pike) poached in a court-bouillon.  Add to the diced meat 2 chopped hard-boiled (hard-cooked) eggs and 5 tablespoons long-grain rice cooked  in meat stock. Mix this has thoroughly and adjust the seasoning.

            Roll out the pastry very thinly and cut out 12 rounds, about 7.5 cm (3 in) in diameter.  Pull slightly into oval shapes.  Put a small amuont of has on to half of each piece, withoug going right to the edge.  Brush the other half of each oval with beaten egg and fold over, pressing the edges together firmly.  Scorely the top and brush with beaten egg.  Cook in  a preheated oven at 220°C (425°F, gas 7) for about 20 minutes until crisp, puffy  and golden. Serve piping hot.

PIROT A specially of Poitou consisting  of pieces of sautéed  kid goat seasoned with fresh garlic and scorrel leaves.

PIS A French butchery terms denoting the breast and  belly meat of cattle, equivalent to brisked and flank in Britain, and to plate in the United States. There is  no direct translation as French cuts of meat differ  from those of the English and American.

            The word is also sometimes used for the udder of  the cow, ewe, goat or sow, but this  is more frequently referred to as titine in French.

PISSALADIERE a speciality of the nice region consisting of a flan filled with onions and garnished  with anchovy  fillets and black olives. It is  traditionally coated with the condiment pissalat before being cooked, hence the name.   A good pissaladiere should have a layer of onions half as thick as the  base if bread dough is used; if the flan is made with shortcrust pastry (classic ice dough), the layer of  onions should be as thick as the flan pastry. It can  be eaten hot or cold.

RECIPE

Pissalatidere

Prepare 657 g (1 ½ lb. ) bread dough, and a work into it 4 tablespoons olive oil. Knead it by hand, roll it  into a ball and leave to rise for 1 hour at room temperature. Soak 12 salted achovies for a short while in cold water (or use 24 drained canned  anchovy fillets).

            Peel and chop 1 kg ( 2 ¼ lb) onions and fry them gently until soft in a covered frying pan with 4-5 tablespoons olive oil, a pinch of salt, a little  pepper, 3 crushed garlic cloves, 1 sprig of thyme and 1 bay leaf.   Fillet the anchovies. Strain 1 tablespoons pickled capers, pound them into a puree and add to the softened onions.

            Flatten three-quarters of the dough to form  a circle.  Place on an oiled baking sheet and spread with the onion and caper mixture, leaving a rim around the edge. Roll up the anchovy fillets and  press them into the onions, together with 20 or so small black (ripe) olives. Shape the rim of the  dough to form a wide border that will retain the  filling. Roll out the remainder of the dough and cut  it into thin strips.  Place these in a criss-cross pattern over the filling, pressing the ends into the  border. Brush the dough with oil and cook in a pre-heated oven at 240°C (475°C (475°F, gas 9) for about  20 minutes.

            The  strips of dough may be replaced by anchovy  fillets arranged in a criss-cross pattern if preferred.

PISSALAT A also known as pissada. A   condimetn originating form the rice region, made of anchovy puree flavoured with  cloves, thyme, buy leaf and  pepper and mixed with olive oil. originally  pissalat was made  from the fry of sardines and anchovies, but because this is not really available outside the  mediterranean area, anchovies in brine may be  used instead.  Pissalat is used for seasoning  hors d’oeuvre, fish, cold meats and the regional dish  pissaladiere.

Escalopes of red mullet with pissalat

Fillet 3 red mullet, each weighing about 200 g (7 oz.) Season with salt and pepper and cook in a frying pan in 2-3 tablespoons olive oil and 25 g  (1 oz. 2 tablespoons) butter. When cooked, removed and drain on paper towels.  Arrange the fillets in a  ring on a round serving dish.  Prepare some become  blanc and mix this sauce and garnish with small sprigs of chervil or cress.

PISTACHE A method  a method of preparation  from language-doc, characterized by the presence of garlic cloves in  the cooking liquid, it is used particularly for marinated and braised mutton (pistache of mutton (pistache of mutton or mutton en pisache) and also for prtridges and pigeons.

            The Saint-Gardens pisatache, a speciality of Comminges, is a somewhat richer variation, consisting of a mutton ragout with garlic cloves to which are the  haricot (navy) beans cooked with a skin of pork, fresh pork rind and a bouquet garni.

Partridge e pistache

Stuff a paartride with a forcemeat of its liver, breacrumbs, raw ham, parsley and garlic, all chopped and bound with 1 egg.  Truss the partridge, bard it, season with salt and pepper  and place in a flame-proofe casserole containing 3 tablespoons heated  goose fat. Cook until the partridge becomes a good  golden colour, then remove it.

            Place 1 tablespoon diced raw ham in the casseole, brown it, dust with 1 tablespoon flour and cook for a few minutes. Add 3 tablespoons dry white wine, then 100 ml (4 fl oz 7 tablespoons) giblet or chicken stock.  Add 1 tablespoon  tomato puree (paste), a bouquet garni and a mall piece of  dried orange peel.  Cook for 10 minutes remove the harm and the bouquet garni.  Strain the sauce.

            Return the patridge to the casserole, together  with the ham and bouquet garni, then  pour on the  sauce. Bring to the boil, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Then add 12 garlic cloves (blanched in boiling salted water, drained and peeled ) and simmer for a further 30 minutes. Remove  the bouquet garni and  serve the partridge  straight from the  casserole.

Shoulder of mutton en pistache

Roll up and tie and boned shoulder of  mutton and place it in a flameproof casserole lined  with a large slice of raw unsmoked (boiled ) ham, I sliced onion and 1 sliced carrot.  Add salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons goose fat or lard. Cook over a very gintie heat for 20-25 minutes. Remove the muttons and  ham add 2 tablespoons flour to the  to the casserole. Stir and cook for a few minutes, then add 200 ml  (7 fl. oz. ¾ cup) white wine and the same amount of stock. Mix thoroughly, strain and set aside.

            Dice the ham and return to the casserole, together with the mutton. Add 50 garlic cloves (blanched in boiling water and peeled), a bouquet garni and a piece of dried orange peel.  Add the  strained cooking liquid, cover the casserole and cook in a preheated oven at 220°C (425°F, gas 7) for about 1 hour. Remove and drain the should, until it and arrange on a warm plate. Cover with the sauce (bound with breadcrumbs if necessary) and serve the garlic cloves as a garnish.

PISTACHIO The seed of the pistachio tree, native  to western Asia and reputedly introduced to Rome  by Vitellius  during the reign of Tiberius.  The tree is  n now cultivated widely in Mediterranean  countries  and the southern United States. The pistachio nut is  about the size of an olive  and the pale green kernel is surrounded  by reddish skin. It is endowed in a  smooth, pale reddish-brown shell, which is easy to break and is covered by a brownish husk.  Sweet and delicately flavoured, the kernel  is used chiefly for decorating pastries, cakes and confectionery.  It is   also used to flavour churcuterie and is eaten roasted and salted in cocktail snacks.

            In Mediterranean and oriental cooking, pistachios are used in poultry sauces  and stuffings and also in has. In classic cuisine they garnish galantines brawn (head cheese) and mortadella. In India pistachio puree is used to season rice and  vegetables.  Pistachios go best  with veal. Pork and poultry.  Their  green colour (often accentuated artificially) makes  them popular for creams (especially for filling cakes, such as the galicen) and also for ice creams and also for ice creams and ice-cream desserts. Confectionery it is especially associated with nougat

RECIPES

Loin of pork with pistachios

Marinate a loin of pork – or unsmoked (fresh) have -  for 24 hours in white Bordeaux wine. Soak 800 g (1 ¾ ) prunes in warm white Bordeaux. Stud  pork joint with garlic and pistachios. Place it in a flameproof casserole, add 500 ml (17 fl. oz 2 cup) of the marinade, cover and cook for 3 hours over a  moderate heat. Then add the strained prunes, cook  for a further 45 minutes and serve very hot.

Pistachio brawn

Clean and scrape a pig’s head; remove the tongue, brains and the fat portion of the throat.  Cut off the ears at their base. Put the head, ears. Tongue and  2 calves tonques to soak in brine for 3-4 days.  Drain.  Wrap the head in a cloth, put it in a flame proof casserole together with the ears, also wrapped, and braise gently for 4-5 hours. After 2 hours, add the tongues.

            Remove the best part of the skin spread it on a linen cloth or napkin. Cut the flesh of the head into  strips as thick  and as long as possible, leaving out the  parts tinged with blood.  Sprinkle all the means with qutre epices  spice  mixture and add about 10 chopped shallots. While  still hot, arrange the meats and shallots on the skin, mixing the various meats and interspersing them with pistachios.  Strips of raw truffle may also be added.fold the skin  over the contents, wrap it in the  napkin and tie with string.

            Return it to the  cooking liquid, bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour. Drain, remove the string and place the galatine in a brawn (headcheese) mould.  Cool.  Putting a weight on top so it is well  pressed. Chill before serving sliced.

PISTOLE A small, clear yellow plum, which is cultivated and prepared in the region of Brigonles. The  pistole is stoned (pitted pressed flat, then rounded and dried.

PISTOLET  A small, round Belgian roll, made from a very light, crustily dough, eaten for breakfast, particularly on Sunday. Pistolets are the equivalent of  French croissants.  They are served also during the day, cold, and filled with cold means  or cheese or even raw minced (ground) beef fillet.

PISTOU A condiment from Province, made  of fresh  basil crushed with garlic and olive  oil.  The word (derived from the Italian pestare,  to pound) is  also used for the vegetable and vermicelli soup to which it is added. The condiment sometimes supplemented by Parmesan cheese and tomatoes, is  similar to the Italian pesto.

RECIPE

Pistou soup

Soak 500 g (18 oz. 3 cups) mixed white and red  haricot (navy) beans for 12 horus in cold water. Drain and place  in large saucepan together with  2.5 litres (4 ½ pints, 11 cups) cold water and a boutquet garni. Bring to the boil, boil rapidly for 10 minutes, then add a little salt, reduce the heat and cook gently, string 250 g  (9 oz0 French (green beans and cut into pieces. Dice 2 or 3 courgettes  (zucchini).  Scrape and dice 2 carrots and peel and alice 2 turnps. When the haricots have been cooking for 1 ½  hours, add the French beans, carrots salt and pepper.  After a further 15 minutes, add the courgettes and  turnips.  Cook for mother 15 minutes. Then add 200 g  (7 oz) large vermicells and  cock for a further 10 minutes.

            Meanwhile, pound together the pulp of 2 very ripe tomatoes. 5 peeled garlic cloves. 3-4 tablespoons fresh basil leaves  and 75 g (3 oz. ¾ cup) grated Parmeasan  cheese, gradually adding 4 tablespoons olive oil.  Add this mixture to the soup while it is still boiling, then remove from the heat and server piping hire. 

            Quartered artichoke hearts or potatoes may be added 30 minutes before the ends of cooking, if  wished.

PITA A traditional Middle Eastern dish. If consists of a round base of unleavened bread, cut in two,  beaten and then covered  with  a mixture of maize (corne) and pureed sesame seeds,  grated raw vegetables and check peas. 

PITAHAYA T           he pink or red fruit of one of the  species of the Opuntia cactus, originally from the American tropics. Its thick scales conceal a white flesh sprinkled with small seeds, which is eaten raw. The  pitaha is sometime acid, sometimes sweet.

PITCHER A pot-belled vessel, cylindrical or truncated in shape, made of stoneware, glass or pottery and having one or two handles and a pouring spout  (or a slanting neck).  Pitchers (crucches ) are usually used for serving cold drinks (water and fruit juices) . a small pitcher (cruchon) is sometimes  used in France for serving local wine.

PITCHVIERS.  A cow’s-milk cheese from the Orleans area, with a high fat content (40-45%), a soft texture and  a greyish-white, furry  crust.  Ripened under  a thin layer of hay, it is a supple creamy-yellow to coulommiers, it is shaped into rounds.  12 cm  (5  m) in diameter and 2.5 cm (1 in.) thick.

PITCHIVIERS A large, round, puff-pastry tart with  scalloped edges filled with an almond cream. A speciality of Pithaviers, in the Orleans region, it traditionally serves as a ‘Twelfth Nigh cake, when it  contains a broad (fava) bean. The town of Pithiviers  is also renowned for another cake, again made  of putt pastry, but filled with crystallized (candied) fruit and covered with white fondant icing (frosting. The  classic Pithievers has been interpreted in a various  ways, the almond cream being replaced by such fillings as creamed rice, kidney and even chicken liver in a sauce.

RECIPE

Pithiviers

Cream 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) butter with a spatula  with mix with 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar. Then beat in 6 egg yolks, one at a time, 40 g (1 ½ oz. ¼ cup) potato flour, 100 g (4 0z. 1 cup) ground  almonds and 2 tablespoons rum. Mix this cream thoroughly. Roll out 200 g (7 oz) puff pastry and cut out a circle  20 cm (8 in) in diameter.  Spread this with the almond paste, leaving a 1 cm ( ½ in) border all round. Best 1 egg yolk and brush it around the rim of the circle.

            Roll out a further 300 g (11 oz) pastry and cut another circle the same size as the  first but thicker.  Place it on the first circle and seal the rim. Decorate the edge with the traditional scalloped pattern and brush with beaten egg.  Score diamond or  rosette patterns on the  top with the point of a  knife. Cook in a preheated oven at 220°C (425°F,  gas 7 ) for 30 minutes.  Dust with icing (confectioner’s) sugar and return it to the oven for a few minutes to glaze.  Serve ward or cold.

PITTA BREAD The English name for Middle-Eastern flat yeasted bread.  The bread  puffs slightly during cooking to form a hallow pocket that can be filled to make a type of sandwich. Originating  from the Greek name plaskuos for a thin bread,  ‘pitta’  evolved into pizza in Italy  Turkish pide is a similar flat bread, plain or  topped  and baked as for Italian pizza.

            Pitta is internationally popular filled  or as an accompaniment to salads or dips.

PIZZA  A popular Italian dish originating from Naples.  In  its simplest  form it consists of a thin slash of bread dough spread with thick tomato puree (paste) and Parmesan or Mozzareilla cheese, seasoned with herbs and garlic, then baked in an oven.  There are countless varieties of pizza, garnished with vegetables (small antichoke hearts, peas, olives,  mushrooms, peppers, capers). Slices of smoked  sausage, ham, anchovy fillets, seafood or muscles. It  can be served as a entrée, a savoury or a snack.

            The word ‘pizza’  derives from an Italian verb meaning to sting or to season. From the same origin comes a la pizzalola, a piquant mixture of tomato sauce, shreds of pepper, herbs (thyme, marjoram, bay leaf) and garlic, which is suitable for pasta, pork chop or grills.

            Leon Gessi in Rome et ses envirous describes pizza  as ‘a blossoming flower, noble and full of fragrant odours; Mozzarella bubbles in the heat of the fire, revealing spots  of oil and touches of tomato. Rustcoloured  steaks soften the bright red of these  touches, but-it is the anchovy puree which strengthens the taste on the palate… which is difficult to  define because it subtly covers a range extending from a sweet kiss to a sharp bite.’

            Neapolitan pizza went around the world with  migrating Italians,  who opened pizzerias in the  major cities of Europe and North America.  These are  typically small popular restaurants offering Italian pastas, pizzas and other specialities.

            In classic French cuisine, a pizza is prepared as a tartlet of shortcrust pastry (basic pie dough) or puff pastry garnished with a puree of tomatoes, olives  and anchovies, Miniatuer pizzas are served as cocktail snacks.

RECIPES

Pizza dough

Crumble 16 g (1/2 oz) fresh baker’s yeast (1 cake compressed yeast) into 3 tablespoons warm water containing a little sugar and leave until frothy (about 15 minutes). Alternatively, sprinkle 2 teaspoons dried yeast into  the same amount of water and sugar, stir until dissolved  and leave in a warm place until frothy.

            Sift 350 g (12 oz. 3 cups) strong plain (bread flour, make a well in the centre and pour in 300 ml ( ½  pint, 1 ¼ cups) warm water and a 4 tablespoons olive  oil.  Add the yeast and 1 teaspoon salt.  Work  the dough with the fingers, then knead on a  floured board until the dough becomes smooth and  elastic (about 10 minutes). Roll it into a ball, dust with flour and leave in a covered bowl in a warm place away from draughts until it has doubled in  volume (about 1 ½ hours).

            Knead for a further minute, then roll out into a circle about 25 cm (10 in) in diameter. Raise the  edge with the thumbs to forms a rim.  The pizza is  ready for filling and baking in the oven.

Neapolitan pizza

Spread 6 large spoonfuls of well-seasoned passata  or tomato concassee on a base of pizza dough.  Add  g (14 oz) Mozzarella cheese, cut into fine silvers, 50 g (2 oz) anchovy fillets and 100 g (4 oz) black olives and spread evenly on the pizza. Sprinkle  with oregano to taste.   Season with salt and pepper and pour 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over  the top.  Cook in a preheated oven at 240°C (475°F.  gas 9) for 30 minutes.

Pizza Mario

Make some fairly short pastry with 500 g (18 oz. 4 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 175 ml (6 fl oz. ¾  cups)  good-quality olive oil and a large pinch of salt. Leave overnight. Then flatten the dough by  hand and line a lightly  oiled tart (pie) plate with it. Open some mussels over the heat, then over  the heat, then remove  from their  shells.  Add them to a mixture of  chopped shallots, salt, pepper, 5-6 pounded anchovies and 2-3 crushed tomatoes. Spread this  mixture over the dough and garnish with 2 anchovy fillets arrange in a cross  and a few black olives.  Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and a dash of olive oil and cook in a preheated oven at 230°C (450°F, gas 8) for 12 minutes.

PLAICE A flat-fish of the Pleuromectidae family, which lives in coasted waters from Norway to Morocco.  It is abundant in the Atlantic, the English Channel and the North Sea, but rare in the Mdeiterranean. It is 25-60 cm (10-24 in) long, with both eyes on the uppermost side, which is grey-brown in colour with orange spots (which are very distinct  and bright in fresh fish).  The bind (lower) side is  pearly grey.

            Plaice is available all the year round, but is best from November to April, Allow a 175-225 g (6-8 oz) whole fish per portion, because  of waste.  The flesh, which has a delicate taste and texture, can be prepared like sole or bill; it is particularly suitable for  frying, grilling (broiling), poaching and preparing  a la bonine  femine and even a la Duglerer, according to tradition, it  was for plaice that the chef Duglee of the Café  Angalais originally created this this.

RECIPE

Plaice a la florentine

Clean a large plaice, put it into a buttered dish, add equal quantities  of concentrated fish stock (or court-bouillon) and white wine, and bake in a preheated oven at 160°C (325°F, gas 3 for about 35 minutes, basting frequently. Remove from the dish and drain.  Completely cover the bottom of an overnproof serving dish with spinach braised in butter. Lay the plaice on the spinach, cover with Mornay sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and clarified butter, and glaze quickly in a  preheated oven at 240°C (475°f, gas 9).

PLAISIR A popular name, meaning literally pleasure’, formerly given to wafers (oublies) rolled into cone, which  street vendors  offered ‘for pleasure’

PLANTAGENET  The name describing the specialities created by association of pastrycooks of the Loire region, known for their  use of moterllo cherries  and cointreau, based on biscuits (cookies), portfaits, ice cream  of cakes, and  recognizable by a label carrying this appellation. There is also Plantagenet bonbon with chocolate (white, dark or milk), which is square, filled with praline and orange zest, and  lightly  flavoured  with  Cointreau.

PLAINTAIN Any of various species of common herbaceous plants  found growing in the wild. The  young leaves may be used in salads or soups.

            For  plantian bananas.

PLATE A piece of crochery used to hold food, the size and shape varying according to the nature of  the food it is  meant  to contain. In this  sense, the French  word asslette replaced the term ecuelle (bowl) in-the 16^th century. The name assiette derives from the fact that it marked the position where the  eater was seated (ssis) at the table. The word denoted the action of placing an eater or a guest at the table, then the action of putting the plates on the  table, then the serving of a meal (by a tavern-keeper who lenalt assiette, offered food to customers), and  finally it came to mean the complete range of dishes served during the course of a meal.

            In ancient  times, plates, either flat or  bowl-shaped, were made terracotta, wood are precious or non-precious metal. The  Romans also moulded them from glass paste. By the end of the 15^th century silver plates had become a symbol of wealth in France, and up to the 17^th century the tables of the rich bourgeoisie were covered with  magnificent gold plate and silverware. But following the disstrous  wars in the reign of Louis SVI, faience and porcelain replaced precious  metal in such homes.  Nicolas the de  Bonnefons commented in 1653 on the novelity of the  individual soup plate, or assiette a l’ttalienne, introduced into France by Mazarin and given the name of  mazarine. The  plates re followed out so that  one can be offered  soup and serve oneself with the  quantity one wishes to consume,  without  the  distate that some might feel about the spoons of others being taken out of the mouth and dipped into the dish without first being wiped.

            The centre of a hollowed-out plate is called the ombillic (navel). The edgee is caled marli (raised rim)  or talus (slope), but some modern soup plates to not have this feature.  A complete table service includes, in descending order of size; flat plates,  soup plates, cheese plates, dessert plates, fruit plates, buffet plates and bread plates. The salad complete the service plates with six or twelve compartments for snails and oysters, plates for fondue bourguignonne with compartments for the sauces, suitability shaped bowls for avocados, corn-on-the-job and artichokes, and draining plates that are used to serve strawberries or asparagus. Presentation plates are a particular refinement;  very flat and sometimes  made of silver or silver-gilt, they are placed underneath a second, slightly smaller flat plate.  They  remain on the table when  each plate is changed and  are removed only at the cheese course.

Correct use of plates Traditional etiquette requires  that two plates should never be placed on top of  each other (except for presentation plates).  The  table is first laid with the plates, which are  replaced when the guests are seated by those for the first course. This custom is now limited for some catering establishments. It is advisable to have heated plates ready to serve hot dishes.

            Although  the use of plates is widespread in most western countries, this is far from being the case in other parts of the world.  In the  Far East bowls are  most often used. In Africa  it is  often the custom to eat out of the main dish with the fingers, while  in the Middle East flat breasts are sometimes used instead of plate.

PLATINA (born Bartolomeo sacchi) Italian humanist (born Platina, 1421; died Rome, 1481), known as all Platina’, born near Cremona, he  became the Vatican librarian after publishing in Venice in 1474 a  book in Latin on the culinary art entitled de bonesta  Voluptate ac Valetudine (‘Honest Pleasure and Health).  This highly successful work was reprinted six times in 30 years and translated into French by  the prior of Saint-Maurice, near Montpeller, with the  help of a famuos cook of the time,  Nony Comeuse, II Platina defended  the then novel idea that delicacy is more important than quantity in cooking.  He  protested against the abuse of speces and recommended seasoning with lemon juice or wine.  Furthermore, he suggested starting a meal with fresh fruit, such as melon or fig.  His collection of recipes  which also contains a wealth of medical advice, is one of the first to describe regional specialties of the south of France.

PLEUROTE Franch name for Pleurotus ostreatus, the oyster mushroom.

PLOMBIERES an  ice cream made with custard cream prepared with almond-flavoured milk and  usually enriched with whipped cream mixed with crystallized (candied) fruit steeped in kirsch. Formerly, plombieres cream was a type of custard cream, usually prepared with  milk enriched with  ground almonds and whipped cream, served with  melted apricot jam sauce or in a pastry shell.  Balzac writes in his novel splendeurs el Misseres de courtisames (1847) after support , ices by the name of  plombieres were served.  Everyone knows that this type of ice is arrange in a pyramid with small, very delicate crystallized fruit placed on the surface. It is  served in small glass dish and the covering  of crystallized fruit in not way affects the pyramid shape.

            It has been said (incorrectly) that plombeires ice  cream was invented at Plombieres-les Bains, in the  Vosges, at a time when Napoleon  III was taking a cure there.  During his visit, he entertained the Italian stateman Cavour, who  persuaded him to intervene in the war of Liberation between Italy  and Austria  (1859). However, it had already been mentioned by Balzac before  this, so one must  assume that the etymology of plombieres is connected  with the lead (plomb) moulds of crystallized fruit to the  recipe, which is the distinctive feature of this dessert, dates from  the beginning of the 19^th century.

RECIPES

Chestnut plombieres ice cream

Poceed as in the recipe for  plombieres ice cream but instead of the crystalized (candled) fruit add 250 g (9 oz. 1 cup) sweetened chestnut puree, obtained by cooking the chestnuts in vanilla-flavoured sweetened milk (Alternatively, used a can of sweetened chestnut puree.)

Plombieres cream

Place 8 egg yolks and 1 tablespoons rice flour in a saucepan. Add 500 ml (17 fl. oz. 2 cups) full cream (whole) good milk, which is almost boiling.  Place the  saucepan over a moderate heat, stirring continuously with  a wooden spoon.  When the mixture  begins to thicken, remove it from the  heat and stir thoroughly until it is  perfectly smooth. Then cook it  over the heat for a further few minutes. This cream must have the same consistency as a confectioner’s custard (pastry cream). Then add 175 g (6 oz. ¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar and a minute pinch  of salt.

            Pour the mixture into another pan and set it on ice, stirring from time to time; it will thicken as it  cool. When it is completely cold, just before serving, mix in 4 tablespoons of a liqueur (kirsch or rum, for example) and then a small quantity of  whipped cream, the finished product should be  light velvety and perfectly smooth. Serve in a silver dish, in small pots, in a pastry case, a biscuit (cookie) crumb case or dish-shaped base of  almond paste.

Plombieres ice cream

Pound  thoroughly in a mortar (or use a blender or processor) 300 g  (11 oz. 2 cups) blanched fresh almonds and (if desired ) 15 g (1/2 oz. 1 ½  tablespoons) ground bitter almonds, gradually adding 4 tablespoons milk. Then add 1.5 litres (2 ¾  pints,  6 ½ cups)  scalded single (light) cream and mix thoroughly. Press through a fine sieve.  Place 300 g (11 oz. 1 ½  cups) caster (superfine) sugar and  12 egg yolks in a large  bowl and  beat  until the mixture becomes white and thick.  Bring  the almond milk to the boil and pour it on to the  egg and sugar  mixture, whisking continuously. Place over the heat  and stir gently  until the cream coats the back of the spoon. Then immerse the base of the saucepan in  cold water to stop the cooking process and continue to whisk until the cram has cooled.  Place in  an ice-cream freezer.

            When the mixture is partially frozen, mix in 200 g (7 oz. 1 cup) finely chopped  crystallized  9candied) fruit soaked in kirsch or rum.  400 ml  (14 ft. oz. 1 ¾  cups) whipped double (heavy) cream and 150 ml ¼ pint, 2/3 cup) milk, both very cold. Then place in an ice-cream mould and freeze.

PLOVER A migratory wading bird  which several species winter in western Europe. In the Middle Ages the plover as considered to be a delicate and delicious food, served at winter feasts and in the best  houses. The ringed plover frequents the marshlands and water meadows near the sea, while the golden plover, which  is the more sought-after, inhabits moorlands.  Plovers are considered to be excellent game and certain  gastronmes  insist that they should be  cooked undrawn. This  tradition is an old one; in the 16^th century, according to Lucien Tendret, only three  kinds of birds – larks, turtledoves and plovers -  could be roasted without ‘breaking into them’. Plover can  be pared in the same way as woodcock or lapwing, but it is usually roasted. Its eggs are used in the same way as those of the lapwing.

PLUCHES The French name for the fresh leaves of some herbs, such as chervil, tarragon and pursley used to flavour salads and hot dishes. Chervil  placies for example, are used to flavour several sauces and soups, the leaves being cut with scissors rather  than chopped, and added to the dish at the  last minute to give maximum flavour. It is important not to  boil these herbs and thus impair their flavour, although for certain recipes the leaves may be  quickly blanched in boiling  water before use.

PLUCK The heart, spleen, liver and lungs of a slaughtered animal.  The components of ox (beef) and calf’s pluck are cooked separately. Lamb’s or sheep’s  pluck is prepared  as a ragout with red or white wine in several regions.  Pig’s pluck is a speciality of  Vendee, where  it is made into a ragout together  with the animal’s blood and skin and sometimes  the head.

            At  one time, al these  pieces of offal (organ meat) were made into a grout. The French porter and  writer Bernard Palissay made  the following rentals ‘in my time I have found that people did not want to  eat sheep’s feet heads, or stomachs, yet at the moment this is what they prize most highly.

PLUCKING The process of removing the feathers from a fowl or a bird. It is usual to start at the tail and work towards the head; can cure must be taken not to tear the skin.  The feathers are easier to remove if the bird is put into the refrigerator to firm the flesh (especially in the case of a small bird) Poultry is usually sold ready-plucked, but small feathers often remain on the wing tips, and these should also be plucked before singeing, which burns off any residual down. any remaining vestiges of the  feathers, such as the tube-like remnants of the shafts, can be removed with the point of a knife.

PLUM A yellow, green red or purple  stone (pit  fruit, which is eaten fresh from July to September as a dessert fruit and has numerous  uses in patisserie  and confectionery. It is  also dried,   preserved in brandy and distilled   to produce a spirit.

            Originating in Asia, the plum tree (prumus domestica) was cultivated in Syria and grafted by the  Romances, who preserved plums (particularly  damsons) by drying. It was the crusaders who introduced the plum to western  Europe. The  fruit was  particularly prized after the Renaissance.  From the  16^th century plums were widel cultivated and many varieties were the Catherine, the Imperide, the Perdrigon, the  Goutte d’Or and the Plum de Monsieur (the  favourite of Louis XIII’s brother).

            Plumas selected for eating should be ripe but not soft, wrinkled or blemished; a very slight man white bloom on the surface proves that they have  not been handled too much.  The main plum-producing regions of France are in the south-west, the south-east and  the east. They are also grown in abundance in Britain, and imported varieties are available most of the year.

§  Japanese varieties are available during June and July.  Fairly mediocre in quality, they are large, round and  juicy, either purplish-red with orange-coloured orange-yellow with yellow flesh.

§  Bonne de Bry, a small, blue and rounded plum with a juicy and very sweet, greenish-yellow flesh, is available in July.  Greengages, which are yellowish, with firm, very juicy, sweet and fragrant flesh, are abundant in July.

§  A reddish-purple greengage appears  in August and September.  This  is as good as the green variety. It is followed by the Eante plum (elongated, purplish-red, with sweet but not very juicy flesh), the alsatian quetsch (small, oblong and purple-black, with very sweet, fragrant, yellow flesh), the Nancy early mirabelle and, at the end of August, the Vosges mirablle (small, round and oranged, wit very fragrant, sweet, juicy flesh).

§  Brignole, a dark red plum from  Brignole in France, is  comparatively new species  valued as a cooking fruit.

In Britain there are  several varieties  of plum, in addition to the greengage and the damson.

§  Czar is ready in early August.  A large dark-blue  plum with golden flesh, it is suitable for cooking or as a dessert variety.

§  Pershore is also available in August, it is a conical shaped dessert fruit with a yellow skin and rather pulpy flesh.

§  Victora  pluma ripen in late August and are very  popular  fruit. They are large and oval with a yellowish-scarlet skin. Sweet and juicy, they are perfect for  bottling or eating as a dessert fruit.

§  Kitke’s blue is a ready in late August; it is a large fruit with  deep purple skin with a distinct bloom and  dark, sweet, juicy flesh; suitable for cooking or eating as a dessert fruit.

Later verities include Warwickshire Drooper, the  cherry plum and the Monarch, in the  United State the Santa Rosa and Burbank plums are tart and juicy and grown  especially in California.  They are  also  known as Japanese  plums and are exported throughout Europe.  Dark purpole beach plums grow wild in the United States, especially around Cape Cod; they  are mostly used to make beach-plum jelly.

A distinction  is made  between the varieties  of  plums used for cooking, preserves, jams and distillery, and those varieties  that are  enjoyed  as dessert  fruit.  The Metz mirabelle and the quetsch, for example,  are both used for distilling. The damson’s is used  for bottling  and jam-making  and for  making  and for making damson cheese. This  traditional English preparation is a very  thick damson pulp, boiled  with sugar, which  stores  well  and is served with biscuits (cookies) or used to fill tartlets.

RECIPES

Flambeed plums

Stone (pit) some greengages or mriabells plums and poach then in a vanilla-flavoured syrup until  just tender. Drain them and place in a flameproof casserole. Add a little arrowroot blended with  water to the cooking syrup, pour a little of this  syrup over the plums and heat. Sprinkle with quetsch or mirabelle brandy heated in a ladle, flame  and serve immediately.

Plum conserve

Stone (pit) some plums, weigh the pulp and weigh out 675 g (1 ½ lb. 3 cups) sugar per 1 kg  (2 ¼ lb. )  pulp. Put the fruit in a preserving pan with 100 ml (4 fl.  oz. 7 tablespoons water p 1 kg (2 ¼ lb) fruit.  Bring to the boil and leave to cook for about 20 minutes. Stirring with a wooden spoon.  Puree the fruit in a blender, return the puree to the pan and add in sugar.  Cook until the conserve coats the wooden spoon.  Pot in the usual way.

Plums in brandy

Choose some very ripe, sound plums or greengages, prick them in 3 or 4 places with a large needle  and weigh them. In a preserving pan, prepare a  sugar syrup with 250 g (9 oz. 1 cup) sugar and 3 tablespoons  water per 1 kg (2 ¼ lb ) fruit, bring it  to the boil and leave to  boil for 2 minutes.  Add the plums, stirring so that they are evenly coated with  syrup, then transfer them to jars with skimmer.  Leave to cool completely, then add some fruit spirit – 1 litre (1 ¾ pints, 4 1/3 cups) per 1 kg (2 ¼ lb.) plums – to cover the plums. Seal the jars.

            Leave to stand for at least 3 months before  consuming.

Plum tart

Prepare a lining pastry with 200 g (7 oz. 1 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 90 g ( 3 ½ oz. 6 ½ tablespoons) softened butter, a pinch of salt.1 egg and  1 tablespoon water.  Roll the dough into a ball and refrigerate for 2 hours. Wash 500 g (18 oz.) ripe pluins and stone (pit) them without separating the halves  completely.  Roll out the dough to a thickness of 5 mm (1/4 in) and used it to lien a buttered  tart thin (pan).  trim off the excess pastry and mark the edge with a criss-pattern. Prick the bottom with a fork, sprinkle with 40 g (1 ½ oz. 3 tablespoons) caster (superfine) sugar, and arrange the plums in the tart, opened our with curved sides  downwards. Sprinkle the fruit with 40 g (1 ½ oz. 3 tablespoons) caster sugar.  Cook in  a preheated oven at 200°C (400 °F, gas 6 ) for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven, leave until lukewarm, then coat the top with  apricot jam.

Plum tart a l’alsacinne

Prepare a sweet pastry with 125 g (4 ½ oz. ½ cup softened butter, 250 g (9 oz. 1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar.  I whole egg 250 g (9 oz. 2 ¼ cups) plain (all purpose) flour and  250 g (9 oz. 2 cups) ground almonds.  Add just enough very cold water to bind the dough; roll it into a ball and place in the refrigerator  for 2 hours.

            Set aside a quarter of the dough and roll out the rest to a thickness of 5 mm (1/4 in).  use it to line a  tart tin (pie pan) 23 cm (9 in) in diameter. Roll out the remaining dough very thinly layer of quetsch or mirabelle plum jam over the tart and  arrange the  strips of pastry in a criss-cross pattern over the top. Cook in a preheated oven at 220°C (425°F,  gas & ) for 30 minutes.  Dust with icing (confectioner’s) sugar and serve the tart hot, with whipped cream.

PLUM CAKE a  traditional British cake, flavoured with num and containing currants, raisins, sultanas and candied peel.

RECIPE

Plum cake

Soften 500 g (18 oz. 2 ¼ cups)  butter until creamy and beat until it turns very  pale.  Add 500 g (18 oz. 2 ¼ cups) caster (sperfine)  sugar and beat again for a few minutes.  Then incorporate 8 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add 250 g  (9 oz. 1 ½ cups) chopped candled peel (orange. Citron or lemon), 200 g (7 oz. ¼  cups) seedless raisins, 150 g (5 oz, 1 cup) sultanas  (golden raisins) and 150 g (5 oz. 1 cup) currants.  Mix in 500 g  (18 oz. 4 ½  cups) plain (all-purpose) flour sifted with 1 ½ teaspoons baking power, the grated zest of 2 lemons and 3 tablespoons sugar.  Pour  4 tablespoons warm rum over the pudding and set it alight. The pudding can also be served cold.

PLUTARCH Greek biographer, essayist and philosopher (born Chaeronea, Boeotia, AD 120). His main source of inspiration was Platonism  and he wrote about 250 essays, of which about a third have survival in the form of his Parallel lives  (a serries of biographies) and the Moralia. Among the  latter are a few fragments from a Symposium, which  deals with cooking and dietetics. The translation in 1572 by  Jacques Amyot, a French bishop and classical scholar, made Plutarch the most widely read and influential ancient author in France until the 19^th century.  The Symposia were published in France under the title Regles et  Preceptes de sante de Plutarque (Plutarch’s rules and  precepts about  health).

POACHING A method of cooking food for gently simmering it is in liquid. The amount of water or stock used depends on the food to be poached.

            Red meat is poached in a white stock with vegetables. It is usually immersed in simmering  stock, so that it is  sealed and retains its juices and flavour.  White meat is seldom poached.

            Large poultry to be poached is put into cold white stock with vegetables, the liquid is then brought to the boil, skimmed and seasoned.  The poultry is then  simmered very slowly in the stock. Poultry for pouching can be  stuffed or not and trussed. It can be larded  with best lardons or studded with pieces of ham, tongue or truffles cut into the shape of little pegs. To protect the breast while cooking, poultry should be  barded. To test whether the poultry is ready; prick the thigh.  When the juice that runs out is white, the bird  is cooked.  After cooking, drain and untruss the poultry and remove the barding. Serve o fried bread, surrounded with an appropriate garnish.  The stock, strained and skimmed, is boiled  down and added to  the sauce to be served with the dish.

            Large fish can be poached whole or in slices, and moistened with concentrated  fish stock or court bouillon.  Thick slices of fish are prepared in the same way. Fillets of fish (brill, whiting, sole, turbot) to be poached are put in a buttered baking dish, seasoned, moistened with a few tablespoons of concentrated fish stock and cooked in the oven.

            Poached  eggs are cooked in simmering salt water to which a few drops of vinegar have been  added.

            Fish  or meat bulfs are put into a butered pain, covered with boiling salted water and very slowly summered.

            Fruit is coached  in a sugar syrup to cook it while still retaining its shape.

            Some foods are poached on the brain marie principle, including mousses, mousselines, moulds and puddings. They are put in baking tins or pans half-full of hot water and cooked in a  very slow oven.

POCHOUSE Also known as pauchouse.  A Burgundy matelote (fish stew) made from  a selection of  pike, gudgeon, eel, perch or carp; it should also include burbot, which is now very rare.  The Bresse pochouse often includes tench, carp and catfish. Pochouse is cooked with white wine and thickened with beurre manie.

            The name is probably derived from the French poche, a fisherman’s game  bag, which in the local  patois alongn the banks of the doubs and the Saone is also known as pochouse.  The  recipe comes from  the lower doubs and  is a very old one, appearing in the dispensary registers of the hospital of Saint-Louis de Chakon-sur-Saone as early as 1598. It was introduced into burgundy by the fish merchants from Bresse. The dish is a speciality of Verdon-sur-le-doubs where  there  is an association, the Confrene de Cbeuliers de la Pochouse, which  is dedicated to  preserving it.

RECIPE

Pouchouse

Butter a flameproof casserole generously an completely cover the bottom with 2-3 large peeled  sliced onions and 2 carrots cut into rings. Clean 2 kg (4 ½ lb.) freshwater fish and cut into uniform pieces: use 1 kg 92 ¼ lb.) eels (skinned) and 1 kg 92 ¼ lb. ) burot, tench, pike  or carp. Place  the pieces of fish in the casserole with a bouquet garni in the centre.  Cover with dry white wine and add 2  crushed garlic cloves.  Add salt and pepper, cover, bring to the  boil, reduce the heat and allow  to simmer for about 20 minutes.

            Meanwhile dice 150 g (5 oz.) unsmoked streaky bacon and blanch for 5 minutes in boiling water.  Strain. Glaze 20 small (pearl) onions. Clean and slice 250 g (9 oz. 3 cps) mushrooms and sprinkle  with lemon juice. Toss the bacon and mushrooms  in butter in a sauté  pan. strain the pieces of fish and  add them to the sauté  pan, together with the onions.

            Thicken the cooking liquid from the fish with 1 tablespoon beurre manie, strain and pour into  the sauté  pan.  simmer for a few minutes, them add  200 ml (7 fl. oz. ¾ cup) crème fraickhe.  Boil, uncoveret, for 5 minutes to reduce.  Pour  the pac house into  a deep serving dish and garnish with  garlic-flavoured croutonts.

POELON A small, long-handled saucpan, often with a lid. It was formerly made of earthenware  (glazed or not ) and was suitable  for a slow-cooking simmering or braising foods. It is still used for the  same purposes but is now made of stainless steel, black or enamelled east iron, or enamel plate, it can also be used for browning mushrooms, making sauces and cooking  paupiettes or peas with pierces of  bacon.  The caquelon, used for preparing fouline  souyarde (a baked cheese fondue), is a type of poelona, as is the pan used for making burgundy fondue, which is deeper, fitted with a lid and rests on a table warmer.  The sugar poelou is made of copper and is used for cooking sugar and syrups.

POGNE Also known as pognon or pougnon.  A  type of brioche, sometimes filled with crystallized  (candied) fruit, served either hot or cold, often with redurrant jelly. It is a speciality of the Dauphine.  The pogne de Romans is well known, but pognes are  also made in Crest (mainly for Easter).  Die and Valence.  In certain parts of the  Lyonnais and Franche-Comete regions, pgnes can be brioches or  tarts, made either with fruit or, in winter, with ground or pumpkin.  The word originates from Pougua or  pugne, a patois  word for the handful  of dough left  over from bread-making, which housewives used to enrich with butter and eggs to make pastries.

RECIPE

Pogne de romans

Arrange 500 g (18 oz. 4 ½ cups) (all-purposed) flour in a circle on the workshop, in the middle of  this circle  put 1 ½ teaspoons  salt. I tables spoons  orange-flower water, 25 g (1 oz) fresh yeast (2 cakes compressed  yeast), 250 g (9 oz. 1 cup) softened  butter and 4  whole eggs. Mix together thoroughly working the dough vigorously to give it body.  Add  2 more 200 g (7 oz. ¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar, little by little, kneading the dough all the while. Place this dough in a bowl sprinkled with flour, cover with a cloth and leave it to rise for 10-12 hours at room temperature  away from draughts.

            Turn the dough out on to the table and knock it back (punch down) with the  flat of the hand. Make into ‘crowns’ shape two-thirds of the dough into bells, then use the remainder to shape smaller balls to place on top, like brioches. Place these crowns in buttered baking tins (pans). Leave the dough to  rise for a further 30 minutes in a warm place. Brush with beaten egg and bake in a preheated oven at 190°C (375°F, gas 5) for about  40 minutes.  Serve with redcurrant jelly.

POINT, A the French term describing a grilled (broiled) or sautéed  steak (or other small out of meat) that is cooked to the medium stage – between medium-rare and well-done

            By extension, a dish is referred to as a point when cooking has reached the desired stage and must be stopped immediately (green vegetables and pasta cooked al alente, fish in court-bouillon). The expression is also used to describe a dish that is ready to be served, all preparations being completed to the  chef’s satisfaction.

POINT, FERNAND French chef  (born Louhans, 1897; died Vienne, 1955).  His parents kept the station buffe at Lourhans, where both his mother and grandmother  were in change of the cooking.  He  studied in Paris (as sauce chef at Foyot’s, the Bristol and the Majestic), then at the Hotel Royal in Evian, where he was the fish chef. In 1922 when the  Parish-Lyon-Mediterranee railway company refused to  recognize officially the Louhans station buffet as a  restaurant, Auguste Point (his father ) decided to move  to Vienne, where he opened a more conventional restaurant. Two years later he left it to his son, who renamed it La Pyramide.  Fernand Point concentrated on good-quality food enhanced by careful cooking and meticulous preparation.  The restaurant soon because well known to gatronomes on their way to the south of France.  All the  famous people of the time came to sample what Curmonsky regarded as the pinnacle of  culinary art  Pernand Point’s personality also had a lot to do with popularity of the  restaurant.  His humour, has  intransignence, the warmth of his welcome, his anecdotes, his accentricities and his massive size, all contributed to make him one of the great French chef. After his death, the kitchens of La Pyramide were sueprvised first by Paul Mercier and then by Guy Thivard, still under Madame Point’s administration.

            The great chef was also a first-class teacher, and his pupils, namely  Thuiller, Bocuse, Chapel, the  troisgros brothers, outliner and Bise, bear witness to the value of his training. Point’s cuisine was in the  great classical mould: truffled bresse children en  erssie, stuffed salmon trout braised in port winer delices de aint-Autone en feutillete, a dish of pig’s trotters (feet) in puff pastry, which he made especially for Albert Lebrun; and the famous marjolaine. Which took him several years to perfect (a light almond and hazelnut sponge cake filled with three  different creams chocolate, butter and paralinel).

            The pharaoh of the Pyramide at Vienne (in the  words of his biographer Felix  Benoit) is also remembered for his maxims, some of which can be found in his book Ma gastromontie. ‘Garnishes must be  matched like a tie to a suit’ and ‘A good meal must be a harmonious as a symphony and as well-constructed as a Norman Cathedral.”  He considered that  the most difficult preparations were often those that appear to be the easiest.  “A hearnaise sauce is simply an egg yook, a shallot, a little tarragon vinegar and  butter, but it takes years of  practice for the result to be perfect.

POIRE A French cut of beef that is part of the topside. It is a round, lean, very tender cut and is  cooked as steak. It weighs about 500 (18 oz.).

POITOU The variable quality of the soil has not prevented Poitou from having solid culinary traditions. The prosperity of the region is based on its cereal crops, cattle, sheep, goats pigs and poultry.  The ground and winged game (here, rabbit, quali, thrush and partridge) are plentiful, and the produce of the lakes and rivers provides excellent fish dishes   tench a la pottevine, lamprey simmered in wine and  ceels sautéed  in garlic, grilled (broiled) or prepare as a bouilleture.  The  marshland of  Poitou provides  frogs, and the nearby coastline of the Vendee is a source  of sea fish  (especially for chaudree) and shellfish (sepcially musse is and oysters).

            The cultiviated marshalands are very fertile, yielding onions, artichokes, asparagus, melons, peas, white beams (mojettes, cooked with  cream) and French (green) beans, leeks (which are made into a succulent vegetables loaf). Cauliflowers and cabbage. Orclards are planted with apples (especially the ‘Clorland’ variety), cherries, peaches and walnuts as  well as the  chestnuts for which the region is famous.

            Soups typical of the region include a wine soup. served either hot (known as rotie) or cold (mige) and a pig’s head potee.  Charcuterie specialities  include the famus pate de Pagues en croute, a pie filled with meat, poultry, meathalls, and hard-boiled (hard-cooked) eggs; duck-liver pates and the confits  of Civray and Sauze-Vaussais. Snails (lumas) are  cooked stuffed or in wine, and frogs’ leg are prepared as a blanguette or a la lugonnaise (sautéed  in butter and garnished with fried garlic cloves. Among the most characteristic dishes of Poitou ore  the sauce de pire, pig’s liver and lung simmered with  onions, shallots, red wine and spices; the  gigorit of  pork and poultry; the Vendee fressure, pigs’  fry with  bacon, eaten cold; the pirot, prepared with goat meat, young  fresh garlic and sorrel, the Poitou bifteckles, chopped beef bound with bone marrow. Eggs, breadcrumbs, onions and white wine, and also the far, a rum-flavoured tart, and forcemeats.

            Poitou produces some good fresh cheeses, such as  caillebottles and small callies, but it is best known for its wide variety of goat’s-milk cheeses, including the famous chabicou, the Bougon, La-Morbe Saint-Heray, Lusignan, Parthenay, Saint-Loup, Saint Saviol, Saint-Verent, Sauze-Vaussais, Trots –Cornes and Xaintray.

            Among the desserts should be mentioned the  tourteau (made withgoat’s-milke cheese clafoutis, grimolle (a fruit pancake baked in the oven) and  plum pie. Butter is used to prepare broye and fouee (a circle of bread dough covered with cream and butter and baked in the oven).  Mtllas, echandes and  cruquelitus are common in the west of Poitou.  Some  noted local products are berlingolettes of  Chatellerault, the macaroons of Montmorillon and  Lusignan,  the Biscuits (cookes) of Pathenay, the  noughatine of Politiers and the candled angelica of  Niort (a famous liqueur is also made from the plant).

            Poitou produced some pleasant red, while and  sparkling wine.

POIVRADE Any of various sauces in which pepper plays a more important role than that of a simple condiment.  The  best known polvrade is a mirepoix mixed with vinegar and white wine, reduced,  blended with a roux and white wine, and seasoned  with crushed peppercorns. It is served with marinated meat and ground game.  The  other poivrade  sauces are based on vinegar and shallots (hot) or vinaigrette (cold).

            Potvrade is also the name of a small artichoke, which is eaten a la croque anu set (with salt as the only accompaniment).

RECIPES

Carer… ‘s polvrade sauce

Put 2 sliced onions and 2 sliced carrots in a  saucepan.  Add a little lean ham, a few sprigs of  parsley, a little thyme, a bay leaf, a generous pinch of mignonett, a little mace, then 2 tablespoons good vinegar and 2 tablespoons clear stock.  Simmer over a gentle heat until the vegetables are very soft.  When well reduced add 2 tablespoons clear  stock and 2 tablespoons well-blended spagnole sauce.  Boil for a few minutes,  then press the sauce through a sieve and boil again to reduce to the  desired consistency.

            Add a little butter to the sauce just before serving.

Polvrade sauce.

Finely dice 150 g (5 oz) scraped or peeled carrots with the cores removed 100 g (4 oz. 2/3 cup) onions and 100 g 94 oz ) green  (unsmoked) streaky bacon. Cut 50 g (2 oz ½ cup) celery into thin strips.  Sweet very gently for about 20 minutes with 25 g (1 oz.  Tablespoons) butter, a sprig of thyme and half a bay leaf.  Addd 500 ml (17 fl. oz. 2 cups). Vinegar and 100 ml (4 lf. Oz 7 tablespoons) white  wine, then reduce  by half.

            Make  a brown roux with 40 g 91 ½ oz. 3 tablespoons) butter and 40 g (1 ½ oz. 1/3 cup).  Plain beef or chicken stock and cook gently for 30 minutes. Skin the fat from the mirepotx and add to the roux. Deglaze the mirepolix pan with 100 ml (4 fl. oz. 7 tablespoons) white wine and add to the  sauce, together with 2 tablespoons finely chopped mushrooms.

            Cook gently for a further hour, adding a little stock if the sauce reduces too much.  Crush about 10 black peppercorns, add to the sauce an leave to simmer for 5 minutes. Then strain the sauce through coarse muslim (cheesecloth) or a very fine  strainer.

            If this sauce is to be served with a marinated  meat, use the strained marinade to deglaze the cooking  pan and diluted the roux. If it is to be  serving with game, cut the  trimmings from the game into small pieces and add to the mirepolx.

POJARSKI A way of serving veal chops in which  the meat is detached from the bone, chopped with butter and bread soaked in milk, seasoned reformed on the bone and fried a clarified butter. By  extension, it has come to mean a cutlet  made up of  white-chicken meat or salmon, covered with flour or breadcrumbs and sautéed  in clarified buter.

            Kotliety pojarskie is a classic Russioan dish of meatballs, named after its createro, an innkeeper called Pojarski.  Originally made of beef, they were a great favourite  of Tsar Nicolas I. When the tsar arrived  at Pojarski’s unecxpectedly one day, he was served with veal meatballs instead and enjojoyed tehm just as  much, so they become  popular too.

RECIPES

Salmon cutlets Pojarski

Chop 300 g (11 oz. ) fresh salmon flesh, then add 65 g (2 ½  cup) scale breadcrumbs (soaked in milk and strained) and 65 g (2 1/2 oz. 5 tablespoons) fresh butter. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with a pinch of grated nutmeg. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and shape into cutlets. Coat with breadcrumbs and brown on both sides clarified butter.  Arrange on a serving dish, sprinkle with the cooking butter and garnish with cannelled slices of lemon.

Veal chop Pojarski

Bone a veal chop and keep the bone. Weigh the  flesh and chop finely. Add an equal weight of scale  breadcrumbs soaked in milk and strained, a quarter of its weigh of butter and a little chopped parsley.  Season with salt and pepper and add a  pinch of grated nutmeg.  Stir the mixture  thorough until smooth. Scrape  the chop bone thoroughly and blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes.  Cool and  wipe dry. Press the meat mixture  along the bone and reshape the chop. Leave to dry for 30 minutes, then cover with four and cook in clarified butter  for about 15 minutes until brown chop on a serving dish, garnish with a cancelled  slice of lemon sprinkle  with a little  noisette butter and serve with an appropriate vegetable cooked in  butter.

POLENTA A commeal porridge tat is the traditional basic dash of northern Italy (both Venice and  Lombardy claim to have invented  it).  The Greeks used to eat  various cereal porridges called poltos, but maize (corn) did not arrive  from America until the  beginning of the 16^th century.

            Polenta is traditionally made with water in a large  copper pot, stirred with a big wooden spoon. The  portridge is cooked in a round wooden tray and then cut into squares or diamond shapes. It  can also be  made with milk (for desserts), stock or with a mixture of white wine and water. Like rice and pasta. Polenta is very versatile and is used for a large number of dishes fritters, croquettes, gratins, croutes and  timbales,  served plain, with buter and cheese, in a sauce, or even flavoured with vegetables, ham or  white truffle, polenta may accompany fish stews, meat ragouts or brochettes of small birds. In italy the large-grained.  Bergano and  Verona varieties of  maize, which take a long time to cook, are preferred  for making polenta.

            Gastronomic societies have been formed to promote polnetaa and as dishes the Academie des Polentophages was founded at the beginning of the  18^th century, and the P.P.P.P. Society (Prima Patria ) Poi Polenta, “First the homeland, then plental’). A century later.

RECIPE

Parmesan Polenta

Boil 1 litre (1 ¾ pints, 4 ½ cups)  water with 1-2 teaspoons salt (or to taste), then add 250 g (9 oz. 2 cups)  cornmeal and mix together thoroughly.  Cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring continously with a wooden spoon.  Then add 50-65 g (2-2 ½ oz. 4-5 tablespoons) butter and 75 g (3 oz. ¾ cup) grated Parmesan cheese.  Pour the porrid, e on to a  damp plate, spreading it out I an even layer, and leave to cool completely. Cut into squares or diamond shapes and fry in butter until golden. Arrange  on a serving dish and sprinkle with grated permesan cheese and noisettes butter.

POLIGNAC The name of various classic French dishes dedicated to members of the Polignac family.

            Supremes of chicken  Polignac are covered with supreme sauce enrich with thinly sliced trufles and mushrooms. Flat-fish  are poarhed, dressed with a sauce made with white wine and cream, and served with a mushroom julienne. Eggs Polignac are either cooked in  moulds, on thin slices of  truffle or soft-boiled and covered with Perigueux sauce.

RECIPE

Eggs Polignac in a mould

Butter some small round moulds and line the bottom with a thin slice of truffle. Break an egg into each mould.  Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F, gas 4) in a bain marie.  Turn each egg out  on to a crouton of bread fried in butter.  Heat  some meat glaze and add  to it in an equal volume of moitre d’ hotel butter. Cover the eggs with this sauce.

POLKA  agateau consisting  of a ring of choux pastry o a base of shortcrust pastry (basic pie dough), filled with  confectioner’s custard (pastry cream) or  frangipane cream, then dusted with sugar and  caramelized with a red-hot skewer forming a criss-cross pattern. Small pollkas can also  be made.

            Polka bread (pain polka)  is a traditional French bread, particularly  popular in the Loire Valey. Usually  round and flat, weighing 2 kg  (4 ½ lb.) , a has  deep criss-cross grooves in the top, which enable  the bread to be divide without  using a knife. It is  always highly baked with a thick, brown crust.

            In both cases, the name is derived from the dance of the same name, the criss-cross pattern resembling  the figures of the dance.

RECIPE

Gateau polka

Make a short pastry with 50 g (2 ¼ cup) softened butter, 125 g (4 ½  oz. 1 cp) plain (all-purposed) flour,1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar and 1 egg yolk. When smooth, roll it into a ball and  chill in the refrigerator.

            Make  a confectioner’s custard  (pastry cream) with 1 litre  ( 1 2/3 pints, 4 ½ cups)  milk, 6 eggs.  200 (7 oz. ¾ cup) caster sugar, 175 g  (6 oz. 1 ½  cups) plain Fluor and 100 ml (4 fl. oz. 7 tablespoons) rum. Leave to cool.

            Roll out the dough thinly into a circle 20 cm  (8 in ) in diameter. Place it on a buttered baking  sheet and prick with a fork.  Make some choux pastry with 120 ml (4 ½ fl. oz. ½ cup) water.   25 g  (1 oz. 2 tablespoons) butter, 1 tablespoon caster sugar, a pinch of salt 65 g (2 ½ oz. 2/3 cup) plain flour an d2 beaten eggs. Place in a piping bag with a  plain nozzle 1.5 cm. (5/8 in ) diameter.   Brush the rim of the pastry circle with beaten egg and pipe the choux pastry in a border 5 mm (1/4 in) from the  edge. Brush this border with beaten egg.

            Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) for 20 minutes, covering the centre of the circle  with foil if the pastry  browns too quickly.  Leave  to cool completely, then pour the confectionery’s custard into the centre.  Sprinkle with granulated sugar.  Carefully heat a metal skewer in a flame until it is red hot and then mark a criss-cross pattern on the top of the custard.

POLLACK Either of two large  sea fish (up to 70-80 cm (26-32 inc. long), related  to the whiting. The yellow pollack is found in the Atlantic as far south  as the Bay of Biscay, while the black pollack  can be found as fat north as Norway and rarely further south than Britany.

            The black pollack  has a grey underside and a grey-green or dark-green buck; the yellow pollack is  more  of an olive  colour, and its underside is coppery or silvery. Both  varieties  are very lean fish (1 ¾ fat), but the yellow variety has a finer texture. Both  are sold whole, in steak or filleted.  Black pollack is  often deep-frozen.  Pollack  can be prepared in the  same way as cod or whiting , but  the black pollack tends to disintegrate and should  not be cooked for  as long. In Scandinavian countries dried pollack is called kippfishc, when dried and  salad, it is referred  to as stock fisch.

POLO, MARCO Venetian  voyager  (born Venice, 1254, died  Venice, 1324). He  travelled through  Armenta, Persia and the  Gobi Desert, was  labishly entertained in Peking, then returned to Europe at the  end of a 16-year voyage via Sumatra and the Persian Gulf.  While imprisoned by the Genroese, her wrote an  account of his voyage,  The  Book of the Wonders of  the World. He  is given credit for the discovery and spread of rice and pastas, but more importantly he  enabled Venice to trade in spices and  exotic goods from the Far East. In memory of this great voyager, an annual gastronomy prize,  Macro-Polo-Casanova, is awarded by a panel of journalists and restaurateurs to the best paris restaurant specializing in foreign cooking.

POLONAISE, A LA  describing a classic dish of vegetables, especially cauliflower and asparagus.  The vegetables are cooked in boiling water, then sprinkled with chopped hard-boiled (hard-cooked) egg yolk and parsley (or fines herbes) and finally with  breadcrumbs fried in butter.  The description also refers to other recipes derived form Polish cooking.

RECIPES

Asparagus a la polonaise

Clean some asparagus and trim to the some  length. To into small bunches and cook for 25 minutes in plenty of boiling salted water (to which  may be added 1 tablespoon flour to help the asparagus keep its colour). Drain thoroughly and  arrange in a long buttered dish, in staggered row., sow clearly.  Sprinkle with sieved hard-boiled (hard-cooked) egg yolk and chopped parsley. Lightly  brown  some breadcrumbs  in noisette butter and pour over the asparagus.  Serve immediately.

Beetrool salad a la polonaise

Peel some cooked beetroot beet) and cut into chin slices. Season with a highly spieced vinalgrette, pile in  a salad bowl  and sprinkle liberally with chopped parsley and sieved hard-boiled (hard-booked) egg yolk. Thin apple slices sprinkle with lemon juice may be added.

Cauliflower a la polonaise

Divide a cauliflower into large  florets and cook in boiling  salted water until just cooked  (the cauliflower should stay slightly  firm). Reshape  it in a  round serving dish, sprinkle  with 2-3 chopped hard-boiled (hard-cooked) eggs and chopped parsley, and keep in a warm place.  Crumble  75 g ( 3 oz. About 3 slices0 scale bread in 75 g (3 oz. ½ cup) melted butter in a frying pan. fry until golden and  sprinkle over the cauliflower, serve immediately.

Swiss chard a la polonaise

Trim away the green parts of the leaves from the white central stalks of the Swiss chard, cut the white stalks into strips, remove the strings, then cut into pieces of the same length. Cook, covered, for  about 1 hour in a white stock for vegetables. Drain and finish the dish as for asparagus a la polanaise.  Cook the green part of the leaves like spinach for a separate dish.

POLONAISE Also known as brioche polonaise.  A brioche soaked in rum or kirsch, sliced and layered with cyrstallized (candied) fruits mixed with confectioner’s custard (pastry cream), and then covered  with merngue and decorated withsliced almonds before browning in the oven.  Small individual brioches may be hollowed out and filled with the  custard and fruit mixture and are  sometimes arranged on little pastry bases or in paper cases  before being covered with meringue.

RECIPE

Brioche polonaise

Make a brioche  weighing about 800 g ( ¾ lb.).  dice about 200 g (7 oz. ¾ cup) crystallized (candied) fruit and steep in kirsch. Make a syrup with 200 g (7 oz. ¾ cup) granulated sugar. 250 ml  (8 lf. Oz. 1 cup) water and a liquer glass of kirsch.  Prepare a confectioner’s custard (pastry cream; see  custard) with 50 g (2 oz. ½ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, 4 egg yolks, 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar and 500  ml (17 fl. oz. 2  cups) milk.  Mix 40 g ( ½  3 tablespoons) butter with the custard, then incorporate the drained fruit.

            Cut the brioche horizontally into slices, after removing the top. Dip the slices in the way syrup and spread each with a thick layer of the fruit custard.  Reshape the brioche and put the top back in position.  Stiffly whisk 4 egg whites, incorporating 50 g  (2 oz. ¼ cup) caster sugar.  Completely cover the brioche with the meringue, then sprinkle with icing (confectioner’s) sugar – no more than 2 tablespoons -  and scatter about 100 g ( 4 oz.1 cup)  shredded (silvered) almonds over the surface over the surface. Brown in a preheated oven at 230°C (450°F, gas 8) for 5 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

POLYPORE A generic term hot a very large number of mushrooms species growing  on three trunks.  The  polypore en touffee or poulet de bois and the  umble polypore are highly valued in the east for their  consistency and flavour, which  makes them excellent  accompaniments for chicken and fish.

POMEGRANATE  A shrub of Asiatic origin, cultivated for it large, edible  fruit. The fruit has a tough reddish-yellow or green skin enclosing many red seeds  surrounded by sweet, pinkish, juicy pulp.  The ancient Egyptians fermented pomegranates to make  a heady wine. The  fruit was regarded as a symbol of  love and fertility because of its numerous  seeds; it is  mentioned Greek mythology  as well as being depicted in Christian symbolism.  The dried seeds  were used as a condiment by the ancients, and the fruit was used mainly as a medicine until the  Renaissance.  Recipes featuring the pomegrante begin  to appear at the time  of Louis XIV.  Especially those for sauces and soups.

            It is cultivated in many tropical countries, including central America, Lebanon, pakistan and India, and it also grows in the south of France.  The fruit is usually eaten fresh or used to make refreshing drinks, but in some countries it is also sued as an ingredient or as a condiment; pomegrante concentrate is used in some Lebanese dishes (metaballs and stuffed fish); fresh seeds are used in salads, aubergine (eggplant) purees, sweet  couscous and almond cram  in oriental cookery; and crushed seeds are used in meat dishes in India and Pakistan.

RECIPE

Lemonade with pomergrante juice

Choose 6 very ripe pomegrantes, squeeze out the juice from the seeds using a vegetable mill or  blender, and then strain. Add the juice of 2 lemons and 2 oranges and the zest of 1 lemon and  1 orange. Add water (twice the volume of the  fruit juice) and sugar as required.  Steep for several hours or p to 36 hours in the refrigerator, pass through a every  fine strainer and chili before serving.

POMELO The largest of the citrus fruits, sometimes  known as shaddock.  The  pomelo is pear-shaped, 20-30 cm (8-12 in) long, with  a thick skin and a bitter, coarse flesh similar in flavour to the grapefruit, it  can be eaten on its own or used in the same recipes as grapefruit.

POMEROL A bordeaux wine  region, slightly north-west of Saint-Emilion. There is some gravel in  the soil, which makes the finer Pomentol wines, produced predominantly from the Merlot grape, very elegant. The most famous estaet is Chateau Petrus, but  there are many other well-known ones, inclding Chateaux lafleur,  Le Pin,  L’Eglise-Clinet and  la  Flur de Gay,

POMAINE, EDQUARD POZERSKI

French doctor and gastronome (born Paris, 1875; died Paris, 1964).  Head of the food physiology laboratory at the pasteur Institute, where he spend his  entire career,  Dr . de Pomiane conducted research into degistion and dietetics, which led hit to take  an interest in cooking.  He inverted gastro echnie, a  study of the physico-chemical processes to which foods are subjected during cooking. Himself a groumet, he  cooked to perfection, with an emphasis  on simplicity and the huarmonization of flavours. He  wrote in a lively, humorous and pleasant style and is  still one of the most popular of 20^th–century French gastronomical writers.

            We are particularly indebted to him for Bieu manager pour them vivre 91922) la Guisine en six  legions (1927), le Code de la Bonne chere (1924). Radio-Causine (1936), based on radio broadcasts in  193-33 and 1934-35, on this culinary discoveries, his travel, his own creations and his own creations and his favourable recipes ). In Cuisine fuive, gbettos modernes (1929)  he traced his polish family back to its origns 9his father emigrated to France in 1845). His other works include La Cvuisine pour la femiem du monde (1934).  Reflexes et Reflexions devant la nappe (1940) and Cuisine el Restrictions 91940), in which Pomiane  dealt humorously with subjects in which cooking with subjects in which cooking and contemporary life are closely associated.

PMMARD An AOC wine from a village in the Goe-de-Beaune in Burgundy. The red wines, produced from Pinot Noir, are deep in colour, with good structure, and are capable of long ageing.

POMME DE PIN a tavern established in the 16^th  century on lie de la  Cae in Paris. Made famous first by Francois Villon, then by Rebelais, it was associated from three centuries with the world of literature, being frequented by the poet of La Pleiade and  later by the classical poets. In the 17^th century writers were  allowed to get drunk free of charge, which helped the establishing to enjoy a long period of popularity.

            Other taverns of the same name existed in Paris, Rome and Copenhagen.  The symbol of the pine cone, from which the  tavern derives its name, is  probably a survival of the worship of dionysus, the  god of wine, whose symbol was a stick surrounded with wine  shoots and topped with a pine cone.

OMPADOUR, JEANNE POISSON, MARQUIESE, DE  French royal favourte (born Paris, 1721; died versailles, 1764). The  wife of Charles le Normant d’Etiolles, a farmer-general, she became Louis XV’s mistress in 1745 and was made a marquise.  She played an important role in the king’s life and  was a notable influence in the field of the  arts.

            Like many other courtesans of the periods, she  was very interested in cookery.  Several dishes were named  after her (dislikes of apricots, lamb chops, pheasant  croquettes and small  iced petits  fours), both during her lifetime and in the 19^th century (especially by Escoffer and Urbain Dubois). Other  dishes appear to be her own creations, such as fillets  of sole with truffles and mushrooms, chicken breasts  en believee and tendrons of lamb atu soleil (crooked in a white veal stock with thin escaiopes and truiffles).   Monselet also credits her with a sauce for  asparagus containing  butter and egg yolks, bound  with cornmeal and seasoned with verjuice.

            In  classic cookery Pompudour is the name of a  dish of noisettes of lamb or tourmedos fried and coated in Chorton sauce, them surrounded with  Perigueux sauce and artichoke hearts stuffed with lightly browned moisette potatoes.

            Salpicon Pompadour (diced foie gras, pressed tongue, mushrooms and truffles boudn with a madiera sauce) is used to fill timbales ad vol-au vent.

RECIPE

Savoury Dishes

Lamb cutlets Pompadour

 Braise the cutlets, which should be taken from the  fillet end and trimmed of fat; drain and allow to  cool thoroughly.  Mask with a well-reduced   Soubise puree and leave to dry. Coat with fine breadcrumbs and then beaten egg. Lightly brown the outlets in clarified butter. Serve with  lemon quarters and small buttered turnips.

Rissoles pompadour

Roll out some rough puff pastry to a thickness of 5 mm (1/4 in) and cut out an even number of circles  5-6 cm (2-2 ½ in) in diameter. Prepare a salpicon  of pickled tongue, truffles and mushrooms cooked in butter and bound with a very thick demi-glaze sauce; coat half the pastry circle with this mixture (not completely to the edge) and cover with the  remaining circles. Seal the rissoles tightly and leave for 30 minutes.  Fry inhot oil at 180°C (350°F) until  golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with fried parsley.

Sweet Dishes

Attereaux of apricots Pompadour

Thread slices of stable  brioche on skewers, alternating with halved apricots, which have been cooked in  syrup and thoroughly drained.  Dip them in fried with breadcrumbs  and deep-fry quickly in hot oil at 180 °C (350°F).  drain on paper towels, sprinkle with caster (superfine) sugar and serve with hot apricot sauce.

Rice cakes Pompadour

Prepare 175 g (6 oz. ¼ ) short-grain rice, cooking it until all the milk has been absorbed and the grains begin to burst allow to cool slightly.  Butter a baking sheet and spread the warm rice to a thickness of about  1 cm (1/2 in).  dot the surface with butter and allow to cool completely. Prepare  200 ml (7 fl. oz. ¾  cup) thick confectioner’s custard (pastry cream) flavoured with rum.  Chop 150 g (5 oz. 1 cup) crystallized (candied) fruits  into  small pieces. Cut the rice into 5 cm (2 in) squares.  Mix the custard and crystallized fruits and coat  the underside of the squares with this mixture; stick the squares together in pairs, coat twice with breadcrumbs and deep-fry in hot oil at 180°C (350°F.  ). Drain the cakes on paper towels and serve with  hot apricot sauce.

POMPANO An atlantic fish of the Carangidae  family, this is Truchinois carolinus, related to the round pompano. (Trachinotus ovatus), which is found in the  Mediterranean. Pompano is derived from tehSpanish name for vine leaf (pampana).  The fish is blue-green with a silver belly grows to about 45 cm (18 in).  length.  The flesh is firm  and delicate in flavour, making excellent  eating the round pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) is not considered to be the same culinary delicacy.

POMPE a sweet or savoury pastry, popular in  many parts of Auvergne, Lyon and Provence.  Pompe aux grattons, from the Bourbonnais area, is a type of tart or crown-shaped  brioche containing landons  or grattons, which is served as an entrée or with an aperitif (a white saint-Pourcain), in the Nivernais it is caled pompe auxe grigmaudes; pompe a ix poires, a fruit tart or pie, is also found here.

            In Auvergne, pompe (or pompo) aux, ommes is a traditional dish for family celebrations, Christmas  and Easter.  It is made of buttery rough puff or flaky pastry, spiced with cinnamon and filled with jam, plums or even cream cheese.

            In Provence, pompe a I’buile is a flat Christmas cake of leavened dough made with  olive oil, flavoured with orange-flower water, lemon zest or saffron, and sometimes studded with sugared almonds (dragees). The  pompe a lbuile is an essential elements of the 13 desserts of the Provencal Christmas, which  are eaten with mulled wine, its variants are numerous an include flammudo, gibassier, girodo, resseto and toca.

RECIPE

Christmas pompes

Place 1 kg (2 ¼ lb. 9 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour in a bowl and add 250 g (9 oz). Greased-dough  leaven cut into small pieces, 250 g (9 oz. 1 ½  cups, firmly packed) brown sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, 4 tablespoons olive and 3-4 whole eggs.  Mix well.   Add  the grated zest of an orange and a lemon. Knead the dough thoroughly and ‘throw’ it on the table. When it is  very soft, roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in an  oilled plastic bag and leave to rise in a warm, draught-free place for about 6 hors.  Knead the dough again, divide into 8 pieces and shape into crown. Place the crowns on a buttered cloth and  leave for a further 2 hours. Then place in preheated oven at  230°C (450°F, gas 8) and bake for  25 minutes. Remove from the  oven, moisten with  orange-flower water and  return to the oven for 5 minutes with the  oven door left open.

POMPONNETTE A small rissole, filled  with  forcemeat or a finely mnced salpicon, which  is  fried and served as hot  hors d’oeuvre. The name is  a diminutive of pompon.

RECIPE

Pomponnettes

Prepare 400-500 g (14-18 oz) lining pastry) and  leave in a cool place for about  2 hours.  Prepare 250 g (9 oz. 1 cup) gratin or game forcemeat, mushroom duxxlles or a ham and  mushrooms salpicon bound with  a very thick bechamel sauce.  Roll out the pastry to a thicknes of  3-4 mm (1/2 in) and cut into cricles 7.5 cm (3 in) in diameter.  Place s a small amounts of  filling on the centre of each circle. Moisten the edges, draw up together towards the middle like a small pouch and pinch firmly to seal.  Deep-fry the pomponnettes in hot oil heated to 180°(356°F) until golden. Drain on paper towels and serve very hot.

PONCHON, RAOUL French poet (born la Roche-sur-Yon.  1848 died Paris, 1937). He  wrote some  150,00 verses on the themes of eating and drinking.  Which were published in daily newspapers on the best of these appeared in the collection La Muse au cabaret, 1920). He proclaimed the bottle superior to the saucepan (‘one must eat to drink, not drink to  eat’) and proved to be a worth and proved to be a worthy beir of Saint-Amant,  Basselin and Beranger.  He was elected to the  Goncourt Academy in 1924.

PONT-L’EVEQUE An AOP sot cow’s-milk cheese (45-50% fat content) from Normally, with a washed or brushed crust, matured for six weeks in a damp cellar.  Sold either wrapped in waxed paper in a wooden box or unwrapped, it is 10 cm (4 in) square and 3 cm (1 ¼ in) thick. It should  have a smooth  crust, golden-yellow or orange in colour and never sticky, hard or greyish. The interior should be soft but not runny. It has pronounced flavour and  should ‘smell of the earth, not  mmure’: if  it smells too strong, it can be unpacked and wrapped in a  damp cloth for half a day.

            Point-l’Everque is served at the end of a meal with  a full-bodied red wine. The name comes from the  chief market  town of Calvados, where it is made.  Probably one of the oldest cheeses of Normandy, it  was mentioned by Guillaume de Lorris in the Roman de la  Rose, where  it was known as augelot (from augelot, meaning ‘cheese from Auge’).  It  is at its best in the autumn and winter. The  cheese should be cut first in half through the centre, then progressively toward the edges, keeping the remaining portions together  so that the interior does not dry out. It is still often farm-produced. The Pave d’Auge is similar but thicker.

PONT-NEUF A small Parisian pastry consisting of a tartlet  of puff or shortcrust pastry, filled with frangipane or a mixture of choux pastry and confectioner’s  custard (pastry cream) flavoured with rum or  with crushed macaroons, topped with a pastry cross and glazed with apricot jam or redeurrant jelly after baking.  This name is also given to a type of talmouse decorated with a lattice of pastry.

RECIPE

Ponts-neufs

Prepare a lining pastry with 200 g (7 oz. 1 ¾ cups)   plain (all-purpose) flour, pinch of salt, 25 g (1 oz.  2 tablespoons) caster (superfine) sugar, 100 g (4 oz, ½ cup) melted butter and 1 whole egg. Roll  the dough into a ball and put it in the refrigerator.  Prepare a confectioner’s  custard (pastry cream; see  custard) with 400 ml (14 fl oz. 1 ¾ cups) milk, 4 eggs.  50 g (2 oz. ¼ cup) caster sugar, half a vanilla pod (bean) and  25 g (1 oz. ¼ cup) plain flour; add 25 g (1 oz. ¼ cup) crushed macaroons and leave to cool. Prepare a choux paste with 100 ml (4 fl oz 7 tablespoons) water.  25 g (1 oz. 2 tablespoons)  butter, a pinch of salt, 65 g (2 ½ oz. 2/3 cup) plain flour, 3 eggs and 1/3 teaspoon caster sugar.  Leave to cool.

            Roll out the lining pastry very thinly, cut into 10 circles and line sections of patty tins (muffin pans) of a slightly  smaller diameter.  Roll the remaining pastry into a ball.  Mix the choux pastry with the  confectioner’s custard and fill the tarlets.  Galze the tops with egg yolk. Roll out the remaining pastry very thinly and cut into 20 thin strips; use to make a pastry cross on each tartlet.  Cook in a preheated  oven at 190°C (375°F, gas 5 ) for 15-20 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

            Melt 100 g (4 oz ½ cup) redcurrant jelly over a gentle heat; coat the opposite quarters of each tartlet with the jelly and dust the remaining quarters with icing (confectioner’s) sugar.  Keep cool until ready to serve.

PONT-NEUF POTATOES A dish of fried potatoes, cut into sticks twice as thick as matches. Pontneuf potatoes are generally used to garnish small cuts of grilled (broiled) beef, especially tournerdos  Henri IV (the names come from the statue of the  king on the Pont-Neuf in Paris). In English they are  popularly known  as chips (French fries)

RECIPE

Pont-neuf potatoes

Peel some large waxy potatoes, wash them and cut into sticks 1 cm (1 ½ in) thick and 7 cm (2  ¾ in ) long. Wash well and dry in cloth, deep-fry in oil heated to 170°C (339°F) for 7-8 minutes, until they begin to colour, then drain. Just before serving, fry again in the oil, reheated to 180°C (350°F), until golden.  Drain and sprinkle with line salt.

POPCORN Aerated grains of a type of maize (corn) that  explodes when cooked in a little  hot oil  in a covered pan. the moisture  in the grain causes  the starch to soften and swell when heated.  As the  moisture content evaporates, the corn pops, leaving the grain dry and crisp. They  may be coated with caramel, sprinkled with sugar or seasoned with salt.

POPPADOM.  Also known as poppadum, papadum, papad and by various other spelling.  This Indian savoury, a crisp, thin wafer, is usually classed as a type of bread.  The dough is made from  lentil or chick pea flour, rolled out very thin and fried. A raising agent in the dough makes it puff up during brief cooking, expanding in size and browning rapidly.

            Poppadoms may be plain or spiced, for example with cumin and/or peppercoms.  Chilli spiced poppadoms have a hot flavour. They are sold dried  ready for cooking in a little hot oil, or they can be cooked under a hot grill (broiler).  Authenticlaly, poppadoms are served throughuot or at the end of a  meal, but they are often eaten as an appetizer, with raita and/or fresh chutneys,  in restaurants.  Tiny  cocktail poppadoms are available  dried, and these  are ideal for serving with drinks.

POPPY Any plant of the genus Papaver.  The red poppy (coquelical in French) has blazing red petals. These are used as colouring in confectionery notably for coquelicots de Nemours, flat, rectangular  sweet (candles) made from cooked and flavoured sugar, colured red. Poppy leaves used to be eaten as a vegetable, much in the same way as sorrel.  When  in season, they are traditionally added with the flowers to the catillettes (flat sa usages) made in Viviers.

            Varieties of the opium poppy are cultivated for their blue-grey seeds, which are rich in oil (4-50%); these seeds are not narcotic Poppy-seed oil is extracted from varieties grown in the Balkans, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and (more rarely) in northern, France.  The oil is pale and has a pleasant taste, and it is used in cooking and to dress or  flavour dishes in the same way as olive oil, in Paris and northern  and northern France it is known is buile blanche  (white oil), olivette and pitite buile.

            Poppy seeds, which have a rather nutty taste, are  used mainly in pastisserie in Turkey, Egypt and central Europe, where they are used to flavour a cream filling for some gateux or are sprinkled over bread rolls (also very popular in Britain).  They   are also used as a condiment for cream and curd cheeses, to  flavour Chinese rice-flour noodles and as an ingredient in Indian curies.

PORBEAGLE A fish of the shark family, known as  taupe or ioville, it can reach a length of 3.7 m (12 ft). it is fished by the fishermen of the lle d’Yeu off Vendee throughout the year, but especially from May to September, when it migrates towards the coast.  It  is sold as ‘sea calf’, or as slices like tuna, and it is cooked in the same way as tuna.

PORCHE a Breton especially from Doi-de-Bretagne. Based on pig’s trotters (feet), bones and rinds, flavoured with various condiments and sorrel, it was  formerly cooked overnight in the local baker’s oven.

POREE A fairly thick puree or soup, made in the  Middle Ages with green vegetables, spinach, Swiss chands, leeks and watercress.  Depending on whether times were bad or not, these leaves were cooked in water, meat stock or almond milk.

RECIPE

Poree of Charnie

Chop the whites of 1.5 kg (3 ¼ lb.) leeks and soften them in 100 g (4 oz. 1/3 cup) slightly  salted butter  in  a frying pan. add 200 ml (7 fl. oz. ¼ cup) fish stock,  200 g (7 oz. ¾ cup) crème  fraiche, a pinch of coarse salt and the same of pepper.  Arrange  6 fillets  of turbot or John Dory, 6 pieces of monkfish, 6 scallops and 6 langoustine tails. Cover and poach  for 8 minutes. Serve the fish on the bed of leeks  thicken the liquid with 2 egg yolks and pour it over the fish.  Garnish with chervil.

PORK The flesh of the domestic pig. The  male pig is called a boat, the female a sow, and the young a piglet, porker or sucking pig, according to age. The  wild boar is the ancestor of the domestic pig.  It  become domesticated living on refuse near human settlements, which is why pork is regarded as  unclean in some religions. From  the Middle ages the  killing of a pig, an abundant source of food, was the occasion for a feast day.

            Selective breeding  has produced a high-meat carcass, with a thin coat of fat and large hams. In the  past pigs had long legs, were fattened on potatoes and chestnuts and were butchered at about 10 or 12 months.  Modern breeds have shorter legs and provide more meat; they are fattened in six or seven months on cereal flours and weigh between 90 and 100 kg (200-220 lb.) . Their meat  is in general less tasty and not always of the  quality.  The Large white Yorkshire, Western White, Darnish Landrace and the Belgian Pietrain, which is white with black patches, are among the most common breeds.  Pork is a widely consumed meat in France, Germany, Scandinavia and Britain.

§  Cuts of pork good-quality pork is identified  by firm pink flesh, which shows no trace of moisture;  whitish and damp flesh comes from a factory-farmed  pig and is bland; meat that is flaccid, too red or too fat comes from an older  animal of mediocre quality.  In northern and eastern France white meat is preferred; elsewhere, pink is more  sough-after. In Paris pork from a butcher is paler than that used for  charcuterie because pink meat absorbs water better, which  is an advantage in making pates, harms and  galantines. Some cooks prefer the former as being finer and more delicate, others the latter as having  more  flavour. Pork is eaten fresh, slightly salted, cured or smoked. There  is an old French saying that  all parts of a pig can be eaten and an English one  that  all parts can be eaten except the squeak. It is  true that even the ears, feet, offal (variety meats) and  tail, has culinary use, either  fresh or in charcuterie.

After  slaughter, the offal and head are removed  and the pig is cut in half; the leg and shoulder are cut from each half-carcass for separate treatment. It  is mainly the back of the pig  that is sold for fresh meat, although in Britain the leg and shoulder are also scold fresh. A wide variety of names is used for  different cuts, and many prepared meats are labeled  according to their suitability for specific cooking methods rather than the area of carcass from which they originate .  the following is a guide to some  traditional cuts and carcas sections.

§  The spare rib and bladebone (shoulder butt) are  roasted or braised in a casserole. More  moist than fillet (loin), soft and slightly  fatty, they can also be  made into a stew, grilled  (broiled) or fried as chops cut into cubes for kebabs or used for home-made  sausagemeat.

§  The foreloin  and the unboned  middle fillet  give succulent roasts but can also be prepared as chops and grilled (broiled) or fried; this is lean and rather  dry meat.

§  The hind loin is more succulent and less (fatty than the spareerib; it is usually  roasted.

§  The tenderloin is the middle part of the fillet,  which consists of tender juicy noisette.

§  Grillades is the French name for thin blade steaks cut in a fan shape, which are flat and excellent for  grilling (broiling); they are tasty but rather rare.

§  The leg is sometimes eaten fresh; the fillet end can be cut into thick slices and grilled (broiled) or used  for kebabs; it can also be braised or roasted.  The  knuckle  end is usually boiled in stock.

§  The hand (picnic shoulder) is often braised on the  bone; when chopped, it makes a fine meat for pate.  It can also be roasted or sautéed  and is often  used in a potee or with sauerkraut.

§  The thick end of belly consist of the top ribs; formerly eaten only  salt pork, it can also be grilled (broiled) as spare ribs or cooked in a sweet-and-sour sauce, Chinese style, it is  from the belly of the animal that the fat and skin are removed to make  lardons and strips for barding and larding.

§  Pork in cookery. Pork has been enjoyed in France since the time  of the Gauls.  It was, however, a meat of the common people; Grimod de la Reyniere saw the pig as ‘an encyclopedic animal, a meal on legs’ that did not  provide roasts for aristocratic tablets; be considered only sucking pig to be of value. The  same is   true of Britain, where pigs were economical to fee and easy to rear in small spaces, such  as the  back gardens of town houses as well as country cottage gardens.

A rich and fatty meat, pork goes well with  (pineapple, apples, prunes) and vegetable purees. It  can be enlivened with green sweet (bel) pepper, mustard, fried onions,  pepper sauce, garlic or a roquefort sauce. Garnished with beans and Lentils, it makes a  substantial winter meal. Aromatic herbs (especially sage) are often used to flavour roast and grills.

The base of all French regional potees, pork is also  used in recipes inspired by Chinese,  Caribbean and  Danish cookery.

RECIPES

Grilled pork chops

Seasoned the chops with salt pepper, brush with melted butter or oil and  grill (broil) under a moderate heat, turning once.  Arrange on a serving dish  and garnish with watercress.  Serve with lemon  wedges.

Loin of pork a l’alsacienne

Salt and pepper a loin of pork and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6) allowing 50 minutes per 1 kg (22 minutes per 1 lb, and turning it over  halfway through  the cooking time. Prepare  a braised sauerkraut with a garnish of bacon and sausages. Drain  the loin, place in the centre of  the sauerkraut and continue cooking for a further 15 minutes.  To serve, cut the  bacon into slices and  separate the loin chops.  Arrange on the sauerkraut  with the sausages and boiled potatoes.

Loin of pork bonne femme

Salt and pepper a loin of pork. In a flameproof dish heat 15 g (1/2 oz. 1 tablespoon) butter or lard per 1 kg ( 2 ¼ lb.)  meat. Brown the meat on all sides, then places the dish in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6) and cook according to the weight of  the meat, allowing 50 minutes per 1 kg (22 minutes per lb). about 25 minutes before 

The end of the  cooking time, and add 500 g (18 oz) peeled  potatoes  per 1 kg (2 ¼ lb.) meat and 20 small (pearl) onions fried in butter. Season with salt and pepper, cover and finish cooking. Separate the loin chops and  serve very hot,  sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Loin of pork with red cabbage.

Prepare a braised red cabbage while  roasting a loin  of pork. Arrange the pork on a hot serving dish; surround with red cabbage and boiled potatoes or braised chestnuts.  Serve very hot.

Mother’s cretons

In a heavy-based saucepan place 500 g (18 oz.  2 ¼ cups) minced (ground) shoulder of pork, 1 chopped  onion 2 crushed garlic cloves, I cup breadcrumbs, 1 cup milk, 1 cup chopped parsley, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly, cover and cook for 2 hours over a gentle heat, stirring frequently.  Leave to cool, then process in a blender or food processor for 2 minutes.  Pour into a buttered terrine and refrigerate until firm.

Neck of pork with broad beans

Soak 1 kg (2 ¼ lb.) smoked neck of pork for 12 hours infresh water, changing the water two or three  times if the  meat seems too salty. Place the pork  in a braising pan and cover with cold water. Bring  to the  boil and skim. Add 1 leek, 1 carrot, 1 onion, I celery stick, 1 bay  leaf,  6 peppercorns 3 cloves and 200 ml (7 fl. oz. ¼ cup)  Rivaner or Rie ling. Cover and cook  for 2-3 hours.  Prepare a roux with 50 g (2 oz ¼ cup) butter and 2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour, dilute with stock from the braising pan to  make a sauce  cook  1 kg (2 ¼ lb.) broad (fava) feans  wit a few sprigs of summer savory; serve the meat. sliced, with the beans and boiled potatoes.

Pork chops a la bayonnaise

Stud the chops with silvers of garlic.  Season  with  salt, pepper, powdered thryme and bay leaf and  sprinkle with oil and a dash of vinegar. Leave  to marinate for 1 hour, then sauté  briskly in  lard. When the chops are browned on both sides, surround them  with small new potatoes tossed in  goose fat and cep mushrooms fried in oil.  Cook in  a preheated oven at 200°C (400 °F, gas 6) for 20 minutes.  Arrange  on a hot dish and sprinkle with chopped parsley. 

Pork chops a la gasconne

Marinate the  chops as for pork chops a la bayonnaise. Fry  quickly in butter or goose fat.  Place in a pan with  6 peeled and slightly blanched garlic cloves  per chop and finish cooking over a gentle heat for 20 minutes. When the chops are almost cooked add 8 stoned (pitted) blanched green olives per chop.  Arrange the chops in  a crown and put the garnish in the centre. Deglaze the pan juices with  4 tablespoons white  wine, add a few tablespoons of  meat juice (or stock) if required and reduce. Pour the sauce over the chops and sprinkle with  chopped parsley.

Pork chops a l’alsacienne

Salt and pepper the pork  chops and either sauté  in a little butter or lard or braise them.  Arrange in a  turban on heated serving dish and garnish as for  loin of pork a l’alsacienne. Coat the chops with  their deglazed cooking juices or, if braised, with the strained braising juices.

Pork chops charcutiere

This dish  is found ready-cooked  in some French pork butchers’ shops, prepared as follows.  Sauté  the pork chops (they may be coated with breadcrumbs) in lard, then simmer in charcutiere sauce with thinly sliced gherkins.

            In restaurants the preparation is as follows, flatten the chops slightly, season, coat with melted butter and breadcrumbs and gently grill (broil)  arrange  them in a crown and fill  the centre of the dish with mashed potato.  Serve separately. Ina sauceboat, a charcutiere sauce to which  chopped gherkins have been added at the last minutes.

Pork chops pilleverjus

Trim and  slightly flatten 4 pork chops.  Season with  salt and pepper, and fry in lard until both sides are  golden. Place 4 tablespoons finely chopped onions, lightly cooked in butter, in the frying pan.  add a bouguet  garni, cover  and cook gently for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, shred a spring cabbage heart and cook in butter. Moisten with a few tablespoons  of boiling cream, then stir.  Arrange the cabbage julienne in a dish, place the chops on top and garnish with boiled potatoes if required. Deglaze the pan juices with 1 tablespoon vinegar and 4 tablespoons meat glaze and pour over the chops.

Pork chops with Robert sauce

Season the chops with salt and pepper, grill (broil) gently and serve with Robert sauce and mashed potatoes or haricot (navy) beans.

            Alternatively, sauté  chops in butter or lard; when half-cooked, add 100 g (4 oz. 2/3 cup)  finely  chopped white onions (for 4 chops). Drain the chops, arrange  on a serving dish and keep warm. Deglaze the pan juice with 200 ml (7 fl. oz., ¾ cup) white wine and reduce almost completely.  Moisten with 300 ml (1/2 pint, 1 ¼ cups) demi-glace sauce  or 200 ml  (7 fl. oz. ¾ cup) stock and boil for 5 minutes.  Add 1 tablespoon concentrated  tomato puree  (paste)  and thicken with 1 tablespoon beurre  manie. Remove from the heat and add a pinch of  caster (superfine) sugar and 1 tablespoon mustard to sauce.  Pour the sauce over the chops and serve very hot.

Roast loin of pork with various garnishes

Season a loin of pork with salt and pepper 2 hours before cooking.  In a overnproof dish heat a maximum of 15 g (1/2 oz. 1 tablespoon) lard per 1 kg  (2 ¼ lb.) meat.  brown the meat on all sides, place  the dish in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas  6) and cook for about 50 minutes per 1 kg (22 minutes per 1 lb.)  baste the loin with its cooking juices and turn it several times during cooking.

            Serve with the cooking juices, skimmed of fat and any of the following garnishes: potatoes  (boulangere, dauphinoise, or pureed).  A vegetables puree (celery, endive, cabbage. Brussles sprouts, chicoy, artichoke hearts or lettuce) or  fruit (apples, pears or pineapple). The skimmed cooking juices can also be used to make various sauces, such as charcutiere, piquante, Robert or  tomato.

Roast pork with Jerusalem artichokes

Peel 800 g (1 ¾ lb. ) Jerusalem artichokes per 1 kg (2 ¼ lb.) meat Trim them into large bulb shapes and blanch for 5 minutes in boiling salted water.  Rinse. In cold water and drain. Melt 20 g (3/4 oz. 1 ½ tablespoons) lard in a pan and brown the pieces of pork  gently.  Cook in preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) allowing 50 minutes per 1 kg (22 minutes per l lb.).  About 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the artichokes and season with  salt and pepper.

            Serve the roast pork surround by the artichokes; the deglazed cooking juices should be served separately.

Salt pork with  lentils

Soak 500 g (18 oz).  Slightly  salted spare ribs. 1 slice  slightly salted knuckle end of ham, 400 g (14 oz.) slightly salted join and 200 g (7 oz.) slightly  salted belly of  pork steaked with fat in cold water for at least 2 hours.  Rinse all the pieces, place in plenty of cold water, bring to the  boil.  Skim thoroughly and simmer for 1 hour. Pick over 500 g (18 oz, 2 ½  cups).  Puy lentils, then wash, drain and cook for 15 minutes  in plenty of water.  Drain again and add to the meat with 1 large onion stick with 2 cloves.  2 carrots, 2 leeks a bouquet garni and a few black pepper percorns. Simmer for 45 minutes, skimming from  time to  time. Add 1 cooking sausage and continue cooking for another 40 minutes.  Remove  al the  meat and  reserve in a warm place.  Discard the  bouquet garni and drain the lentils.  Place in a large  serving dish and arrange the sliced meat on top.

Sautéed  pork  chops

Trim and flatten 4 pork chops and season with salt and pepper.  Heat 25 g 91 oz. 2 tablespoons)  butter or lard in a frying pan and brown the chops on  both sides. Cover the pan and cook for about 15  minutes.  Remove  the chops and arrange on a hot dish.  Coat with the deglazed cooking  juices and  serve with any of garnishes suggested for roast loin of pork.”

Shoulder of pork with five spices

In a mortar crush 2 garlic cloves and 2 shallots with 2 teaspoons sugar and the same amount of muocmam and soy sauce, ½   teaspoon five spices and a little  black pepper.  Fry the shoulder of pork, with  its rind, on a all sides, then add the spice mixture. Cover and cook for 30 minutes over a moderate  heat turning the meat halfway through the cooking  time. Remove the lid and reduce, turn the meat in its cooking juices, then  remove and slice; arrange  the slices on a plate and pour over the reduced  juices. Serve with plain boiled rice.

Other recipes.  See ballotine, boulangere, brochette, ear, feet and trotters, kidneys, longuedocienne, liver, pate, pineapple, salting, sauerkraut (saverkrout a talsacienne), spare ribs, zampone.

PORK FAT The  fatty tissue lying just beneath the skin of a pig. At one  time a staple  item of the diet, pork fat today is used mostly as a seasoning or a  cooking fat. In France a distinction is made between pure pork fat (lard gras) and belly fat (lard mutgre).

            Pure  pork fat is usually used fresh and occurs in two layers.  The layer closest to the flesh is used mostly for making lard and is called ‘melting fat’  the layer next to the skin, called ‘hard fat’ (leaf lard), is firmer and melts less readily; it is used mostly for barding.

            Belly fat consists of fat streaked with muscular  tissue. It has many more culinary uses than pure pork  fat and can be salted  or smoked, as well as used fresh.  Thinly sliced belly pork – or streaky bacon – is often served with eggs.

            The thick fat found especially around the fillet and the kidneys is known in France as panme.  When  melted, it yields a high-quality lard, used for preparing fine forcemeats and white sausage. In Lorraine,  the residue (chons) obtained by gently melting this  pork fat in stewpan is used to flavour a large,  crusty, flat cake, which is served with dandelion salad and a rose wine.

PORKOLT. One of the four great Hungarian dishes seasoned with paprika. Also flavoured with onions,  porikolt is made ithw meat that is too fat for goulash, cut into larger pieces. Mutton, game, pork, goose  and duck are served in this way, as are veal or even fish (carp) and sometimes shrimps (in white wine).

PORK RIND  pork rind  is a generally thick,  hard and very fatty. When  scaled or singed and scraped, it is used to line casseroles and stewpans, adding its  fat to the preparation. It is an ingredient of pork brawn (headcheese), brefatude soup zampone, cassoulet, and various items of  characterie, such as  coulenu.  Along  with calves’ feet, it can be used to  give the gelatinous elements required in the preparation of meat  aspics. After boiling in a flavoured stock, pork rind may be used to prepare ballotines  9meat loaves) and roulades.

PORRIDGE A dish of rolled  oats or oatmeal cooked in boiling water of milk, which can be  eaten, with or without  sugar, with hot or cold  milk or cream. It is a traditional breakfast dish in Anglo-Saxon countries.  The name is derived form French potage.  An ancient  food of Celtic origin, it  has  always been popular in Scotland’s chargeable  climate, where  it is eaten with salt instead of sugar, and  in Ireland and Wales. Its reputation has spread throughout.  Britain and its especially enjoyed with  brown sugar and cream.

RECIPE

Porridge

Add 1 tablespoon salt to 1 litre (1 ¾ pints, 4 ¼  cups) water and bring to the boil. Sprinkle  240 g (9 oz.3 cups)  rolled oats into the water and boil gently, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until  the mixture thickens (about 15 minutes).  Each serving may be sprinkled with sugar or salt and eaten with milk or cream poured over it.

PORT One of the great wines of the world. It is produced from a demarcated region in the Upper Douro Valley in northern Portugal and is usually matured and blended in the amarzeus (wine lodges) of the shippers in Vila Nova de Gaia opposite Opostto (the wine takes its name from this sea port) traditionally, in order to quality as true port, the wine had to be shipped over the bar or the point   where the Douro meets the Atlantic.  However, producers are now able to export wines direct from the vineyards,  thus opening un the market  to smaller growers who previously had to sell their wines to the largest companies.

            The name ‘port’  is protected within the UE, although  many other  countries  produce  ‘port-style’  wines. The wine is made from a blend of grape varieties, including Touriga  Nacional,  touriga Francesa,  Tinta Cao and Tinta Rortiz, and the fermentation is  arrested by the addition of grape spirit.  Depending on when the spirit is added, the resulting  port varies  in sweetness because of the natural sugars retained  in the wine. There  are various  styles of port.  While  port is produced from white grapes and is a ideal chilled as an aperitif – if  is often drink in Portugal with a tonic water mixer.  Ruby  port is perhaps the  simplest  wine. It is a blend of young wines from different vintages, aged in bulk for a few years and  bottle. It is  a deep ruby in colour and full and fruity. The name given to vintage Character ports is misleading  in essence  they are premium ruby ports   and are  often sold under brand names.

            Tawny ports are variable in quality, but the finer  wines and those with an indication of age – 10, 20,  20 or over 40 years – are blended wines that have  matured for longer in wooden cask, thus taking on a mellow tawny colour. They become elegant and raisins.

            Colheitas are tawny ports from a single harvest and aged for a least seven years in wood.  Late bottled vintage ports (LBV0  are a blend of wines from  one harves and bottled after hour to six years.  LBVs labeled Traditional are not filtered before bottling  and so will throw a sediment, which will need  decanting. The  wines are ready for drinking when bottled.

            Vintage port is made only in exceptional years, which are  ‘declared’.  Only grapes picked from the  top quality vineyard sites are used. The wines are matured in cask for around two years, then bottled  without filtering. They develop slowly, becoming  more harmonious and complex, and are suitable for ageing for at least 15 years.

            Single Quinta ports  are wines from a single estate (quinia) and  are produced in very  good  years  when there  is no vintage declaration.  The  method of production is similar to Vintage port. Both  styles require  decanting, as does crusted port, which is produced  from a blend of harvests and bottled young.

            Port may be enjoyed at any time – more  unusual  food pairings are drinking Tawny with soft cheese or fruit  cake, and LBVs with chocolate. The classic  combination is with cheese, particularly  strong Cheddar or stilto.

PORTEFEUILLE, EN Describing dishes in which  the food is stuffed, folded or placed in layers one  on top of the other. The term is applied to the  following dishes veal chops split, stuffed and  cooked in a caul (caul fat) or coated with breadcrumbs, a grain of sautéed  potatoes a la lyonnaise,  and minced (ground)meat layered with sauce and  topped with pureed potatoes.  An omelette en portefeuille is folded in three, fist towards the side opposite the handle of the pan, then towards the centre of the pan.

RECIPES

Grilled veal chops en portefeuille

Soak a pig’s caul (caul fat) in cold  water for 2 hours. Take thick veal chops from the loin, cut open the  lean meat and season the pocket with salt and pepper; fill with mushroom duxelles or with a salpicon of pressed tongue and mushrooms cooked slowly in butter, bound with a thick bechamel sauce.  Wrap each chop in a piece of caul and grill  (broil) gently. Serve  with buttered spinach.

Sautéed  veal chops en portefeuille

Prepare the chops as for grilled veal chops en portefeullie, then cook in butter in frying pan.  arrange  the chops on  a round dish with small braised carrots, keep  warm. Deglaze the cooking juices with  white wine and stock, bind  with beurre manie and pour over the chops.

Veal chop cussy en portefeuille

Cut a pocket in a thick veal chop taken from the  middle of the loin.  Stuff with a salpicon of mushrooms, carrot and lean ham bound with a thick, seasoned  bechamel sauce. Secure with a wooden  cocktail stick (toothpick). Coat the chop with  beaten egg and breadcrumbs and cook in clarified  butter until golden on both sides.  Prepare a risotto and add cream, grated cheese and a salpicon to truffles. Arrange the chop on a round dish garnished  with the truffle risotto. Pour a ring of brown  veal gravy, flavoured with tomato, around the dish; sprinkle the chop with noisette butter.

PORTE-MAILLOT Also known as maillot.  A garnish for large pieces of braised meat, consisting of carrots, turnips, onions and green  beans, Braised lettuce or cauliflower is sometimes added to the mixture.

RECIPES

Braised beef porte-maillot

Cut 100 g  (4 oz). Fat (slab)  bacon into thin strips and  marinate for 12 hours in a mixture  of oil and  brandy (one-third brandy, two-thirds oil), mixed  herbs, chopped  garlic, and salt and pepper, interlard 1.5 kg. (3 ¼  lb.)  trimmed beef aigulillettes with the bacon strips. Braise the meat in a flameproof  casserole with 200 ml (7 fl. oz. ¾ cup)  white wine, the same amount of stock and the ingredients of the marinade.

            Glaze 250 g (9 oz.) small (pearl) onions, 250 g  (9 oz.) small turnips and 500 g (18 oz.)  new carrots.  Cook the beef for at least 2 ¾ hours; 10 minutes  before the end of the cooking time add the onions, carrots and turnips and finished cooking. Steam some green beans until just tender and  drain.  Arrange the meat on a long serving dish (platter) and surround with the vegetables in separate piles. Keep warm.

            Skim the fat off the cooking juices, strain and  reduce. Sprinkle  with chopped parsley and serve  the sauce separately in a sauceboat.

Braised ham porte-maillot

Braise, drain and dress the ham.  Place  it in a small braising  pan, pour over 500 ml (17 fl. oz. 2 cups) Madeira, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Prepare a garnish of glazed carrots  and onions  green beans cooked in salted water and braised lettuce.  When  the ham is  cooked, glaze  it in the oven.  Arrange  on  long serving dish (platter) surrounded by the vegetables in separate piles and  keep warm. Skim the fat off the cooking juices strain and serve separately.

Braised ham porte-maillot

Braise, drain and dress the ham. Place it  in a small braising pan, pour over 500 ml (17 fl oz. 2 cups) Madiera, cover and simmer gently  for 30 minutes. Prepare a garnish of glazed carrots and onions,  green beans  cooked in salted water and braised lettuce.  When the ham is cooked, glaze it in the oven.  Arrange on a long serving dish (platter), surrounded by the vegetables in separate piles and keep warm. Skim the fat off the cooking juices, strain and serve separately.

PORT-SALUT  A trademark granted by the monks  of Port-du-Salut Abbey at Entrammes in Mayenen to  a commercial enterprise making Saint-Paulin cheese  like al Saint-Paulins, Port-Salut is made from  pasteurized cow’s milk (45-505 fat content). The cheese is pressed, but not cooked and has a washed crust. It is round, about 20 cm. (8 in) in diameter and 7.5 cm  (3 in) deep, and has a soft, creamy texture. It  is served at the end of a meal or on toast and is used to make croque-monsieur.  The Trappist monks  of Entrammes produce a similar cow’s-milk  cheese in the same way.

PORTUGAISE, A LA describing various dishes (eggs, fish, kidneys, small pieces of meat and poultry) in which tomatoes predominate.

RECIPES

Portuguese omelette

Fill an  omelette with a very thick spicy tomato sauce or concassee and surround it with  a ring  of the same sauce.

Portuguese sauce

Finely chop 2 large onions and cook in 1 tablespoon olive oil until soft.  Peel, seed and crush 4 tomatoes and add to the onions, together  with  2 crushed garlic cloves.   Bring to the boil, cover and cook slowly for 30-35 minutes, stirring from time  to time, until the tomatoes are reduced to a pulp.  Moisten with 150 ml (1/4 pint, 2/3 cup) stock and  season with ground pepper.  Leave to cook for a further  10 minutes.  Bind with 2 teaspoons beurre manie and sprinkle with  chopped parsley.

Sole a la portugaise

Lightly  butter a long ovenproof dish and cover with a thick tomato sauce flavoured with garlic.  Trim, prepare and season a 675 g  ( 1 ½  lb.) sole and by it  in dish. Moisten with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 2 tablespoons fish stock, cook in a preheated oven at 230 °C (450°F,  gas 8) for about 10 minutes, basting the sole from  time to time with its cooking juices.  Sprinkle with  breadcrumbs, brown under the grill (broiler), then sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Tournedos a la portugaise

Prepare very small  stuffed tomatoes  and  brown  them with some chateau potatoes.  Fry the steaks in  a mixture of butter and oil, drain and keep warm.  Deglaze the cooking  juices with white wine and  thick tomato sauce  and thicken with  a little beurre  manie.  Arrange  the tournedos on the serving dish with the tomatoes and the potatoes. Serve the  sauce separately.

POT Formerly in France, a pot was a large cooking vessel. The word survives in the dishes poule au pot 9stewed chicken) and pot-au-feu.  It is still used in Britain too, in ‘stockpot’ and ‘hot-pot.

POTATO A starchy tuber, native to America, which is a major food in the form of a vegetable (always cooked); it is also processed in a wide variety of ways and sued in distilling, the starch industry and  the biscuit (cracker) trade.

§  History the potato, which was originally grown by the Incas, was discovered in Peru by Pizzaro and  brought to Europe in 1534. Fifty years later Sir Walter  Releigh made the same discovery in Virginia and  brought the potato to England.  The  English name, like the Spanish (batata), is derived from patata, the  American  Indian name  for the sweet potato (due to  early confusion between the two vegetables). The Spaniards introduced it to Italy, where it was called  tartufola (little  trufifle). It was soon planted all over  Europe:  in Germany it was called Kartoffel, in Russia  kartotschbleu and in France cartoufe or tartoufie, being  eaten their  in the 16^th  century in the form of regional dishes, such as the truffade and the truffiat. Long regarded in France as food fit only for the poor, the potato was popularized by Parmentier and  became one of the staple foods at the beginning of the 19^th century. It lends itself  to the most  comprehensive  range of recipes of all vegetables, from the popular mash and chips (French freis)  to the elaborate potato  straw nests, duchness potatoes and souffle potatoes.

§  Types . There are numerous varieties of potatoes  available,  varying according to country and season, but with a broad choice throughout the year. They  fall into two main categories -  early  or new potatoes and main crop or old potatoes. Modern  cultivation  methods and food transportation mean that early or  new potatoes are now available throughout the year. In addition to these two categories, salad potatoes  are small, waxy vegetables with a thicker skin than  new potatoes (but this is not as thick as that on main crop or old potatoes).  Salad potatoes  have the  texture and fuller flavour   of new potatoes.

Fine–skinned early potatoes, traditionally harvested in the spring and early summer, do not  keep well. Main crop potatoes can be stored in a dry,  dark and  cook environment for several months – traditionally from the end of the picking season in autumn through to the following spring. Thick brown paper bags are the best form of container because polythene make the vegetables  sweat and not.

Main crops potatoes are classed according to their  texture and  cooking qualities. Although they are  never as firm and waxy as early or salad potatoes  they are described as waxy  or Houry, suitable  for boiling  and most  methods or for baking, roasting  and frying. Some  tradition types fell between the categories  and were traditionally labeled as good cooking potatoes for general use, many popular cultivars tend to be produced for this quality, and they  are unlikely to disintegrate with  careful boiling  but are also good for baking.

            Potatoes may have white or red skins, or a mixture of both.  The colours vary from creamy white to  yellow-cram; from pink; through  light  red to deep red, purple, mauve, blue or virtually black. The flesh  of the purple and dark-skinned  varieties  is often a  similar colour  to the skin.  Colour  is not necessarily an indicator of cooking quality, and there are waxy or floury examples of each type.

            Examples of early or new varieties include Jersey Royals, Home Guard, Arran Pilot or Piper and Marris  Piper.  Main crop potatoes include the wel-known pentland square , Golden Wonder, King  Edward, Maris Piper, Ailsa, Desiree and Wilja.  Salad potatoes  include Linzer Delicatesee and Pink  Fir Apple. When  buyiing, the description of texture and cooking qualities  is the  most useful guide.

§  Storage.  Potatoes should be stored in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place at 8-10°C (46-50°F) to prevent them from sprouting  or freezing.  It is  particularly important that the storage place is dark and cool, to  prevent the development of solanine, a  substance normally present in small amounts.  When the level  rises, the potatoes turn green, and the high  solanine  content is toxic so that vegetables should be discarded immediately.

§  Preparation and use.  Numerous utensils  have been designed  for preparing potatoes, including  the  potato peeler holder  (for peeling a potato broiled  in its skin without  burning  oneself).  Knife-guide (for producing regular slices), special knives for potato straws, waffles and chips, the  chip cutter. Chopping and  shredding board, scoop and master.

§  Potatoes  can be served with moist meats, poultry, fish and even eggs many  combinations are standard; gigot a la boulangere, chateubriand  with pont-neuf  potatoes, hachis Parmentier, Francillon salad , poached fish and steamed potatoes, and numerous  garnishes (a la bougeouise, flamande, Henri IV, maraichere, Montreauil, Parmentier).  The potato also  forms the basis of many traditional of many traditional and regional dishes, both in France and countries, aligot, gratin dauphinois or savoyard, goulash, Irish stew, criques, rosti, saladier lyonnais and plutters.

Its flavoured can be complemented by grated cheese, bacon, onion, cream, herbs, garlic and  spices. Potatoes  are also sued to give body to a  number of dishes, including quenellies, gnocchi, vegetable and meat loaves, stews, croquettes and  panada, Careme even had the idea of making a  small pastry with it, and the potato can be used, very successfully, mixed with wheat flour in pastry bread dough and scones.

RECIPES

Baked potatoes with garlic

Peel 1.5 kg (3 ¼ lb.) potatoes, cut into slices, wash and dry.  Heat a mixture of oil and butter in a flameproof casserole, than add 4 chopped garlic  cloves and 3 thinly sliced onions.  Fry gently, stirring until soft.   Add the potatoes and mix well.  Cover  and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6) for about 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender.  Sprinkle  with chives.

Baked stuffed potatoes

Peel some  large potatoes, trim off the ends and carefully scoop out the  inside to leave cylinder  shapes.  Blanch the potato cylinders, drain and pat  dry. Season them with salt and pepper inside and  out, fill them with the chosen stuffing, then arrange them closely packed together in a buttered flameproof dish. Half-cover them with clear stock. Bring  to the boil, then cover and cook in a preheated  oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6) for 30-35 minutes.

            Drain the potatoes and arrange in a buttered ovenproof dish.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs or grated cheese (or  a mixture of both), pour melted butter over them and brown  in a preheated oven at 230°C (450°F, gas 8). The cooking juice may be used  as the base for a sauce to go with the potatoes.

§  Potatoes stuffed  with duxelles Fill the potatoes with a highly seasoned duxelies.

§  Stuffed potatoes  a la charcutiere Fill the potatoes  with sausagemeat mixed  with plenty of chopped parsley and garlic and, if desired, chopped onion fried in butter.

§  Stuffed  potatoes  a la provencole Mix equal  amounts  of canned tuna in oil and chopped hard-boiled  (hard-cooked) egg yolks. Bind  with well-reduced tomato fondus or a rich  tomato sauce and adjust the seasoning this stuffing must be highly  spiced.

Deep-fried potatoes

Peel or scrub  the potatoes, slice or cut into fingers for making British-style chips. Cut fine fingers for  French fries. Rinse  then dry the potatoes  thoroughly.  Heat  the oil for deep-frying to 180°C (350°F).  This temperature will drop to 150°F (300°F) when  the potatoes  are added and the oil  should be reheated to 180°C (350°F).  Continue  cooking, uncovered, until the potatoes turn golden . shake the basket or rearrange the potatoes  occasionally  so that  they cook evenly.

            Thick and fine chips (French fries), known as pont-neuf potatoes in French, should be drained when they are tender before they have turned  brown. Reheat the oil and then add the potatoes again  and cook until crisp and brown.  This double-frying process gives chips a crisp, light finish.

            When potatoes are cut very  finely into potato straws, they will cause only a small drop in the temperature of the fat and will  therefore need to  be immersed only once.

Hashed potatoes

Boil some potatoes in salted water, drain and chop up roughly.  Sauté  them well in butter in a frying  pan. add salt and pepper. Press them well down into the form of a cake, leave to brown and then  turn out on a warm dish. Chopped onions fried in butter may be added to these hashed and browned potatoes, which typical of American cooking.

Mashed potatoes.

Peel and quarter the potatoes of cut the into large chunks. Boil in salted water for about 15 minutes or until  tender.  Drain thoroughly, then return. Them for the pan.  heat, shaking the pan, for a few seconds to evaporate moisture.  Then  remove  from  the heat and add 75 g (3 oz., 6 tablespoons) butter per 800 g (1 ¾ lb).  potato. Mash, then add a little milk and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.   Adjust the seasoning, adding freshly ground white pepper.

            The mash may be flavoured with grated cheese 75 g (3 oz. 2/4 cup) per 800 g (1 ¾  lb.) mash  or placed in a buttered dish, sprinkled with a little  melted butter and browned in the oven or under the grill (broiler).

            Alternatively, a potato ricer, mouli grater or vegetable mil may be used to make the mash instead of a hand masher.

Potato cocotte

Cut some peeled potatoes into finger shapes, then trim into oblongs 4-5 cm (1 2/ - 2 in) long (keep the  trimmings for a soup). wash and drain the potatoes,  place in a saucepan, cover with cold, unsalted water and bring rapidly to the boil. Drain the potatoes.

            Heat a knob of butter and a little oil in a sauté  pan big enough to hold the potatoes  in a single layer.  As  son as the fat is hot, add the potatoes, seal them over a brisk  heat, then sauté  them gently for about  15 minutes.  Cover  and place them in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) and continue cooking  for about 10 minutes.  Check the potatoes while cooking and remove  from the oven as soon as they have  browned.  Drain and season them with fine salt. Serve in a vegetable dish or next to the meat to be garnished, sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Potatoes a la boulangere

Prepare 800 g (1 ¾ lb. )peeled potatoes, cut into slices and brown them in 40 g (1 ½  oz.3 tablespoons) butter.  Slice 400 g 914 oz) onions and  brown in 20 g 93/4 oz. 1 ½  tablespoons) butter.  Arrange alternative layers of potatoes and onions in  a buttered ovenproof dish.  Seasoned with  a little salt  and pepper, then cover completely with stock.  Cook in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) for about 25 minutes, them reduce  the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F, gas 4) and leave to cook for a further 20 minutes.

            If required, add a little stock while they are cooking.

Potatoes a la crème

Boil some firm unpeeled potatoes  in salted water peel them immediately, cut into thick slices and  arrange them in lightly buttered   casserole. Cover  with crème fraiche, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and cook them in preheated oven at 200°C (400 °F, gas 6) until  the cream has completely reduce  and the potatoes re tender.  Add a little  extra cream  just before  serving and sprinkle  with chopped herbs.

Potatoes a la maitre d’hotel

Put some potatoes  in a saucepan of cold salted water, bring to the boil and boil until cooked.  Peel and  cut into thin slices.  Place in a sauce pan and cover with boiling milk or water. Add 40 g (1 ¼ oz. 3 tablespoons) butter per 800 g (1 ¾ lb. ) potatoes.  Season  with salt and pepper. Cover  the pan and boiled until the liquid has reduced. Turn  into a vegetable dish and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Potatoes a la sarladaise

Peel and wash 1.5  kg (3 ¼ lb.)  potatoes. Cut into lengthways, then cut each half into quarters. Heat  2 tablespoons goose fat in a flameproof casserole until  it turns a beautiful rich brown colour. Add the potatoes  and  cook over a  high   heat, stirring often. Remove the excess fat. Season  with salt and pepper. Crush 4 garlic coves, whole but not peeled, and add to the potatoes. If in season, ad the stalks  of 2 fresh ceps, cut into  quarters. Cover  and cook in a preheated  oven at 200°C (400 °F, gas 6 ) for 40 minutes.

Potatoes au jam

Peel some potatoes and cut into quarter.  Butter a flameproof casserole and arrange the potatoes in layers. Half-cover with meat glaze or stock. Season  with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and bring to  the boil, then cook in a preheated  oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) for about  40 minutes, adding a little  stock if necessary (these potatoes must be very soft). Sprinkle  with chopped parsley.

Potatoes emiellees

Sauté  some thinly sliced peeled potatoes in butter in a heavy-based frying pan, together with some small pieces of bacon and a bay leaf. Cover the pan when the potatoes  are half-cooked so that  they remain soft. When they are brown  and well cooked, bring the pan to the  table, break 1 egg per person into it and stir together so that the eggs  coagulate quickly.  Serve with a salad.

Potatoes  Mere caries

Peel some waxy potatoes  and cut of them 28 large cork shapes about 5 cm (2 in) long. remove  the rind from 14 rashers (slices) of smoked streaky bacon (about 225 g 8 oz.) and cut each  rasher in half. Pack the potato  shapes tightly in a saucepan  and completely cover with cold salted water.  Bring  to the  to blanch the potatoes, them drain.

            Brown 50 g (2 oz. ¼ cup)  butter in a sauté  pasn,  then add the drained potatoe shapes. Season with  pepper and cover.  Leave to brown for about  20 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove  from the  heat, leave to cool, then  roll each  potato shape in a half-rasher (slice) of smoked  bacoo. Arrange  these in a sauté  pan and cook, uncovered , in a preheated  oven at 180°C (350°F, gas 4) for 10 minutes. Drain the cooking fat from the sauté  pan and replace with  25 g 91 oz. 2 tablespoons) fresh butter. Roll the potatoes  in this butter before serving.

Potatoes vendangeurs de bourgogne

Place in a cast-iron or copper terrine 175 g (6 oz) smoked streaky bacon rashers (slices) with the rinds removed, then 225 g (8 oz) thinly sliced raw potatoes. Sprinkle with grated  Gruyere cheese.  Then add 150 g (5 oz) slightly salted belly pork , blanched and thinly sliced, and cover with 225 g  (8 oz) potatoes, 50 g (2 oz. 1/2 cup)  grated Gruyere  cheese, then a further 150 g (5 oz.) slightly salted  bolly pork prepared  in the same way. Finished  with 225 g (8 oz) potatoes, 50g (2 oz. ½ cup) grated Gruyere cheese and a further  175 g (6 oz) smoked  streaky bacon rashers with the rinds removed.  Season lightly with pepper, scatter with a few knobs of  butter and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) for 1 ¼ hours or until cooked  through.  Unmould and serve piping  hot.

Potatoes with bacon

Hat 25 g (1 oz. 2 tablespoons) butter or lard in a flameproof  casserole and  sauté   in it 125 g (4 ½  oz. ½ cup) diced blanched bacon together with 10 small (pearl) onions.  Drain  and remove from the casserole.  Cut some potatoes into oval shapes or  cubes and brown  them in the casserole.  Season  with salt and pepper, replace the bacon and onions, cover and cook gently  for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle  with chopped  parsley and, if  desired, finely  chopped  garlic.

Potato fondantes

Peel some potatoes  and trim  them to the shape of small eggs. Fry  gently in butter for 5 minutes, them drain. Add more butter, cover and finished cooking in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ).  When  cooked, remove  from the oven, add 4 tablespoons white stock and  leave until the  potatoes  have observed the stock.  Serve  in a vegetable dish, with  our parsley.

            Alternatively, fry the potatoes in butter in a sauté  pan.  when cooked, remove the potatoes, wipe out  the pan with paper towels, then add fresh butter 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) per 1 kg (2 ¼ lb.)  potatoes. Replace the potatoes, cover and keep warm over a  very gentle  heat or in a preheated oven at  150 ° C (300 °F, gas 2 ) until all the butter is absorbed.

Potato mousseline

Bake some unpeeld  potatoes  in the oven, peel them and  rub  the pulp through  a sleve. Stir this  mash over the heat, adding 200 g (7 oz. ¾ cup) butter per 1 kg (2 ¼ lb.) mash, then 4 egg yolks, Season with salt, white pepper and grated nutmeg. Remove from the heat and add 200 ml (7 fl. oz. ¾ cup) whipped cream. Heap the  mixture in a buttered ovenproof dish, sprinkle with melted butter and  brown in a preheated oven at 230°F, gas 8).

Potato pancakes

Peel  and wash some potatoes, pat them dry and  grate coarsely. Drain  on paper towels, then place in  a bowl.  Add salt and pepper, and for every 500 g  (18 oz. 2 ½ cups) potatoes add 2 eggs beaten with  100 ml (4 fl. oz. 7 tablespoons) milk and 1 ½ tablespoons melted butter.  Mix  thoroughly. Fry spoonfuls of the potato mixture in a buttered frying pan, distributing  the potato evenly to make small, thick pancakes. When set and golden underneath, turn  the  pancakes and fry until golden on the second  side.  Keep cooked pancakes  hot until the entire  batch of batter is cooked. Service in a warm dish.

            A little  grated cheese or grated garlic and  chopped herbs can be added to this mixture.  These  pancakes  may be served  with coq au vin, roast veal or roast venison.

Roast potatoes

Peel some potatoes  and cut into fairly small, evenly sized pieces (leave them whole  if they  are small). Melt some butter or lard in flameproof  casserole – 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) per 1 kg (2 ¼ lb.) potatoes  -  and put the potatoes into it (in a single layer only).  Roll  the potatoes  in the fat, season with salt, then  cook at the top of a preheated oven at 190°(375 °F, gas 5 ) for 40 minutes or more, frequently basting with the fat until they turn golden and are  cooked through. Sprinkled with chopped parsley to serve.

Sautéed  cooked potatoes

Boil 15 unpeeled  potatoes  in salted water until  almost tender.  Drain and leave to cool., then peel and cut into slices. In a sauté  pan heat a mixture  of equal amounts of butter and oil; or use butter only 50 g (2 oz. ¼. Cup) per  800 g (1 ¾ lb) potatoes . brown the potatoes evenly for 12-15 minutes, first  over a brisk heat, then  over a gentle heat, uncovered, turning them often.  Seasoned with salt and pepper and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Sautéed  raw potatoes

Peel and cut 800 g (1 ¾ lb.) waxy potatoes into  slices or small cubes. Wash, pat dry and season with salt and pepper.  Fry for 25 minutes in a frying  pan in butter or oil  - 50 g (2 oz , ¼ cup) butter or  4 tablespoons oil per 800 g 91 ¾ lb.) potatoes – or  in a mixture of equal amounts of butter and oil. Cover when brown, but toss frequently to that  they cook evenly.   Serve in a vegetable dish. Sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Souffle potatoes

Peel some large waxy potatoes wash and pat dry. Cut into slices 3 mm ( ½ in.)thick. Wash and dry once again Deep-fry in oil at 150 °C (300°F) for  about  8 minutes. Drain on apaper towels and leave to cool.  Reheat the oil to 180°C (350°F). and replace  the potatoes in it. Cook until puffy and  brown, then drain on paper towels.  Serve in a very hot dish, sprinkled with salt.

Stuffed baked potatoes

Bake some  large unpeeled potatoes in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6) for 1 ¼ - 1 ½  hours, until tender.  Cut  a slice  off the top lengthways and  scoop out the potato without  breaking the skins. Press the pulp through  a sieve and mix it with butter, a little, a little milk or single (light) cream, salt and pepper.  Fill the empty potato skins with the potato skins with  the potato mixture,  sprinkle with breadcrumbs or grated cheese (or  a mixture of the two) and brown in the oven.

            The sieved  potato mixture can be enriched by  using double (heavy) cream instead of milk single cream. Fromage frais or yogurt can be sued for a creamy, yet light, result. Grated Gruyere, Parmesan or mature (sharp) Cheddar cheese can be added. Chopped fresh parsley, dill, fennel or basil are good; snipped chives are excellent with other falvourings  or on their own.

Stuffed baked potatoes a la cantalienne prepare  some baked potatoes. Add an equal volume of braised chopped cabbage to the pulp and adjust  the seasoning.  Fill the potato skins with this mixture, sprinkle with grated cheese and a little  melted butter or lard (shortening) and brown in a preheated oven at 230°C (450°F, gas 8).

Stuffed baked potatoes a la florentine

Prepare  some baked potatoes.  Mash  half of the  potato pulp and mix with twice  its volume of  spinach cooked in butter and chopped. Fill the potato skins with this mixture. Cover  with Mornay sauce, sprinkle  with Permesan cheese and brown in  a preheated  oven at 230°C (450°F, gas 8) or under  the grill (broiler).

Stuffed baked potatoes chasseur

Prepared  some baked potatoes.  Mix the pulp with an  equal volume of thinly sliced chicken livers and  mushrooms sautéed  in butter.  Adjust the seasoning  and add a small quantity of chopped herbs. Fill the  potatoes  with this mixture, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and then with melted butter. And brown in  a preheated oven at 230°C (450°F, gas 8).

Stuffed baked potatoes with ham and mushrooms

Prepared some baked potatoes.  Keep the pulp.  Prepare  equal amounts of chopped cooked ham, chopped onions fried in butter. Mix together, then bind with a little bechamel sauce the   seasoning adding paprika if desired.  Stuff the potatoes, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and melted  butter and  brown in a preheated oven at 230°C (450°F, gas 8).

POT-AU-FEU an essentially French dish that provides at the same  soup (the broth), boiled meat  (usually beef) and vegetables (rood and leaf).  The   foundation of empires, according to Mirabeau, pot-au-feu is an ancient dish with innumerable  variations. Like polee and poule au pot, it is prepared  in a  huge pot in which  the ingredients are cooked  together in water, with added flavourings Po-au-feu (which  can also be made with poultry) is served in  restaurants or at home as a warming winter dish.

            For a successful pot-au-feu many flavours and textures  are needed lean cuts of meat, such as shin; fatter cuts, such as belly or flank  gelatinouts cuts , such as oxtail, and thick slices of meat with marrow bone.

            To improve the flavour  of the broth, the meat may he put into cold water brought to the boil, then  skimmed when the first bubbles  appear. The  broth will light and  tasty, but the meat will lack flavour. To maintain the flavour of the meat, it should be put into boiling water, so the juices are sealed   in and do  not escape into the water.  Alternatively, strongly flavoured meats may be put into boiling water while others (such as rolled boned breast) are put into cold water.

            A pot-au-feu  is tastier when it is cooked the day before  and the fat is skimmed from the surface  before reheating.  The class vegetables are carrots .  turnips, onions  (often studded with doves), leeks celery (cut into even lengths and tied in bundles) and parsnps.  A bouaquet  garni  and aromatic herbs are also added.  Potatoes are cooked separately ; if a  cabbage is to be used, it should be blanched before  it is added to the broth so that its flavour does not overpower that of the meat.

            A pot-au-feu is a meal in a itself.  The skimmed broth is served with toasted croutons sprinkled with  cheese, then the home marrow on toast, and finally the sliced meat and vegetables, with fresh sea salt and freshly ground pepper, and accompanied by  gherkins, grated horseradish, various mustards, pickles, small beetroot (red beet), pickled onions and  redcurrant jelly, as in eastern France.

            The leftover meat from a pot-au-feu can he eaten  hot or cold; in a salad with gherkins, potatoes or  shallots in oil; as boiled beef with sauce or made  into  shepherds pie, meathballs or croquettes.

RECIPE

Broth from the pot-au-feu

Strain the broth from a pot-au-feu  through a fine sieve.  Leave to cool and refrigerate. Several hours later, skin off the fat from the surface.  Thoroughly  brown a chopped onion and  add it to the broth to  give colour. Strain again  and adjust the seasoning. Bring  to the boil gently and serve very hot in cups or bowls with toasted croutons. A  little  port or  Madiera may be added to the broth.

pot-au-feu

place  800 g (1 ¾ lb) flank (flank or short plate) in a  large stockpot and pour in 3 litres (5 pints, 13 cups) cold water. Heat  until  just simmering, then skim the  water, cover and continue to slimmer for 1 hour. Stud 1 onion with 4 cloves and add it to the pan with 4 coarsely crushed or chopped garlic cloves, a bouquet garni, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Add  800 g ( 1 ¼ lb) each of sirloin and chuck steak.  Bring  back to simmering point, skim the soup, then cover and simmer gently for 2 hours.

            Cut 6 carrots, 6 turnips and 23 parships into large  even-sized pieces, turning them into neat ovals if like.  Cut the white  parts of3 leeks and 3 celery sticks into similar lengths. When  the pot-au-feu has  cooked for 3 hours,  add the celery, and leeks, then  simmer for  10 minutes before adding the carrots. Turnips and parsnips.  Continue to cook for a further 1 hour.

            Towards the end of the cooking time, poach4 sections of marrow bone in lightly salted water for 20 minutes. Drain the meats and vegetables, and place on a large serving platter.  Drain  the marrow bone and add to the platter.  Skim the fat off  the broth and spoon a little  over the meat and vegetables.  Serve at once, with coarse salt, gerkins,  mustard and toasted French bread on which  to  spread the marrow.

POT-BOUILLE In the Grand  Dictionnaire and persel Pierre Larousse defiens this world as ‘everyday household  cooking. It was used  in this sense by Flaubert,  Richepin.  Huysmans and Valleis Zola sued  the  expression as the title  for one of his  books (1882). The term pot-bouille is no longer in use, but the more collaquial (lambouille, derived from  pot-en-bouille, is still found.

POTEE Any dish cooked in an earthenware pot. Then term generally applies to a mixture of meat (mainly pork) and vegetables (especially cabbage and potatoes), which is cooked in stock and served  as a single course.  Potee is a very old dish and is  found throughout rural France, often under other  named (bochepot, garbure and oille); similar dishes exist in most other parts of the world. Each region  has its own traditional recipe, the following  are  examples of ingredients used.

§  POTEE ALBIGEOISE Leg of beef, hock of veal, raw  smoked ham, preserved duck, sausage, carrots, turnips, celery, leeks, white cabbage and haricot (navy) beans.

§  POTEE ALSACIENNE Smoked bacon fat, white cabbage, celery carrots and haricot (navy) beans.  The  vegetables are sweated in goose fat before the liquid is added.

§  POTEE ARTESIENNE Pig’s head, unsmoked (slab)  bacon, breast, turnips, celery, white beans and potatoes.

§  POTEE AUVERGNATE Fresh or salt pork, sausages. Half a pig’s head, cabbage, carrots and turnips

§  PORTEE BERRICHONNE. Knuckle of ham, sausages, and red beans cooked in red wine.

§  POTEE BOURGUIGNONNE Bacon, shoulder of pork, hock of pork (ham. Hock), cabbage, carrots, turnips, leeks and potatoes. Also, in the spring green beans and peats.

§  POTTEE BRETONNE Shoulder of lamb, duck, sausages and vegetables.  An eel potee is also made  in Brittany.

§  POTTEE CHAPENOISE Called the grape-pickers’ potee unsmoked streaky bacon, salt pork, cabbage, turnips, celeriac and potatoes, sometimes sausages or smoked ham, and perhaps chicken.

§  POTTEE FRANCHE-COMTOISE Beef, bacon, Morteau susage, mutton bones and vegetables.

§  POTEE MORVANDELLE.  Ham, dried sausage, smoked  sausage and various vegetables.

RECIPE

Potee lorraine

Soak a pickled shoulder of pork in cold water to remove the salt.  Clean and blanch a green cabbage are rinse in cold water.  Line a stewpot with bacon rinds and add the pork shoulder, the cabbage, 500 g  (18 oz) fat belly pork, I uncooked pig’s tail, 6 peeled halved  carrots 6 peeled turnips, 3 leeks (cleaned, sliced and tied in bunches). 1 or 2 celery sticks (strings remove) and a bouquet garni. Cover with water and bring to the boil; cook for 3 hours. About  45 minutes before the end of the cooking time add a  boiling  sausage and son e peeled potatoes.  Adjust the seasoning.  Serve the cut-up meat and vegetables together and the broth separately.

POT JEVFLEISCH Also known as potje-vfleish.  A Flemish speciality, well known around Dunkirk. It is a terrine of three meats (veal, bacon and rabbit) to which calve’s feet are sometimes added. The name means literally  ‘pot of meat’.

RECIPE

Potjevfleish

Trim and bone 200 g (7 oz) loin of pork 200 g (7 oz) rabbit meat, 200 g (7 oz) chicken meat and 200 g  (7 oz)  leg of veal.  Cut into pieces 5 x 2 cm (2 x  ¾ in).  peel and blanch 5 large garlic cloves. Place in  a bowl, then add 1 diced celery stick, 3 sprigs of thyme, ¼ bay leaf, 2 tablespoons juniper berries and 750 ml (1 ¼ pints, 3 ¼ cups) light bee. Add  the pieces of meat, cover and leave to soak for 24 hours in a cool place.

            Soften 3 sheet of leaf gelatine in cold water. In  medium sized terrene arrange  the drained meat in  three layers, each  one covered with a sheet of gelatine. Strain the marinade and seal the lid with flour and water paste.  Cook 3 hours.  Leave  to cool and rest at room temperature. Chill until set.   Arrange a slice of Potjevfleish on each plate and garnish with fines herbs. Serve with onion or rhubarb chutney or a herb salad.

POT-ROASTING Slow  cooking by moist heat in a covered flameproof casserole after first browning in  butter or other fat, then adding seasoning and a little water, stock or wine.  This may be carried out in the oven or on top of the stove. Pot-roasted meat, poultry or fish should be frequently based during cooking. The meat is usually cooked on a bed of  vegetables.  When it is ready, the meat is removed  from the casserole and the fat is skimmed from the  rich, full-bodied cooking liquid, which is issued as a sauce. Suitable items for pot-roasting include white meat (such as rib and noix of veal and loin of pork brisket, topside or silverside of beef; leg or shoulder  of lamb; and also poultry (particularly duck, chicken and small turkeys).

POTTED CHAR An old English especially consisting of a fish past that was traditionally served at breakfast.  The fish is cooked in stock with herbs and spices, then pureed,  placed  in shallow earthenware  dishes  and covered with a layer of clarified butter. It  keeps for several weeks.

POULLY-FUISSE An AOC white wine from the  Macannais district in southern Burgundy, made from the Chardonnay grape. Good  quality  wines with ageing potential  are to be found in Solute-Pouilly, Vetgisson, Fuisse and Chaintre.

POULLY-FUME Also known as Pouilly Blanc Fume and Blanc Fume de Pouily.  An AOC white  wine produced  from  Sauvignon Blanc grapes on the  slopes above the River Loire between Pouilly and Sancere.  Internationally reneowned, the wines are to  be distinguished from Pouilly-sur-Loire wines, which are made from the Chasselas grape variety.

POULAMON A small fish of the Gadidae family, which normally lives in the sea, but in Quebec in winter it swims up the Saint Lawrence river to breed.  This is the occasion for  popular festivals, notably at Sainte-anne-de-la Perade. As soon as  the ice begins to break up, hundreds of little cabins are set up on  the river banks for fishermen. The poulamon, which is also called the ‘little fish of the flume’, is usually fried.)

POULARD, MERE (Born annette Boutisot) French restaurant owner (born Neves, 1851; died Mon Saint-Michel, 1931).  Chambermaide to Edourd Corroyer, an architect in charge of restoring historic  monuments, she accompaneid her master when he undertook the restoration of the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel. There she married Victor Poulard, the  local baker’s son, and the couple too over the management of the Hote-restaurant, the Tete d’Or..

            Mme Portland made her name with her omelette, the secret of which has been attributed to a long handled pan placed on a hot  wood fire; the quality  of the  butter and egg; a glass of cream added  to the  eggs; a very short cooking time; and the proportion  of whisked egg white. Visitors crossing by boat  from the mainland to Mont-Saint-Michel wold work  up a hearty appetite, fir which  Mme Pouland prescribed her omelette at any time of the day.

POULE AU POT a pot-au-feu made with beef and a stuffed chicken.  There are numerous  variations on the stuffing ingredients and the choice of  stewing  vegetables. The  historian  Jacques Bourgeat  quotes a text dating from 1664 in which Hardouin de Perefixe, the archbishop of Paris, recounted  a  conversation between Henri IV of France and the duke of Savory, to whom the king is reputed to have utters his famous words. ‘If God grants me a longer  life, I will see to it that no peasant in my kingdom will lack the means to have a chicken in the pot (time poule dans son pot) every Saturday

RECIPE

Paule au pot  a la bearnaise

For a chicken  weighing 2 kg (4 ½ lb.) make a foremeat with 350 g (12 oz. ½  cups) fine sausagement, 200 g (7 oz.) chopped. Bayonne ham, 200 g (7 oz.  1 ½ cups) chopped onion, 3 crushed garlic cloves, a small bunch of  parsley (chopped) and 4 chopped chicken livers. Season  with salt and pepper and work these ingredients together  well to make a  smooth paste. Stuff the chicken and carefully sew up the openings  at the neck and parson’s nose  (tall). Then continue as for the recipe of petite marmite using the same vegetables. Cut the chicken into portions, slice the forcemeat and serve with the vegetables.

POULETTE, A LA  The term applied to various  dishes serve with poulette sauce, which  is made by  adding lemon juice and chopped parsley to allemande sauce,  it was originally served with fricassee  of chicken (poulet), hence its name .  Nowadays the  sauce is more often used with fish (eel), mussels, offal  (variety meats), snails or mushrooms.

RECIPES

Calves’ brain a la poulette

 Soak 2 calves’ brains in cold water with a little  vinegar added, then clean them and peach for 6-7 minutes in a court-bouillon.  Drain and leave to  cool.  Cut into thick slices and heat them very gently in some poulette sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve very hot.

            Lambs’ brains. Cut in half, are prepared in the same way.

Mushrooms a la poulette

Clean some mushrooms by rinsing them under water several times and draining well; then stew them in butter, without letting them colour, add just enough poulette sauce to bind the mushroom; check and  adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve the mushrooms sprinkled with chopped herbs in a warmed vegetable dish.

Poulette sauce

Whisk 2 or 3 egg yolks with 400 ml (4 fl. oz. 1 ¾ cups)  white veal or poultry stock (or fish fumet  if the sauce  is to be used with fish or mussels ). Heat for about 10 minutes, whisking all the  time, adding lemon juice (from a half or a whole lemon )and 50 g (2 oz. ¼ cup) butter. Remove  from  the heat when the sauce coats the spoon. Keep the  sauce warm in  a bain marie until needed,  stirring  from time to time  to stop a skin from formng.

POULIGNY-SAINT-PIERRE A goat’s-milk cheese  from Berry (45% fat content), with a smooth curd and a fine natural rind  with a blush tinge. It is firm but smooth, with a pronounced flavour, and is  shaped like an elongated pyramid (hence its nickname ‘Eiffel Tower’). It is furmhouse-made, at its  best from  April to November and protected by an AOC (which limits its production to the district of  Blance, in the department of Indre).  Its is sometimes  matured  in the mould, between plane leaves with a little mare brandy.

POULTRY The generic term for farmayrd birds, notably chicken, turkey, dock, goose and guinea fowl.  The French term volatille is used in cookery to indicate chicken when sued in basic preparation such as tocks,  minced (ground) or thinly sliced meat in sauces salpicons, consommes,  croquettes and salads; recipes using a particular bird will name it specially.

            Chicken  is by far the most popular poultry; next comes turkey, more widely eaten since its has been  sold in portions (escalopes, legs, roasts). France  is  the leading world producer of guinea fowl. Geese  bred in France are raised nowadays mainly for the production of fole gras, but in Britain they are fattended for the table, especially for Christmas. They  remain fairly expensive and uneconomical.  The breeding of ducks, on the other  hand, has developed  in France under the dual impetus of a fashion for duck foie gras and magreis (duck fillets).  In  Britain duck has become increasingly popular for special occasions, both whole and as fillets sold separately.  The commercial production of poultry, particularly chickens and turkeys, has transformed what was once a farmyard enterprise into a huge industry, a fact regretted by some breeders and consumers. Who  prefer traditional methods.  This has allowed  prices to fall and a constant supply to be provided  for the market.

            In the Middle age  poultry (together with small game) was  sold in France by rottsseur-oyers and  poudatlliers and in Britain  by poulterers. They  sold geese, capons, chicken and ducks. During the  time of the Renaissance poultry started to be fattened in the coop. The turkey was still (one of the first occasions it was served in France was a the marriage of Charles IX on 26 November 1570), but the guinea fowl,  forgotten  since Roman times, reappeared  thanks to the Portuguese, who brought it back from Guinea. From the 17^th century a distinction was made between free-range farmyard chickens and those that had been  especially  fattened.  Mme  de Sevigne mentins the chicken of Caen and  rennes, in Paris Le Mans chickens were  prized above all others, while at Lyon those of Bresse were preferred. Turkey was still a luxury and Barbary ducks and greese were both sought-after. In the 18^th  century goose had bourgeois dish, but Rouen ducks were highly prized.

            Until the end of the 19^th century the poultry market in Paris was situated at La Valle, around  the quail des Grands-Augustins and the neighboring  streets. La Vallee, whose flour is the  leading and  inexhaustible source of all the fur and feathers sold in Paris’ (Grimond de La Reyniere), was still encumbered in 1900 with crates full of live poultry and  square hampers in which rows of dead poultry lay in deep beds… on the ground, the large binks—geese, turkeys, ducks – squelched about  in the  dung higher contained hens and rabbits.   (Zola, Le Ventre de Paris).

§  Poultry in cooking in the past birds that today would be roasted were poached or boiled  and vice versa. Nowadays, the classic ways of cooking poultry are roasting (the most usual method, boiling or steaming braising (particularly for birds that are rather old or very large, as well as for gablets) and  sautéing.  Forcemeat is often an essential  complement to the dish.  Chicken livers, gizzards (and, more  rarely, cockscombs and kidneys) are also used in  several ways in cooking.

Poultry can be served in hot or cold dishes but as never eaten raw. In home cooking the commonest dishes are casseroles, fricassees, pilaf, hashes, blanquettes, curries and gratin dishes, French regional dishes also include salmis, poule au pol, fritters, crippinettes, kromeskis and  gratin dishes. aMong more elaborate recipes  are chicken in aspic, ballotines, chauds-froids, medallions, supremes, turbans, souffles, bouchees and vol-au-vent, as well as dishes   a la reiuene.

RECIPES

Pound cake

Buter  and flur a cake tin (pan.  weigh 3 eggs. Then weigh out. The same amount of caster (superfine) sugar, butter and sifted plain (all-purpose) flour. ‘Break the eggs. Keeping whites and  yolks separate. Beat the yolks with the sugar and a pinch of salt until the mixture  becomes white and  creamy. Beat in the butter, which should be melted  but not hot, then the flour and finally 3 tablespoons rum or brandy. Whisky the egg whites to stiff speaks and fold them in carefully.   Pour the mixture into  the cake tin and bake for about 45 minutes in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ); the temperature  can incresed to 300°C (425°F, gas 7) when  the cake has risen.  Turn the cake out of the tin as soon as it is removed from the oven and leave it to cool on wire rack.

            Instead of mixing in the yolks and whites separately, the whole eggs can be lightly beaten and  mixed directly with the sugar, the result is not quite  so light.

Orange pound cake

Mix up a pound cake according to the basic recipe, flavouring it with 3 tablespoons cohintrau, Grand  Marnier ro Curacao.  In addition, add the blanched,   finely grated rind room 2 oranges or 74 g (3 oz. 1 2/ cup) chopped candied orange peel. Bake the cake and let it cool..

            Heat 400 g (14 oz. 1 ¼ cups) orange marmalade, boil until it is reduced to three-quarters of its volume, then pour it over the cake. Leave until cold, then refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

POUNTARI A specially of Auvergne, consisting of a has of bacon, conions and aromatics rolled up in a cabbage leaf (or a piece of pig’s intestine), tied at both ends like  a sausage and cooked in a vegetable soup. It is served in slices with the soup.

POUNTI.  A speciality of Auvergne, consisting  of a has of bacon, onions and Swiss chard bound with  milk beaten with eggs and cooked in a cool oven in  a casserole  greased with lard. This  rustic dish can be enriched with ham, raisins or prunes, as well  as potherbs.

POUPELIN Anold-fashioned gateau consisting of a large, flat made of choux pastry and filled with sweetened whipped cream, ice cream or a fruit mousse just before serving.

POUPETON A  traditional method of preparing  meat or poultry boining, stuffing and rolling it into ballotines or pampiettes ready for braising Poupeton of turkey, which Brillat-Savarin liked, was  originally stuffed with onolons (boundings) arranged on slices of fole gras.

RECIPES

Calf’s head in a poupeton

Cook a whole calf’s  head in a court-bouillon, drain it and flatten it out on a large piece of pig’s caul (caul fat). Remove  part of the lean mat, as  well as the ears and tongue, cut them into small dice and mix with a stuffing made from equal quantities of a  gratin forcemeat and veal forcemeat also add 150 g  5 ox. 1 1/3 cups)  chopped mushrooms. Season  with salt and pepper and sprinkle with mixed spice, then  add 2 liqueur glasses of brandy.  Mix until all the ingredients are combined.

            Spread the stuffing over the calf’s head, then roll it up into a ballotine: wrap in the  caul and tie it up.  Cook gently in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F, gas 4) in some braising stock made  made with Madiera,  Bayonne ham , knuckle of veal.  Carrots, onions  and a  bouquet garni until firm and cooked through.  Drain  and untie the popupeton, slice it and arrange the  slices on a large serving dish. Pour over a few tablespoons of braising  stock and glaze it in the  oven.

            Surround with a garnish made up of braised lambs sweetbreads or slices. Of calves’ sweetbreads, cockscombs and kidneys stewed in Madeira.  Calf’s brain fritters and stuffed olives, blanched and dipped  in Madiera demi-glace. Arrange  12 trussed crayfish, cooked in a court-bouillon with white wine, in  rows, on either side of the dish.  Pour  over a few tablespoons of braising stock, strained and reduced  to a good consistency.  Serve the rest of the sauce  separately.

poupeton of turkey Brillat-Savarin

prepare  a turkey in the same  way as for a ballotine.   stuff it with a smooth  mixture forcemeat.  O grain forcemeat. Lambi sweetbreads braised o glanec and diced  loie grass and truiffles. Roll  the turkey into a ballotine, wrap it in a pig’s  caul (caul fat), then in muslim (cheesecloth) and tie it up.

            Line   a greased flameproof casserole with diced raw ham and slices of carrots and onion. Place the turkey in this and cook gently, covered, for 15 minutes, then add 3 tablespoons.  Madeira. Reduce by  half, add some gravy (or chicken stock) and continue cooking covered, in a preheated oven at  190°C (375°F, gas 5 ) for 1 ½ hours.  Skim the fat  from the cooking  liquid, strain, season and serve in a sauceboat.

            The poupetan can also be served cold, as it is or  in aspic.

POULTRY.  A goat’s  milk cheese from bourgundy (45% fat content)  with a soft curd and a natural rind,  which  is fine and bluish. It is fairly smooth with a flavour of baselnuts and a goaty smell, and is made  exclusively in Essert (yonne).  Moulded into a small cylinder with convex  sides. 10 cm (4 in). in diameter 6 cm (2 ½ in.)  high and weighing about  300 g (1 oz.)  it is on its best between April and November

POUSSE-CAFÉ A French slang term for a spirit brandy or liqueur served at the  end of a meal, in a  small glass or in an empty  coffee, cup, which  is still  warm enough t allow  the flavour and aroma to develop.  Not mix, into a tall glass. This kind of drink is called a pouse-amount when an egg yolk is used in the middle of these layers.

POUTINE A dish from the south of France, consisting of a mixture of tiny young fish, particularly sardines and anchovies, which  are fried like white-bait.  The name  with  poached fish. Sprinkled with   lemon and oil,  and can be used to garnish  a soup or fill an omelette.

PRALINE Traditionally a confection consisting of almonds coated with caramelized  sugar.  The granulated  appearance results from the technique used in  its manufacturer the almonds are heated in sugar  syrup (with the addition of a little  glucose)  to the  hard crack stage so that  sugar crystals form around the nut.  The almonds is then coated several times  with the sugar syrup, the last coating beings coloured and flavoured, traditionally providing pink, beige or  brown paralines flavoured with chocolate or coffee.

            The peraline is a specially of Montargis, where its  inventor, Lassagne, who was chef de louche (master of the household) to the Comte du Plessis-Praslin, came to retire. Leger 1 has it that his creation came about in this way: seeing a kitchen boy ribbigline at leftovers of caramel and almonds, lassagne had the idea of cooking whole almonds in sugar.  The sweetmeat that resulted had a great success and even, it is said, contributed to certain diplomatic triumphs, for which the comte du Plessis-Prasilin, minister to Louis XIII and Louis XIV, took all the credit (he also gave his name to the sweets).  Lassagne finally retired to Montargis in 1630  and there founded the Maison de  la Praline, which exists to the day.

            Pralines have also become a traditional fairground sweet, cooked in the open air in a copper ‘shaker’; the almonds are sometimes replaced by peanuts, which  are cheaper.  The following verse was composed in honour of the ‘true’  praline, at about the  time of its creation.

            The sweet,  when created, was certainly rare;

            Dented all over, its colour was brown.

            Its subtle aroma delighted the rnose;

            You’d think it was made of a nectar divine.  Other towns in France have also made this  product a speciality, notably aigueperse (where the almonds are coated in soft sugar) and Vebres- l’Abbey (where they ar sold in paper cones). Pralines are also used for decorating brioches and souffles.

§  Caramelized nuts in modern culinary use the term refers to almonds  coated with  caramel, or cooked with sugar until caramelized, and set in a thin layer on a baking sheet.  Praline is used in patisserie and confectionery, for flavouring creams and ice creams, and for filling sweets and chocolates.  When home-made it spoils very quickly and will keep for only a day or two, stored in an airtight jar or wrapped in foil.  When cold, the nuts and caramel are finely or coarsely crushed   Hezelnuts may be  used instead of, or as well, as almonds.

RECIPE

Brioche with pralines

Make  some leavening dough with 250 g (9 oz. 2 ¼ cups)  strong (bread) flc ur and 20 g (3/4 oz) fresh yeast (1 ½ cakes compressed yeast) or 2 teaspoons dried yeast dissolved in 150 ml (2/3  cup) warm water. Roll this dough, which will be fairly soft, into a bail and leave  it to rise for at least 30 minutes; it should double in volume.

            In the meantime, mix together 800 g (1 ¾ lb.  7 cups)  plain (all-purpose) flour 1 tablespoon salt.   65 g (2 ½ oz. 5 tablespoons) sugar and 6  whole eggs. Knead vigorously and then add 900 g (2 lb. 4 cups) good-quality softened butter, a little at a  time.  Then  mix in the leaven and roll the dough into a ball again. Leave this to rise at room temperature for 6-7 hours.

            Mix some pink pralines (or candied rose petals) into the dough, then put it into a large brioche mould and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C.  400°F, gas 6 ) for  about 1 hour. When cooked, decorate the surface of the brioche with a few crushed pralins.

Praline

Blanch 200 g ((7 oz. 1 ½ cups)  almonds and toast them under the grill (broiler) or in a frying pan without fat (they should be golden brown but not burned).  Put 200 g (7 oz. ¾ cup)  granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon water into a copper pan and  melt over a brisk heat. When the sugar bubbles, add a few drops of vanilla extract, as soon as the  sugar has turned brown, add the almonds and mix all together briskly for 1 minute.  Pour on to a  greased bakign sheet, spread out and leave to cool.  Pound the praline very finely in a mortar as required.

PRALINE  A delicate filling for sweets (candles) or hazelnuts mixed with sugar, then crushed with cocoa or cocoa butter.

            Praline is also the name of a cake consisting  of  layers of Genoese sponge separated by a layer of praline butter cream and covered with a layer of the same cream sprinkled with  chopped almonds.

PERCUISSON The French term meaning pre-cooking and referring to the first very rapid cooking of a food which changes its appearance.  This includes browning (cooking over or at a high heat to colour the food).  Blanching by rapid boiling in water or deep-frying.

PRESERVATION OF FOOD The keeping of perishable foods in a consumable form.  Most of the process of preservation,  learned by trial and error,  have been handed down through the ages,   the necessary of guarding against want by stocking surplus food is almost as old as human life itself.  The  biological  discoveries of the end of the 19^th century and the vast  improvements in techniques have meanwhile improvement and diversified methods considerably.

            The principal of preservation, whether  it be on an industrial or small domestic  scale, is to prevent or slow down the development and action of natural slow down the development and action of natural micro-organisms and enzymes and to avoid exterior deterioration.

§  DEHYDRATION This draws much of the water (which encourages biological reactions) from the food. Drying and smoking have been practiced since  antiquity and small-scale processes can still be found coexisting beside the great industrial ovens.  In  everyday practice, exposure to fresh air or the sun is  sufficient  for the dehydration of vegetables, aromatic plants, and mushrooms, and the kitchen oven will suffice for fruit.

§  SATURATION This also results, albeit  indirectly, in the elimination of water. This  is the principle of preservation by cooking in sugar (jam, confectionery) or by salting  (raw meat  submerged in dry salt or put into a saturated brine solutions). Salting is  also used to preserve butter. Preserving with oil (aromatic plants and fish ) is a very old method, used  by the ancients.

§  COATING A method that protects the food  from the  action of oxygen. The gastronomic  practice most common nowadays is the preserving  of meat in its own  fat , although this is of limited value if not accompanied by sterilization.

§  PRESERVATIVES These create a medium incompatible with all microbial life, hence their use among the  authorized additives,  classic methods employ either  vinegar, sweet-and-sour  preparations (gherkins, pickles, chutneys) or alcohol (for fruit). Alcoholic  fermentation, (wine, beer, cider, spirits) and acidic fermentation (sauerkraut) are , in varying degrees preserving agents.

§  HEAT This destroys enzymes and micro-organisms as long as the temperature is sufficiently high and  the period of treatment sufficiently long.  Pasteurization (milk, semi-preserved products) is an industrial  practice allowing only short-term preservation (from a few days to several months) and foodstuffs have to  be kept in the refrigerator.  sterilization  (preserves UHT milk) enables food to be kept for long periods at room temperature.  These two processes however, result in the destruction of certain vitamins sensitive  to heat (C,B). sterilization can be carried out in the kitchen, but it must  be done with care and only with a pressure cooker.

§  REFRIGERATION This is  a very old practice, but for centuries natural ice and snow had to be used. The  activity of enzymes and bacteria is reduced (but germs are not destroyed) at temperature of –8 to -10°C (18 to 14°F). refrigeration enables vegetables, milk products, opened drinks and fresh meat, to be preserved for several days. Very low temperature, such as those used for freezing, enables  foods to be  preserved for longer periods (up to several months  or even a year for some foods); the nutritive value remains the same, and the taste of the food is best preserved by this method.

In everyday practice the length of time food can be kept depends on the type of food itself and the storage methods available. a cellar enables foodstuffs to be preserved in greater quantity; a pantry, refrigerator or freezer will give successively longer periods of preservation. Packaging also plays  an important role, from airtight tins for dry biscuits  (crackers and cookies ) to plastic film and foil, which are especially suited  to refrigeration.

PRESERVATIVE An additive intended to stop deterioration (fermentation, mould, decay) in foods. Many  preservatives are natural products such as salt. Sugar and vinegar, others are synthetic and are used  extensively in commercial products.

PRESERVES Food preparation with a long shelf life.  These  are prepared by methods and/or using ingredients that prevent attack, by micro-organisms that cause decay or spoilage. Preservation methods include drying, pickling or cooking with sugar, sterilization and freezing.  The  term generally refers to jams and similar sweet preserves and to chutneys  and pickles. These are popular products for home preparations; commercial preserve often rely on sterilization and/or the addition of chemical preservatives to ensure lengthy shelf life and food safety in  the commercial and retail environment.

METHODS JAR A wide-necked glass container, usually hermentically sealed with either  a metal screwing or with a glass lid fitted with a rubber seal and a metal clasp.  These jars are used for bottling  and  sterilizing preserving fruit and vegetables  in their own juice, other liquor or syrup.  Jars for  serialized food should  not be too large, because once they are opened, their contents must be used quickly.  Also, the sterilization process is more difficult for large quantities. Home bottling is an old fashioned method of preserving replaced replaced by freezing as a domestic means  of storing vegetables and plain fruit. The process of sterilizing and sealing  jars is one that requires close attention, with exact temperatures and timing used to ensure foods safety.

PRESS A utensils used for producing a liquid or puree from solid ingredients. Citrus fruit squeezers made from glass, plastic or wood allow fresh fruit juice to be squeezed from oranges and lemons. Castaluminium fruit squeezers, with perforated bowls,  are also sometimes used for other types of fruit, but produce only small quantities of juice (for  fruit cocktails.).  the ‘half-slice’ squeezer, made of metal, is used for flavouring lemon tea or squeezing over fish or  hors d’oeuvre where a wedge of lemon is needed.

            Small process made from enameled steel are used for making jellies, jams and wine: these crush the fruit very rapidly by the action of a screw against  a face-plate. A vegetable mill (or puree press) is used to rub cooked vegetables or fruit through a sieve to  reduce them to a pure. All these have mostly been  replaced by electrically operated machines with  centrifugal action. Meat presses are used to extract the juice from raw or slightly cooked meat. the carcass (or duck) press is a piece of equipment used mainly for extracting the  fatty juices from the carcass of a duck.

            Some terrines pates and meats (such as tongue) need to be chilled under a press to be smoothly integrated, well moulded or well flattered. The food  is left in a cool  place, covered with a small board with a heavy weight on top, or a special  press with  a screwdown lid can be used. In old French cookery, the term soupresse (‘under press’) was applied to a sort of fish pate in which the crushed flesh of  the fish was wrapped in a piece of muslim (cheesecloth) and pressed down hard.

PRESING The process of making pressed cheese, cooked or uncooked.  It consists of accelerating  the draining of the  cut-up curds by putting them in a press, which is operated either by hand or  mechanically. It makes it possible to produce cheeses that can be kept.

PRESSURE COOKER a sealed saucepan in which food is cooked under pressure at a higher  temperature and therefore much more quickly than  in an ordinary pan temperature range from 112-125°C (234-257°F) instead of a maximum of 100°C (212°F), the boiling point of water at atmospheric pressure.

            A type of autoclave, the pressure cooker is made  of thick aluminum or stainless steel; its lid had a watertight seal that can usually be closed hermetically, either with a screw and clamp or a bayonettype locking mechanism. A valve controls the escape  of the steam once the desired pressure is reached (a  safety device included in case the valve becomes blocked). It is essential to allow the pressure to fall before  opening the lid,  either  by letting all the steam escape through the valve, or by cooking the pressure cooker with cold water .modern pressure  cookers are simple to use, with automatic valves, timers and pressure-releasing devices to speed up the final stages of pressure cooking.

            The pressure cooker  is designed in steam or in water or stock (often with a reduced quantity of liquid). It has  the advantage of  saving time, especially for cooking ingredients that  take several hours by traditional methods.  However, in the opinion of gourmets, the pressure  cooker cannot replace the traditional method of simmering. In such opinion, meat has a tendency to be noticeably softer, with less flavour, and the flavours of various ingredients in a dish are  indiscriminately mixed.

PRETZEL A biscuit (cracker) from Alsace, traditionally served with beer. It is usually shaped like  a loose knot and is made of dough poached in boiling water, sprinkled with coarse salt and cumin seeds  and hardened in the oven.  The ancient origins or this pastry are linked to the cult of the sun. it was originally made in the shape of a ring  encricling a  cross.  Since this was too fragile, it evolved  into its present shape, which  is a traditional motif of bakers  and pastrycooks.  Originally, the pretzel as not  necessarily the crisp  biscuit known-today, but a chewy product. Pretzels of a all sizes are now made as aperitif biscuits.

            Sweet pretzels are also made, particularly in Germany and Austrai; they may be flavoured with vanilla or aniseed and iced with a hard sugar cooting.

PRICKLY PEAR The edible orange-red pearshaped fruit of a species of cactus.  The fruit has a thick skin covered with large prickles and must be  handled with care, preferably wearing gloves. The  prickles can be removed by rubbing the skin with a  thick, rough cloth. The fruit is peeled and eaten raw, sprinkled with a little  lemon or lime  juice. It can also be cooked and pureed for use in desserts and preserves. An oil can be extracted from the seeds, and  the seeds can be sprouted to produce edible shoots, which  are used mainly as animal feed.

PROMROSE A meadow and woodland plant whose pale yellow flowers appear in spring its young tender leaves can be eaten as a salad and its flowers are used for garnishing salads and for herbs teas.  Prrimrose flowers are also used in several recipes, including  a dish of roast veal cooked in butter with sliced onions, carrots and a bouquet garni, moistened with white wine, to which  primrose flowers are added 30 minutes before cooking is finished; the cooking liquid is deglazed with port and thickened with cream.

PRINCE ALBERT A method of preparing fillet of beef, which was named in honour of the Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria.  The meat is stuffed with raw foie gras with truffles, braised in a vegetable fondoue and then moistened with port; the garnish consists of whole truffles.

RECIPE

Fillet of beef Prince Albert

Marinate a raw goose foie gras studded  with truffie in a little Cognac with  salt and pepper for 24 hours in a cool place.  Lard a piece  of beef cut from the  middle of the fillet with fine strips of bacon. Slice  the meat along its  length without separating the  2 halves completely.  Drain  the foie gras, place it in the meat and tie together firmly to keep the liver  in place. Fry the meat in butter in a braising pan over a  brisk heat until it is well browned on a sides, then  cover it with a layer of matignon, wrap in very thin rashers (slices) of bacon and secure with string.

            Prepare a braising stock with a cal’s foot and aromatic herbs, adding the liver marinade; pour into  the braising pan and add the beef. Pour on a little port, cover, bring to the boil, then transfer to  a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6) and cook for 1 hours. Untie the fillet, remove the bacon and matignon, but leave the string holding the foie grass in place.  Strain the braising stock, pour some over the meat and glaze quickly in a very hot oven. Untie the meat, place it on a serving dish and garnish  with whole truffles, stewed in butter or poached in Madeira. Serve the braising stock, skimmed of fat and strained, in a sauceboat.

PRINCESSE A rich garnish for poultry, salmon steaks, calve’s sweetbreads vol-au-vent or egg dishes, distinguished by the inclusion of asparagus tips and silvers of truffle.

RECIPES

Calves’ sweebreads princesse

Slice some calve’s   sweetbreads  and braise them in white stock; drain and keep warm.  prepare an allemande sauce with the braising stock.  In separate pans, cook some green asparagus tips in butter and heat through some silvers of truffle in butter.   Arrange the slices of sweetbread in the serving dish and garnish with the silvers of truffle and bunches of asparagus tips. serve the sauce separately.

Chicken princesse

Poach a chicken in white stock.   Bake some barquette cases (shells)  blind and cook some green asparagus tips in butter. Drain the chicken and  place it on a serving dish and keep warm. Prepare an allemande sauce with  the cooking liquid.   Arrange the asparagus tips in the barquettes and use to garnish the dish.  sprinkle the barquettes with silvers of truffle heated through in butter.  Pour  some sauce over the chicken and serve the remainder in a sauceboat.

Fillets of sole princesse

These are prepared in the same way as salmon steaks princesse, but they are poached folded in  half. The asparagus tips are sometimes cut very short and arranged in barquettes made from  fine lining pastry.  Both the barquettes and the fillets  are garnished with silvers of truffle cooked in buter.

Salmon steaks princesse

Ask the fishermonger to cut some steaks of equal thickness from a large fresh salmon.  Prepare  some fish  fumet, leave it to cool and strain.  Lay the steaks  in a fish kettle with a small amount of fumet and poach them gently for 6 minutes from the time that  the fumet starts to simmer.  Drain and skin the steaks and arrange on a serving dish; keep warm. Use the cooking liquid to make a normande sauce.  Garnish the steaks with silvers of truffle warmed   through in butter and with green asparagus tips, also cooked in butter (these can be arranged in barquettes made of fine lining pastry).  Serve the sauce separately.

Scrambled eggs princesse

Prepare  some scrambled eggs and pour into a bowl.  Garnish with green asparagus tips stewed in buter, a julienne of white chicken meat bound with supreme sauce and some silvers of truffle heated  through in butter.

Soft-boiled or poached eggs princesse

Prepare  some  soft-boiled  or poached  eggs, arrange  them on slices of fried bread an coat with  supreme sauce; garish with  silvers of truffle heated through in butter.  Garnish the dish with bunches of  freshly cooked asparagus tips dressed in butter and  a  julienne of white chicken meat bound with supreme sauce.

PRINTANIERE, A LA  Describing various  dishes (meat, poultry, eggs) that  are garnisheed with a mixture of vegetables  (in theory, spring vegetables), usually tossed in butter.

            Navarin of mutton and spring vegetables soup are usually described as printamier.

RECIPE

Vegetable  ragout a la printaniere

Generousl grease a large flameproof casserole with butter.  Prepare and wash the following new  vegetables: 250g (9 oz)  baby carrots, 250 g (9 oz) baby turnips, 12 button onions,  250g (9 oz) very  small new potatoes, 2 lettuce hears, 250 g (9 oz) finely sliced French (green) beans, 250 g (9 oz. 1 ½ cups) shelled peas and 3 trimmed artichoke  hearts quartered  and sprinkled with lemon juice. Separate half a very white cauliflower into tiny florets.

            Put the carrots, beans, artichoke hearts and onions into the buttered casserole; just  cover with  chicken stock and bring to the boil.   After  it has  boiled for 8 minutes, add the turnips, potatoes  peas, cauliflower and lettuce hearts; adjust the seasoning and continue cooking for about 20 minutes. Drain the vegetables and arrange them in a vegetable dish. Reduce the cooking liquid, whisk in  50 g (2 oz. ¼ cup) butter and pour over the  vegetables.

PROCOPE The café in Paris, which is still  in existence in the Rue de  l’Ancienne-comedie.  The  establishment was founded in 1686 by Francesco Procopio del Coltelli, who changed his name to Procope; he had previously  worked with  the Amenian Pascal, who ran a coffee stall at the Saint-Germain  Fair and thus  introduced the beverages to the  capital. Procope opened the first permanent establishment devoted to the consumption of coffee, café was richly decorated with chancellors, wood panelling and mirrors.

            The procope rapidly became the most famous  centre of Parisian literary and intellectual life.  From  the 17^th  to the 19^th  century it was patronized by  writers, actors  (the Comedie-Francaise was situated opposite from 1687 t 1770), Encyclopedists and later by Revolutionaries and Romantics.  His syrup drinks, ice creams, confectionery and cakes were  also popular. Procope had the original idea of pasting up a news-sheet on the chimney of the stove that heated the room: his café thus became ‘the  true  speaking newspaper of Pari’ and a celebrated  forum for the Exchange  of ideas.

            The founder retired in 1716 and his sone Alexandre succeeded him. In 1753 a certain Dabuisson bought the establishment, then later sold it to the Italian Zoppi (a friend of Marat and Danton), who managed it during the time of the Empire.  The focus of literary life during the Romantic period, the Procope later began to suffer the effects of competition from the Café de la Regence. It was sold in 1872 to Baroness Thenard an disclosed in 1890; it reopened in 1893 as a literary club, then became, successively, a vegetarian restaurant and an eating  house for poor students, before being used by the French administration. It reopened as restaurant in 1952 but never recaptured its former glory.

PROFITEROLE  A small, filled sweet or savoury bun made of choux paste. Savoury profiteroles are filled with a cheese mixture or game puree and are generaly used as garnish for soup.

            Sweet profiteroles are filed with confectioner’s custared (pastry cream),  chantily creams, ice cream or jam; they are the basic  ingredient of croquembouches and gateaux Saint-Honore. Chocolate profiteroles are filled with vanilla  or coffee ice cream or Chantilly cream combined with fruit puree and can  be served zabaglione flavoured with syrup of the same fruit. The name comes from the word  profit and originally  meant a small gratuity or gift.

RECIPE

Chocolate profiteroles

Prepare some choux pst with 250 ml (8 fl. oz.  1 cup) water, a pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons sugar 125 g (4 ½ oz. 1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour and  4 eggs.  Using a piping with a plain nozzle, pipe out balls of dough the size of walnuts on to a  greased baking sheet and brush them with beaten egg. Cook in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) for about 20 minutes until crisp and golden; allow to cool in the oven.

            Meanwhile melt 200 g (7 oz. 7 squares) plain (semisweet) chocolate with 100 ml (4 fl. oz. 7 tablespoons) water in abain marie; add 100 ml (4 fl. oz. 7 tablespoons) double (heavy) cream and stir well.  Prepare  some chantilly cream by whipping 300 ml (1/2 pint. 1 ¼ cups) double cream with 100 ml (4 fl. oz. 7 tablespoons) very cold mil, then 75 g (3 oz. 6 tablespoons) caster (superfine) sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar. Split the profiteroles on one side and fill them with the Chantilly cream, using a  piping bag. Arrange in a bowl and serve with the hot chocolate sauce.

PROGRESS A  light and crunch cake base made  from mixture of stiffy whisked egg whites, sugar and ground almonds and/or hazedouts, which is  piped out in a spiral to form discs and baked in the oven.  The cake is built up by placing the discs one on top of the other  with praline  butter cream or with coffee or chocolate cream.   The cake is topped with flaked 9slivered) or roasted  almonds, sprinkled with icing with icing (confectioner’s) sugar and iced (frosted) with fondant or decorated with butter  cram, which is piped with  a fluted nozzle or with a small plain nozzle to write the word “progress’ on the top.

RECIPE

Coffee progres

Grease 3 baking sheets, dust with  flour and trace a circle, about 23 cm (9 in) in diameter, on each of  them with a spoon. In a bowl mix together 150 g  (5 oz. 2/3 cup) granulated sugar. 250 g (9 oz.  2 cups)  ground almonds and a pinch of salt. Whisk 8 egg  whites until stiff with 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) granulated sugar and gently fold into the first mixture  with wooden spoon. Put this mixture into a piping bag with an 8 min (3/4 in) nozzle and fill the  3 circles, piping in a spiral from the centre to the  edge. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C  (350°F, gas 4 ) for 45 minutes. Gently ease the cooked discs off the sheets and let them cool on a flat surface.

            While the oven is still hot, roast 150 g 95 oz. 1 cup) flaked (slivered) almonds for 5 minutes. Put 250 g (9 oz. 1 ¼ cups) granulated sugar in a  saucepan with  3 tablespoons water and bring to the  boil.  Beat 6 egg yolks in a bowl, then gradually pour over the boiling  syrup, bearing hard until the mixture cools.  Dissolve  2 tablespoons instant coffee in  1 tablespoon boiling water. Cream 350 g 912 oz. 1 ½  butter and gradually beat in the egg-syrup mixture; then pour in the dissolved coffee and beat well.  Reserve one-quarter of this butter cream; cover each disc with one-third of the remaining cream. Then put the discs one on top of  the other and cover the sides with the reserved butter cream.  Decorates the top with the flaked  almonds.  Place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

            Cut the some strips of thick paper 1 cm (1/2 in) wide and 25 cm (10 in ). Long. Place  them on top  of the cake without pressing leaving a gap of 2 cm (3/4 in) between each, and dust the cake with sifted  icing (confectioner’s) sugar.  Carefully remove the paper strips and put the progress back in the refrigerator  for at least 1 hour before serving.

PROSCIUTTO The Italian word for ham, used in the names of raw hams coming from Italy, in particular prosciutto di Parma an dprosciutto de San Daniele.

PROTEIN Any of a large group of nitrogenous compounds, present in all animals and plants, consisting of linked amino-acid units. Foods of animal origin are rich in proteins  fish, poultry, game, meat, eggs, milk and cheese.  Plant proteins occur in a variety of foods, including pulses, bread and pasta.

PROVENCALE, A LA  Describing numerous preparations inspired by (or arising directly from ) the cookery of Provence, in which olive oil, tomato and garlic predominate. The Provencal garnish for  cuts of meat or poultry includes either peeled  and slowly cooked tomatoes and large mushrooms garnished with duxelles seasoned  with garlic, or crushed garlic-flavored tomatoes with stoned (pitted) olives (black or green), or aubergines (egg-plants) stuffed with a tomato fondue. French (green) beans in butter and chateu potatoes. Provencal sauce (made with tomato, onion, garlic  and white wine) is used to dress vegetables,  eggs, poultry and  fish.

RECIPES

Bass or brill a la provencale

Prepare a Provncal sauc.  Scale some bass or brill, weighing about 400 g (14 oz). Cut off the fins and  make an incision in the top of the back,  on either  side of the backbone. Wash and wipe the fish.  Sprinkle them with salt and pepper, dust them with  flour and brown them quickly in olive oil in a frying pan.  mask an ovenproof dish with  a little Provencal sauce. Arrange the fish in it and just cover with  Provencal sauce.  Sprinkle with fresh breadcrumbs, moisten with a little olive oil and cook in  pre heated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) for about 20 minutes, sprinkle with dropped arsley and serve piping hot in the cooking dish.

Fried eggs, a la provencale

Prepare a garnish of fried tomatoes and aubergines  (eggplants) and a tomato fondue as for the soft-boiled  eggs o la provencale. Mask a dish with the  vegetables. Lightly fry some  eggs in olive oil and  arrange them in the dish. Coat them with tomato foneu and sprinkled with chopped parsley garlic.

Provencal sauce

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in  a heavy-based saucepan. Soften in it without browning 3 tablespoons peeled and chopped onions, then add 800 g  (1 ½ lb. 3 cups)  peeled, seeded and crushed tomato icing (confectioner’s) sugar. Carefully remove the paper strips put the progress back in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

PROSCIUTTO The Italian word for ham,  used in the names of raw hams coming  from Italy, in particular proseciutto di Parma and prosciuito di San Daniele.

PROTEIN Any of a large group of nitrogenous compounds, present in all animals and  plants, consisting  of linked amino-acid units.  Foods of animal origin are rich in proteins; fish, poultry, game meat, eggs, milk and cheese.  Plant proteins occur in a variety of foods, including pulses, bread and pasta.

PROVENCALE, A LA  describing numerous preparations inspired by (or arising directly from) the cookery of Provence, in which  olive oil, tomato and garlic prodominate. The  Proveneal garnish for  cuts of meat or poultry includes either peeled and  slowly cooked tomatoes and large mushrooms garnished with duxellees seasoned with garlic, or crushed garlic-favoured tomatoes with stoned (pitted) olives (olives (black or green), or aubergines (egg-plants stuffed with a tomato fondue, French (green) beans in butter and chateau potatoes, Provncal  sauce (made with tomato, onion, garlic and white  wine) is used to dress vegetables, eggs, poultry and fish.

RECIPES

Bass or bill  a la provencale

Prepare a Provencal sauce.  Scale some bass or brill  weighing about 400 g (14 oz). Cut off the fins and  make incision in the top of the back, on either  side of the backbone. Wash and wipe the fish.  Sprinkle them with salt  and pepper, dust them with  flour and brown them quickly in olive oil in frying pan.  mask an ovenproof dish with a little Provencal sauce. Arrange the fish in it and it and just cover with Provencal sauce. Sprinkle  with fresh breadcrumbs.  Moisten with a little olive oil and cook in preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) for about 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve piping hot in the cooking dish.

Fried eggs a la provncale

Prepare a garnish of fried tomatoes and  aubergines (eggplants)  and a tomato fondue as for the soft boiled eggs a la provencole.  Mask a dish with the  vegetables. Lightly  fry some eggs in olive oil and  arange them in the dish. Coat them with tomato fondue and sprinkle with chopped parsley and garlic.

Provencal sauce

Heat 2 tablespoons  olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan.  Soften in it without browning 3 tablespoons peeled and chopped  onions. Tehn add 800 g ( 1 ½  lb. 3 cups) peeled seeded in crusted tomatoes and cook gently for about 15 minutes. Add a crushed garlic clove, a bouquet grani, 200  ml (7 fl. oz. ¾ cup) dry white  wine and 200 ml (7 fl. oz. ¾ cup)  meat stock. Leave to cook, covered for 15 minutes, then adjust  the seasoning, remove the  lid and reduce the sauce by half.  Add some fresh chopped parsley or basil just before serving.

Sautéed  veal chops  a la provncale 

First prepare a garlic-flavoured tomato sauce and then some small round tomatoes stuffed with mushrom duxelles and browned in the oven. Quickly brown some veal chops in olive oil in a frying pan.  season with salt and pepper, cover, reduce the heat and leave to complete cooking for about  15 minutes. Drain the chops and arrange them in the serving dish surrounded by the stuffed tomatoes.  Keep  hot in the oven with the door ajar.

            Pour the oil out of the  frying pan, add the tomato sauce and 3-4 tablespoons white  wine, stir well and reduce by half over a brisk.  Pour the sauce over the chops, sprinkle with chopped parsley or basil and serve piping hot.

Soft-boiled or poached eggs a la

Provencake

Prepare a garlic-flavoured tomato fondue.  Cut  some very large firm (beefsteak or Manmade ) tomatoes in half horizontally, remove  the seeds and fry some slices of aubergines  (eggplants) or courgettes (zucchini) in olive oil. Prepare the same number of soft-boiled or poached  eggs as there are tomato halves.

            Place the eggs in the tomato halves and arrange the latter in a crown in a round, heated serving dish.  Coat with tomato fondue.  Arrange the sliced  vegetables in the centre and sprinkle with chopped herbs.

PROVE (RISE) Of dough, to increase in volume through  the action of a rising (leavening) agent. To  make a leavened dough rise, it should be placed away from draughts in  a warm atmosphere -  25-30°C (77-86°F) – to encourage fermentation this results in the production of carbon dioxide gas,  which puffs up the dough. While it is proving goes on for too long, the dough becomes acid.

PROVOLONE  A pasta flata or cooked and stretched paste cheese from southern Italy. The plastic curd lends  itself to improvisation, and so Provolone comes in all shapes and sizes. The shaped cheeses (45% far content) are brined and hung up to up to give a firm paste with a thin, natural rind. They  may be sold after two months or up to six moths.  As the cheese matures, the paste develops  small cracks or fissures and the flavour strengthens until it becomes rich and spicy.  Provolone is usually  used in cooking. But  it can be sliced and served as  an appetizer or in sandwiches.  Provolone  has been extensively copied in North America, where the best version is made in Wisconsin.

PRUNE A dried red or purple plom, which keeps for a long time.  The preparation of prunes has been are dried in the sun, but most prunes today are prepared by progressive desiccation in the oven; there is also a technique of dehydration through immersion in hot syrup, producing Karisbad plume, which  taste strongly of the fruit and are packed in wooden boxes for Christmas.

            Several varieties  of plums are processed into prunes, the finest being the ente (or Agen) plain, the large damson of Tours and the Catherine. The  Perdrigon plum, peeled stoned (pitted), dried in the  sun and slattened, is sold  under the name of pistole. The same plum, unpeeled unstoned, scaled, then  dried in the shade, is called brignole (named after the town of Briggonoles, of which it is a specially) or  prunean fleurt;   it was very popular during the Renaissance, being the favourite delicacy of the Dae de Guise.

            When  purchased, it must be quite black, shiny and soft, but not sticky or excessively sweet. Its pulp should be amber-yellow, not caramelized. Sold  loose or packaged. Prunes should be stored in a place that is neither  to damp nor too dry (which would cause blooming, a sugary crystallization on the surface).

            Before use, traditional prunes must be washed  them soaked (for a minimum of 2 hours but preferably overnight) in cold or tepid weak tea.  However, they may also be cooked direct in water or red  wine, particularly if they are to be made into a compote or a potree. Ready-to-use prunes that do not  require soaking are new readily available.  They  are  tender but will swell and become soft when soaked.

            Stoned prunes are included in numerous pastries, either whole or boiled to a pulp with sugar (for  tarts, puddings and turnovers(.  They  may also  be used for  ices, fruit salads or fruits compotes, or served soaked  in liqueur or brandy, then flamed. In confectionery,  they are stuffed in various ways (often with almonds paste) and  sometimes glazed they can also be preserved in brandy.

            Prunes are used as a condiment in cookery, particularly for rabbit and pork, but also for game, goose and turkey; they are also used to stuff paupiethes of  fish, Prunes and cinnamon in Algeria roust pork with prunes in Denmark  and Poland; sweet-and-sour carp in the former Czechoslovakia; and bacon lightly fried with prunes in Germany.

RECIPES

Compote of prunes

Soak the prunes in tepid weak tea for at least 2 hous.  When they are swollen, drain them, stone (pit) them and put in a saucepan just cover with cold after (or red or white wine) and stir in some  sugar to taste – a maximum of 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup)per 500 g (18 oz 4 oz cups) prunes – 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon vanilla – flavoured sugar.  Bring to the boil, then cook gently for about 40 minutes.  Serve lukeward or cold. When well-reduced and strained, this compote may be used to fill-pastry cases, turnover to tarlets.

            The prunes  may be left unstoned (unpitted) and the quantity of water or wine can be increased; the  prunes are then served with all their juice.

Marzipan and sugar-coated prunes.

Heat in a saucepan 4 tablespoons water, 200 g (7 oz. ¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar and  20 g  (3/4 oz. 1 ½  tablespoons) powdered glucose, until the temperature reaches 115°C (240°F). Remove from the heat and add 100 g (4 oz. 1 cup) ground almonds. Stir  well with a wooden spoon until the  mixture  has the consistency of cooked semolina.  Cut 40 semi-dried  Agen prunes lneghwyas, without  separating  the halves, and take out the stones  (pits).

            Knead the cooled almond paste by hand; when it  is soft, add 3 or 4 drops  of red or green food  colouring  and 1 tablespoons rum.  Knead the past on a smooth worktop.  Gather  it into a ball.  Roll it out into a very thin long cylinder and cut into 40 equal sections.  Roll  the sections into olive shapes and insert  into the  prunes, making 2 or 3 slanting cuts in the visible  part of the almond paste. Arrange  the prunes in little pleated paper cases.

            The prunes may also be glazed with sugar syrup.

Prunes in Rasteau with fresh cream

Soak 36 prunes overnight in 500 ml (17 f. oz. 2 cups) light red Bordaux wine and the same  amount of Rasteau (a sweet of the Rhone Valley).  The following day cook them in the wine together with a lemon and an orange cut into thick  slices; bring to the boil, rescue the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Leave to cool, then cover and chill for 3 days in the cooking liquid. Removed the  double (heavy) cream.

Purnes stuffed with Roquefort cheese

Stone (pit) about 30 Agen prunes and flatten them with the plade of a knife. Crumble 100 g 94 oz) Roquefort cheese with a fork and crush 30 hazelnuts.  Mix the Roquefort cheese with the hazelnuts some pepper, 2 tablespoons crème fraiche and  1 tablespoon port. Place  a small ball of this mixture in the centre of each prune.  Reshape the prunes  and put in a cool place for several hours before  serving as a cocktail snack.

Prunes with bacon

Stone (pit some semi-dried Agen prunes by splitting them lengthways, insert  a shell pistachio in  place of the stone, then roll  up each prune in half a thin rasher (slice) of bacon.  Secure the bacon  around the stuffed prunes by means of a wooden cocktail stick (toothpick).  Arrange the prunes in a ovenproof dish, and place in a preheated oven at 230°(450°F, gas 8) until the bacon is crispy (about 8-9 minutes).  Serve piping hot as a cocktail snack.

PRUNE DE CYTHERE French name for ambarella also known as pomme cythere, the fruit of a spiny shrub of the mango family, if comes  form south-east Asia and the Pacific islans.

PRUNIER, ALFRED French restaurateur (died 1898).  In 1872 he founded a restaurant in Paris, in  the Rue Duphot, serving oysters, grills and judiciously chosen wines, which quickly became sucessful.  Among the customers were Saraha Bernahardt, Oscar Wilde, Clemenoeau and the great Russian dukes.

            His son Emile succeeded him and establishment became known for its fish and seafood specialties, notably bass a l’angevine, Boston fillet (beef with oysters), marmite dieppoise. Lobter Newburg and  thermidor, and, of course, oysters and shelfish. He  opened a second restaurant,  Prunier-Traktir, in the  Avenue Victor Hugo and also took an active interest in oyster culture and fishing, particularly sturgeon  farming in the Gironde region (for French caviar).

            On this  death in 1925, his daughter Simone continued his work and opened a third restaurant in London, which closed in 1976.

PUB A public house. An  establishment in Britain licensed for the sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks. In older pubs there are often several rooms known as bars. The public  bar is usually the most  crowded room. Providing drinks at the bar and possibility  snacks. The saloon bar, lounge bar and sometimes a private bar offer varying  degree of comfort, elegance and privacy.  Many pubs also have restaurants renowned for their high standard of food.

            One of the much debated features of British pubs  is their restricted hours of opening and closing.  Furthermore, customers go to  the bar to order and pay for drinks, rather than being waited on at tables.

PUCHERO A Spanish  or Latin American stew, highly seasoned, made with beef, mutton, sausage, ham and vegetables.  In Latin American counties it is garnished with corn on the cob.

PUDDING Any of the numerous dishes, sweet or savoury, served hot or cold, which are prepared in a variety of ways.

            English suet puddings consist of a sweet or savoury filling (for example,, apples or steak and kidney) completely enclosed in a suet dough and steamed or boiled in a pudding basin (mould0 most other puddings of English origin are served as desserts, usually baked or boiled in a mould.

            In the past the word ‘pudding’  applied to all boiled dishes, it has the same origin as the French boudin (black pudding, blood sausage). However, the sweet pudding that is known today did not assume its modern form until the 17^th century.

            Some English puddings have now become traditional in Continental Europe, with their own varations. Among these are diplomat and Nesseltrode  puddings, bread pudding, apple or pear pudding (in a suet crus) and ‘semolina’, tapioca and rice puddings souffe pudding is made with choux pastry enriched with sugar, butter, egg yolks and whisked  egg whites and flavoured with vanilla, chocolate or orange.

            Iced puddings are made by lining the mould with sponge cake or finger biscuits and filling it with ice creams, sometimes combining several colours.

            In France, the name  ‘pudding’ is also given to a cake made form dry bread or stale brioche,  sweetened and mixed with  milk, raisins, rum, eggs and  candied orange peel, cooked in a small brioche mould, then lightly covered with fondart icing (frosting).  it is similar to the English bread pudding, though much more elabote.

RECIPES

American pudding

Put in a large bowl (75 g (3 oz. ¾ cup) stale breadcrumbs, 100 g (4 oz. 1 cup) plain (all-purpose)flour 100 g (4 oz. 2/3 cup, firmly packed )browned sugar and  75 oz (3 oz ½ cup) finely diced crystallized (candied) fruit, 1 tablespoons blanched finely shredded orange  zest and the same amount of lemon zest. Blend the   mixture with 1 whole egg and 3 yolks. Add a generous pinch of cinnamon, the same amount of grated nutmeg and 1 liqueur glass of rum.  Mix well and pour into a buttered, and floured charlotte mould.  Cook in a bain marie  in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) for about 50 minutes until firm  leave to cool and turn out on to the serving dish.  Serve  with rum-flavoured zabaglione.

Biscuit  pudding with crystallized fruits

Soak 125 g (4 ½ oz. 2/3 cup)  currants in rum. In a  saucepan, moisten 200 g (7 oz. 2 ½ cups) crumbled  sponge finger biscuits (ladyfingers) with 600 ml  (1 pint, 2 1/3 cups) boiling milk to which 150 g (5 oz. 2/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar has been added. Work the mixture over the heat, then add 150 g (5 oz. ¾ cup) diced crystallized candied) fruits, the currants, 3 egg yolks and 125 g (4 ½ oz. ½ cup) melted butter.  Finally, fold in 3 egg whites whisked into very stiff peaks. Butter a smooth, round mould, sprinkle it with breadcrumbs, pour the  mixture into it, and cook in a bain marie in a  preheated oven at 200°C (400 °F,, gas 6) for 50-60 minutes.  Serve with a pineapple  or cherry sauce.

Cabinet pudding

Prepare 600 ml (1 pint. 2 ½ cups) vanilla-flavoured egg custard. Cut 100 g 94 oz. 2/3 cup) crystallized (candied) fruits into a salpicon. Wash  100 g (4 oz. 2/3 cup)  seediness raisins, then moistenthen with 3 tablespoons rum. Pour another 3 tablespoons rum over 150 g (5 oz. 2 cups) sponge finger  biscuits (ladyfingers) broken into pieces.  Butter a charlotte mould and fill it with alternate layers of sponge fingers. Raisins and crystallized fruit.  Pour the egg custard over. Place in a bain marie and cook in a preheated oven at 220°C (425°F, gas 7) for about 45 minute.  Leave the pudding until lukewarm before  turngn it out.  Serve with a vanillaflavoured  custard cream or an apricot sauce.

Capucine iced pudding

Prepare a Genoeste sponge and cook it in a charlotte mould. Leave it to cool completely, then slice  a thin layer of sponge from the top (to serve as a  lid). Scoop out the rest of the sponge. Leaving a lining crust and fill it with alternate layers of  tangirine-flavoured iced mousse and kummel-flavoured iced ousse. Cover with the sponge  lid  and put in the freezer for 6 hours.  Just before serving, decorate with Chantilly cream, using a piping bag.  Traditionally, this iced pudding it set on a base of nougatine and decorated with flowers and ribbons made of sugar.

Chocolate pudding

Soften 150 g (5 oz. 2/3 cup)  butter  at room temperature and 125 g (4 ½ oz. 4 ½ squares)  plain (dark) dessert chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering  water. Work the butter with a wooden spoon in a warm mixing bowl, then beat in 75 g (3 oz.6 tablespoons) caster (superfine) sugar and 1 tablespoons vanilla-flavoured sugar.  When the mixture is white and creamy, add 8 egg yolks, one after the other. Mix the softened chocolate with 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon potato flour, then  blend it with the mixture. Finally, add 5 stiffy whisked egg whites.  Pour into a buttered and floured charlotte mould, place in a bain marie, and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) for about 50 minutes until firm. Turn out the pudding while still lukewarm and coat with vanilla-or coffee-flavoured custard cream

English almond pudding

Cream together 125 g (4 ½ oz. ½ cup) softened butter and 150 g (5 oz. 2/3 cup)  caster (superfine) sugar in a basin. Add 250 g (9 oz.  2 cups) almonds  blanched and finely chopped, pinch of salt, 1 tablespoons double (heavy) cram.  Work  the mixture well, then pour it into buttered souffine dish and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) for at least 45 minutes. Serve from the dish.

English apple pudding

Mix together the following ingredients: 400 g (14 oz. 3 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 225 g (oz.  1 ½ cups) finely chopped beef suet, 2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar, a little salt and 100 ml (4 fl. oz. 7 teaspoons) water, knead thoroughly. Then roll out  the dough to a thickness of 8 mm (2/3 in).

            Butter a litre (1 ¾ pint.  5 cup) pudding  basin  (mould and line it with half of the dough.  Fill with finely sliced applies, sweetened with caster sugar and flavoured with the  grated  zest of a lemon and  some ground cinnamon. Cover with the remaining dough and press the edges together firmly. Wrap the basin in a cloth and tie it up firmly at the cop. Place the pudding on an old saucer in a saucepan with enough boiling water to come halfway up to sides. Of the basin. Cover and cook for about 2 hours over a gentle heat, topping up with boiling water as necessary.

            This pudding can be prepared with pears in the same way.

French bread pudding

Crumble 14 slices of stale milk bread.  Pour over the top 4 beaten eggs mixed with 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) caster sugar (superfine)  sugar; add 400 ml  (14 f. oz. 1 ¾ cups) tepid milk, then 4 tablespoons raisins which have been soaked in weak tea, 3 tablespoons chopped crystallized (candied) fruit, the  same amount of rum, a pinch of salt and sieved apricot jam. Mix everything together well.

            Butter a pudding basin (mould) or a charlotte or manque mould and pour half the mixture into it arrange 4 finely sliced canned piears over the surface, then pour in the remaining mixture. Place the  mould in a bain marie containing  boiling water. Put in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) and cook for about 1 hour until set.  Dip the  bottom of  the mould in cold water, then turn the pudding out.  Serve with blackcurrant sauce.

German bread and fruit pudding

Finely dice 150 g (5 oz. about  5 slices) white bread  and fry lightly in butter.  Put in a bowl and pour on 200 ml (7 fl. oz. ¾ cup) boiled milk. Mix, then add 2 apples cut into small cubes and cooked in butter, 50 g (2 oz. 1/3 cup) diced candied orange peel, 50 g  (2 oz.  ½ cup)  ground almonds and the same amount of seeded raisins, which have been soaked  in water and drained. Add 75 g (3 oz. 6 tablespoons) caster (superfine) sugar, 1 tablespoon blanched and finely chopped lemon peel and 3 egg yolks. Mix  well, then blend in 3 egg whites whisked into very stiff peaks.

            Pour this mixture into a buttered charlotte mould, place in a bain marie, and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) for about 50 minutes. Turn out the pudding while still lukewarm  and  coat with a sauce made by mixing 200 ml (7 fl. oz. ¾ cup) red wine with 2 tablespoons sieved and warned apricot jam.

Lemon souffle pudding

In a saucepan, work 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) butter into  a soft paste with a wooden spoon. Add 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) caster (superfine)  sugar and 100 g (4 oz. 1 cup) plain flour (all-purpose flour), then moisten with 300 ml (1/2 pint, 1 ¼ cups) hot milk and mix well. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time, then beat until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan clean. Remove  from the heat and beat in the juice of 2 lemons and 5 egg yolks, then fold in 6 egg whites whisked into stiff peaks and 2 tablespoon blanched and finely chopped lemon peel.

            Turn the mixture into a buttered 1.5 litre (2 ¾ pint, 6 cup) pudding basin or souffle mould, place in a bain marie,  and cook in preheated oven  at 200°C (400°F, gas 6 ) for 40 minutes  until well risen and golden brown.   Serve with a lemon flavoured custard cream.

Rice pudding.

Wash 250 g 99 oz. 1 ½ cups) round-grain rice and  blanch it in boiling water. Drain it and lace in a flameproof  casserole, then add 1 litre (1 ¾ pints. 4 ½ cups) milk boiled with 150 g (5 oz. ½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar, half  a vanilla pod (bean) and a pinch of salt.  Add 50 g (2 oz. ¼ cup)  butter. Stir and  bring slowly to the boil then cover the casserole and finish cooking in a preheated oven at 220°C (425°F, gas 7) for 25-30 minutes.

            Remove  from the oven and beat in 8 egg yolks. mixing  carefully, then 7-8 egg whitest into very stiff peaks. Use this mixture to fill about 10 small moulds which  have been buttered and sprinkled with fine breadcrumbs. Cook  in the oven in a bain marie for 30-35 minutes. Turn out  and serve with a rum-flavoured zabaglione, a custard cream or a fruit sauce flavoured with liqueur.

            The mixture maybe flavoured with 50 g (2 oz. ½ cup) cocoa per 500 g (18 oz. 3 cups) cooked rice.

Scotch pudding

Place 500 g (18 oz. 9 cups) fresh breadcrumbs in a bowl with rum.  Work the mixture together thoroughly and pour it into a smooth buttered mould, filling it up to 1 cm (1/2 in ) from the brim. Place in a  bain marie and  cook in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas6 ) for 1 hour.  Serve with a rum-flavoured zabaglione or a Madeira-flavoured custard cream.

Semolina pudding

Sprinkle 250 g (9 oz. 1 ¾ cups)  semolina into 1 litre (1 ¾ pints. 4 ½ cups)  boiling milk in which has been  dissolved 125 g (4 ½ oz. ½ cup)  caster (superfine) sugar, a generous pinch of salt and 100 g (4 oz. ½ cup) butter. Mix and cook over a very gentle heat for 25 minutes. Leave to cool slightly then add 6 egg yolks, 1 small liqueur  glass of orange-flavoured liqueur and 4 egg whites whisked into very stiff peaks. Pour this mixture into a savarin mould, buttered and dusted with semolina. Place in a bain marie and  cook in a preheated oven at 200°C (440 °F, gas 6 ) until  the mixture is slightly elastic to the touch.  Leaveteh pudding to stand for 30 minutes before turning it out.  Serve with custard  or an orange sauce.

PUFFBALL. A globur or pear-shaped mushrooms.  The giant puffball is globular and its short stalk is  almost unnoticeable. It is edible when young and  unripe, while the flesh is still white, but the tough skin must be discarded. It can be eaten  sliced, covered in breadcrumbs and fried, or as a filling for an omelette. Other  varieties  of puffball and pearl-shaped and some are edible.  lycoperdon echinatium, recognizable by its  brownish colour and clusters of hairs, is not edible.

PAFFU PASTRY. Ate feuillettee or feuilletage in French, this is rich and delicate pastry made up of  very thin layers. It is said by some historians to have been invented by Calude Gelle, better known, as the  17^th –century landsacpe painter claude Lorrain, who was said to have served a pastrycook’s apprenticeship, others say it was invented by a chef called feuillet, who was chief pastrycook to the house of Conde.  Careme praises Feuillet, who was undoubtedly a great pastrycook, and in his pattissier royal writes. Richard spurred me on to work twice as hard by speaking to me often of the great Feuillet.’  But Careme stops there  and nowhere in his learned treatises on pastry does he say that Feuillet was the inventory of puff  pastry.  But  Josepy Favre is definite  on this subject.  In this  Dictionnaire unversed de cuisine he states that Feuillet was  the inventor of puff pastry.

            It appears. However, from the study of documents.of a much earlier date, that puff pastry was known not only in the Middle Ages, but also in ancient Greece. In a charter drawn up by Robert, bishop of  Amiens (1311), puff-pastry cakes are mentioned.  It  therefore seems more likely that this  pastry was perfected and brought back into fashion by Clause Lorrain and feuillet in their own times.

§  Preparation.  The preparation of puff pastry is a  length and complicated procedure.  Butter is incorporated into a rolled-out dough of flour and water.  The dough is them folded, turned at right angles  rolled out and folded again.  The turning,  rolling out  and folding is repeated  a number of times and the dough is left to stand and chill between each turning.  The more turns there are (ups to eight), the greater the number of  layers in the finished pastry.

This basic preparation can be varied.  Margarine, lord or white vegetable fat (shortening), oil or goose  fat may be substituted for butter, and egg yolks can be added (as in Viennese puff pastry).

Commercially prepared puff pastry is more popular with most domestic cooks than home-made pastry. It may be purchased chilled or frozen,  in blocks or ready rolled. Bought pastry varies widely in quality, with the poorest examples being extremely tasteless and fatty.  Better examples are to be found, made with all butter and usually sold chilled in  blocks.

§  Use puff pastry is light, golden and crisps, but not usually sweetened. It is used for pies, tarts,  allumettes, bouchees, vol-au-vent, mille-feuils and  many other dishes.  Creative cooks are experimenting  by adding flavouring ingredients.  Chocolate pastry  for mile-feuille is a good example cocoa powder  is mixed with the butter.

            Puff pastry is baked at a high temperature so that the air trapped during rolling expands.  This separates the layers and makes the pastry use.  The melting fat content and heat set the layers and give the pastry its characteristics crisp texture.

            Puff pastry can also be deep-fried successfully, for example when used as a covering for fritters.  The  pastry should be rolled  thinly and the oil for deep frying should be very hot.  When frying. Puff pastry is suitable only for ready cooked fillings or those  that cook quickly.  As soon as the pastry has puffed and turned golden, it should be drained in a basket or on a draining spoon, then transferred to a dish lined with kitchen paper or a dean napkin so that any remaining fat is mopped up.  Then it must be served immediately.

            The French name demi-feuilletage is given to any leftover pieces of dough that may then be roled out and used, for example, to line barquettes or tartles, or to make fleurons and other  decorative items.

Rough puff pastry The so-called rough  puff pastry can be made in a much shorter time by incorporating  all the butter in lumps with the  dough, rolling the dough fewer times  and omitting the resting periods between each turning.

            Plaky pastry. A layered pastry similar to puff pastry, but with fewer layers and not as rich.  The dough is made with  three-quarters fat to flour and it is rolled and foled four times.  Traditionally, a mixture of butter and lard is used. But the dough can be  made with al butter. The pastry is used as four putt  pastry, but it does not rise high enough  for making deep pastry cases.  Such as bouchees or a vol-au-vent. It is the traditional choice for sausage rolls, pie crusts and apple turnovers. Flaky pastry is cooked at  a high temperature, so that it rises and sets into crisp layers

RECIPES

Puff pastry

Put 500 g 918 oz. 4 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour on a board in circle, making a well in the middle.  Since flours differ, the exact  proportion of water  flour is variable. Into the centre of this circle put 1 ½  teaspoons salt and about  300 ml (1/2 pint.  1 ¼  cups)  water.  Mix and knead until the dough is  smooth and elastic.  For into a ball and leave to  stand for 25 minutes.

            Roll out the dough into square, mark a cross in the  top and roll out the wedges to form an evenly thick cross shape.  Put 500 g (18 oz. 2 ¼ cups) softened butter in the middle of this dough.  (The butter should be softened with a wooden spatula until it can be spread easily).  Fold the ends  of the dough over the butter in such a way as to enclose it completely.  Leaves to stand for 10 minutes in a cold place, until rested and firmed slightly.

            The turning operation (called tournoge in French) can now begin. Roll the dough with a rolling pin on a light floured board in such a way as to obtain a rectangle 60 cm (24 in)  long. 20 cm (8 in ) wide and 1.5 m (3/8 in) thick.  Fold the rectangle into three. Give it a quarter-turn and , with the rolling pin at right angles to the folds, roll the dough  out again into a rectangle of the same size as the previous one.  Again fold the dough into three and leave to  stand for about 15 minutes and chill if too sticky.  Repeat the sequence (turn, roll, fold)  a further  4 times. Leaving the dough to stand for about 15 minutes after each folding.  After  the sixth turn, roll out the dough in both directions and use  according to the recipe.

Puff pastry case for flans

Prepare  some puff pastry and roll it out to a thickness of about 5 mm (1/4 in.).  Cut it into a rectangle twice as long as it is wide. Then  cut 4 small strips about 3 cm 91 ¼ in) wide, two  of which  are the  same length as the width of the rectangle, and two the same  as its length. Cut the ends  of these strips  at right angles so that they form corners. The  remaining  rectangle  of the pastry forms the base of the tart.  Brush some beaten egg around  the edge of  the base and stick the strips to it to form the sides  of the pastry case.  Trim  the edges with a knife and  mark the top edge with a decorative  criss-cross pattern.  Prick the base  to prevent the pastry from rising during cooking.  Bake in a preheated oven at 230°C(450°F, gas 8) for about 20 minutes.  Fill the  flan case with drained poached or cooked fruit covered in a fruit glaze.

Puff pastry made with oil

Make the flour and water dough as described in the traditional recipe for puff pastry then incorporate 200 ml (7 fl. oz. ¾ cup) ground nut (peanut) oil.  Roll out the  dough into a 20 cm (8 in) square and brush it generously with oil.  Then proceed in the usual way except that the dough is  brushed with oil each time it is  rolled out.  Allow a total  of about 350 ml (12 fl. oz. 1 ½ cups)  oil for 500 g  100 oz. 4 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour.

Rough (fast) puff pastry

Mix 400 g (14 oz. 300 g (11 oz. 1 ½ cups) butter cut into pieces.  1 tablespoon salt and 200 ml (7 fl. oz. ¼ cup) very cold water in a bowl to form a soft smooth dough.  Roll it out into a rectangle measuring  about  60 x 20cm (24 x 8 in).  fold it into three, turn and  roll it out gain into a rectangle of the same size.  Repeat  twice more without allowing it to stand between turns. Use immediately.

PUGLIA WINES.  Puglia or apulia, on the heel of  the boot of Italy, produces large amounts of wine. The majority was traditionally sold for blending or for use in the manufacture of vermouth, but with modern wine-making technique some good quality wine is made.

PUITS D’AMOUR A small pastry made of two rounds of rolled-out puff pastry placed one on top of the other,  the second being hollowed out. After  cooking the centre is filled with jam or vanilla- or  praline-flavoured confectioner’s custard (pastry cream), which is sometimes caramelized. This  pastry was probably  created in 1843, after the  success of a comic opera entitled Le putts d’amour.

RECIPE

Puits d’amour

Roll out (500 g (18 oz) puff pastry into a  25 x 18 cm  (10 x 7 in) rectangle.  Cut out from it 12 circles, 6 cm (2 ½ in) in diameter. Place  6 of them on a buttered baking sheet and brush with beaten egg.  Cut  out the centeres  of the  other 6 circles with a 3 cm (1 ¼ in) pastry (cookie)  cutter; place these  rings on the circles of pastry and brush with beaten egg. Cook in a preheated oven at 230°C (450°F, gas 8)  for 15 minutes.  Allow them to cool, them dust with icing (confectioner’s  sugar and fill the centres  with redcurrant jelly  or vanilla-flavoured confectioner’s custard.

PULIGNY-MONTRACHET A  vineyard region in the Cote de Beaune in Burgundy, most famous  for its white wines  from the Chardonnay grape, but also making some reds. There are several AOC grand  and premier cru wines, of which the best known is  probably le Montrachet.

PULGUE A Mexican alcoholic drink obtained by  fermentation of the juice of the maguey plant, a  species of agave. This very popular drink is consumed in large quantities on firms, as well as in the pulquerias, small popular  taverns.

PULSES Leguminous  plants whose seeds are used  as a vegetable; they include  peas, beans, lentils, soya (soy) beans and peanuts. One of the characters of pulses is their  very high energy value and very  low water content compared with fresh vegetables  (which means they can be stored for long periods).  They are also an important  source of vegetables protein and form a vital part of a vegetarian diet along wit a mixture of grains and vegetables.

            Pulses form one of the staple foods in India.  Many  North African countries (Particularly chick peas) and south America (red kidney beans).

PUMPERNICKEL Rye bread originating from Westphalla and now manufactured throughout Germany and sometimes  in Alsace.  Very solid and almost black in colour, pumpernickel is made with leaven and coarsely crushed pure Rye, abroad, it is  often sold, packaged, in very thin slices.  As it has a  fairly pronounced flavour, it is eaten mostly with  smoked sausages.  Marinated fish and cheese.

            These are several explanations of its etymology pumper could be an onomatopoeic reference to the  action of the yeast, and nickel an abbreviation of the  christian name Nikolaus (often used in Germany to  designate a halfwit), the  word would therefore mean  ‘a coarse bread suitable for  a halfwit’.  According to another  explanation, the word originated in the 1450s; as a severe famine was threatening the inhabitants of Osnabruck, the municipality baked a ‘good bread’ (bonum Panicum) for  the poor; its success was go great that it continued to be made and its  named developed into bumpomichel, then into  pumpernickel.

PUMPKIN A vegetable of the  marrow (squash).  Family, which is round, with a flattened top and base.  The orange ribbed rind. There are several varieties, weighing up to 100 kg 220 lb.).  once the seeds  and fibres  have  been removed, the flesh its eaten cooked, often as a soup, in a gratin or as a puree. It is  also used as a pie filling (a  la  curaouille), mixed with onion, especially in northern France, where pumpkin pie is as popular as in the United States.  The pumpkin is cultivated in southern France, especially in the south-east, where  it is harvested from October to  December and keeps throughout the winter.  When  bought in slices, preferably cut from a small, juicy,  fresh-coloured pumpkin, it does not keep long.

            In French recipes pumpkin is sometimes  called citrouille, rather than potiron.

RECIPES

Pumpkin and remove the seeds and surrounding fibres. Cut the pulp into slices and blanch in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes. Drain  thoroughly and put into a frying pan with some veal stock.  Cover and simmer gently for about  20 minutes. Serve sprinkled chopped parsley.

Pumpkin gratin a la provencale

Peel a fine ripe pumpkin and remove the seeds  their  surrounding fibres.  Cut  the pulp into small dice and blanch for 10 minutes in boiling salted water; refresh in cold water and grin.  Peel some  onions and sweet them gently for 5-6 minutes in butter. Rub the inside of a gratin dish with garlic and butter arrange a layer of  cut drained pumpkin pieces, then the onions, then the rest of the pumpkin,  in the dish.  Sprinkle with grated cheese and olive oil and  brown in  preheated oven at 220°C (425°F, gas 7).

Pumpkin puree

Sweet the pulp of a pumpkin in butter and reduce to a puree, as for pumpkin soup. cook some potatoes (one-third of the weigh of the pumpkin) in boiling salted water and reduce a puree. Mix  the two purees add a little boiling milk, and stir thoroughly. Remove from the heat and beat in  some fresh butter.

Pumpkin soup

Peel and seed a pumpkin to obtain 800 g (1 ¾ lb)  pulp.  Cut the pulp into small pieces and place in a saucepan with 50 g (2 oz. ¼ cup) butter and  8 tablespoons water. Add salt, lover the pan and  sweat for about 20 minutes. Puree the pulp.  Pour  into the rinsed-out saucepan and  add 1 litre  (1 ¾  pints, 4 1/3 cups)  stock or consomme. Bring  to the boil, adjust the seasoning and whisk in 50 g  (2 oz. ¼ cup) butter cut into  small pieces.  Serve with small croutons fried in butter.

            Alternatively, the puree can be diluted  wit 1 litre (1 2/4 pints, 4 ½ cups)  boiling milk and sweetened to taste. Thicken with 2 tablespoons ground rice blended with a little a little milk.

Sautéed  pumpkin with spices

Melt 50 g (2 oz. 1 cup) salted butter in a frying pan and add 1 tablespoon clear honey and 34 crescent-shaped pieces of fresh pumpkin, each weighing about 200 f (7 oz.). fry until golden.  When they have finished cooking, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon all-spice. I teaspoon curry power, the chopped zest of  1 unwaxed mandarin , 2 teaspoons freshly chopped mint leaves, the juice  of half a lemon and some good quality salt.  Serve hot with chicken or sweetbreads.

PUNCH an iced or hot drink, sometimes flamed, which can be made with tea, sugar, spices, fruits and rum or brandy, or with rum and sugar syrup.  The  word originally described a British colonial drink, in  which, theoretically, five ingredients had to be included  (Panch means ‘five’ in Hindustani). In  France in the 18^th century, the word changed to the form pomche or bouleponche (from the English punch bowl in which the drink was served).

            About 1830 the ban on a the importation of rum into France from the West Indies was lifted.   A had been prohibited so as no to compete  with cognac.  At the same time a fashion for. English things introduced the vogue for punch.  A forerunner of the cocktail, it has been made according to various  recipes. English punch consist of boiling tea poured over slices  of lemon, with sugar, cinnamon and rum (it was formerly flumed before being drunk).  In  French punch, the quantity of tea is smaller and the  run is sometimes replaced by brandy, poured in last and flamed. Marquise punch, which is served hot or iced, is made with sauterness wines and with sugar, lemon peel and cloves, it may be flamed.  Roman punch is a sorbet made with dry white wine or  champagne with orange or lemon slices, mixed with Italian meringue, over which a glass  of rum is poured at the time of serving.  Planters punch is a  mixture of white rum, sugar-care syrup and  orange or lemon juice, sometimes enlivened with a dash of Angostura bitter.  Brazillin batida punch, which appeared more recently in Europe, has base of  brandy, rum and lime, guava or mango juice.

RECIPES

Iced pnch

Dissolve 200 g (7 oz. ¾ cup) sugar with the grated  zest of a lemon in 1 litre  (1 ¾  pints, 4 ½ cups) sweet white wine. Heat gently, then add 1 tablesoon tea leaves and leave to infuse for about 10 miinutes.  Strain then add an orange and a lemon, peeled and  cut into slices, and 200 ml (7 fl.  oz.  ¾ cup)  warmed flaming rum. Leave to cool. Strain and put in the  freezer for 3 hours  until stushy, tehn stir and serve in sundae dishes.

Kirsch punch

Infuse 1 tablespoon tea leaves for 8 minutes in 1 litre (1 ¾ pints, 4 1/3 cups) boiling water, put 500 g (18 z. 2 ¼ cups) caster (superfine) sugar in a  punch bowl.  Pour in the strained hot tea and stir  until the sugar has dissolved. Flame 750 ml (1 ¼ pints, 3 ¼ cups)  kirsch and add to the punch.  Serve in punch cups).  The Kirsch may be replaced by run.

Marquise punch

Put in a copper pan 1 litre (1 ¾ pnts, 4 1/3 cups) Sauternes (or similar sweet white wine) g (7 oz. ¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar, and the grated zest of a lemon, tied in muslim (cheesecloth) with a clove. Heat  until a fine white foam has formed on the surface, then pour into a punch bowl. Add 250 ml (8 fl. oz. 1 cup) flaming Cognac. Serve in punch cups decorated with a thin slice of lemon.

West Indian punch

Mix in a shaker 250 ml (8 fl. oz. 1 cup) pineapple  juuice 250 ml (8 fl. oz. 1 cup) orange juce and 4 tablespoon orgeat or grenadine syrup. Add  500 ml (17 fl oz. 2 cups) white rum and shake thoroughly.  Pour over ice cubes in frosted glasses.

PUREE A creamy preparation obtained by pressing and sieving cooked foods (or by usign a blender or food processor).

            Vegetable puree used as a garnish or condiment are fairly thick.  For making soups, they are diluted  with a liquid.  Certain vegetables which are two watery to give a sufficiently thick puree are thickened  with a binding agent – potato puree, comflour (comstarch) or potato flour, thick blechmel sauce. The following vegetables may be pureed artichoke, asparagus, aubergine (eggplant), beetroot (red beet), cardoon, carrot and other  root vegetables, celery, mushrooms, endive, cauliflower, ourgette (zuchini), chicory, spinach, broad (fava) beams, red or white haricot (navy or kidney) beans, green beans, lettuce, lentils, chestnuts, onions (soubise), sorned.  Split peas, green peas (Saint-Germain), potato and pumpkin. Pureed garlic, watercress and tarragon are usually used as condimetns.

            Purees of meat, game or fish, often mixed with a brown or white sauce, are usually used as fillings for vol-au-vent,  couchees or barquettes, or as a stuffing for hard-boiled (hard-cooked) eggs, artichoke hearts and pancakes.

            Fruit purees, either cold or hot, are used for making ices, mousses, souffles and dessert sauces.

RECIPES

Anchovy puree (for cold dishes)

Desalt 75 g (3 oz) anchovies, remove the fillets and reduce them to a puree in a mortar or in a blender with 4 hard-boiled 9hard-cooked) egg yolks and 40 g ( 1 ½ oz. 3 tablespoons) butter; Add 1 tablespoons chopped herbs,  mix well.

            This puree is used to stuff hard-boiled eggs, artichoke hearts and fish (red mullet), for serving cold.

Anchovy puree (for hot dishes)

Desalt 75 g (3 oz.)  anchovies, remove the fillets and pound them into a puree 150 ml (¼  pint, 2/3 cup) thick bechamel sauce and, if desired, 2-3 sieved or punded hard-boiled  (hard-cooked) egg yolks  and some coarsely herbs.

            This puree is used to fill couchees, tartlets  or rissoles that are to be served hot.

calf’s  or chicken liver puree

Quckly fry the diced cal’f liver or whole chicken livers in butter, then reduce to a puree in a blender.  Season and flavour with madiera if desired.

            This puree is used for a gratin forcemeats.

Game puree

Remove the sinews from the cooked meat of peasant, duck, young rabbit or partridge and  reduce the flesh to a puree in a blender or food processor.  Incorporate the same weight of ric cooked in meat stock and puree again quickly  adjut the seasoing.

            This puree is used as an a grain forcemeat.

Potato and turnip puree

Peel 800 g ( ¾  lb.)  turnips and 800 g ( 1 ¾ lb.) potatoes. Cut them separately into cubes.  Put  8 juniper berries.  4-5 slices fresh root ginger a teaspooon roesemary leaves and 1 teaspoon black peppercorsn  in a small linen bag. Peel and chop 2 medium-sized onions. Peel and chop 2 garlic cloves.  Heat 3 tablespoons goose fat or duck fat in a flameproof casserole. Add the diced turnips.  Season lighty with salt and a pinch of sugar, then brown.  Add the potatoes and sauté  them, then add the onion and garlic. Add a little  chicken stock and  cook over a low heat until the stock has evaported.  Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon fat and fry 12 crooutons on both sides.

            Remove the linen bag from the vegetables,  puree the vegetables in a food processor and adjust the  seasoning. Sprinkle with a little roasting juice if  desired and serve garnished with the croutons.

Salmon puree

Puree 250 g (9 oz) skinned and boned fresh salmon with bones and skin removed). Add to this puree 100 ml (4 fl. oz. 7 tablespoons) vey thick bechamel sauce. Heat, stirring well, then whisk in 50 g (2 oz. ¼ cup) butter. Adjust the seasoning. If  desired, add a quarter of its weight of mushroom duxellies.

            The puree is used to fill barquettes, pannequets, croustades and hard-boiled (hard-cooked) eggs.

Shrimp puree

Pound in a mortar some shelled shrimp.   Add an equal volume of bechameil sauce mixed with cream and reduced.  Adjust the seasoning.

            This puree is added to stuffings and sauces for fish and shellfish.

Smoked-salmon puree

Using a blender or a food processor puree 200 g (7 oz) smoked salmon together with the juice of half a lemon and 4 egg yolks.  Add 50 g (2 oz.  ¼ cup) butter and work the mixture until smooth.

            This puree is used for garnishing canapes, barquetes, cold pancakes or slices of smoked salmon rolled into cornet shapes.

PURI  Also known as poori. This Pakistani and Indian bread (made particularly in Northern India) is  made from wheat flour.  The basic dough is the same as for chapati, the flat, wholemeal bared cooked on a bakestone, but it is rolled into small, thin rounds. The freshy prepared rounds of odugh ar deep-pried  in hot oil so that they puff up into golden, crisp hollows. They are served to accompany a meal, particularly with with a selection of mixed dishes served on a thali. They are sometimes stuffed or topped with a savoury mixture when cooked.

PURSLANE  A hardy plant (portulaca oleracea which originated in India, was known by the Romans and was used in the Middle Ages.  Particularly  for pickling.  There are seven species, including the golden purslane with large leaves and the clayt me de cuba  (cultivated in the north of France and in Belgium). Rich in magnesium and with slightly  spicy flavour, this purslane can be eaten as a  salad, flavoured with burnet. The fleshy young leaves and the tender stalks can be cooked like spinach and cardoons (particularly with gravy, butter or cream). The  leaves can also be used as garnish for soups, omelettes and cuts of meat (instead of  watercress) or  to flavour  sauces (beamaise or paloise).

PYRAMIDE The name of a goat’s cheese with a shape similar to  Valencay, made in a cheese factory in central France  from frozen curds and milk powder.