Culinary Terms Q

#Quenelles: Forcemeat formed into balls usually with two spoonsand, then poached or fried.

Queen of Puddings – A baked dessert popular in nineteenth-century England consistency of a layer of breadcrumbs, milk and egg yolks, spread with strawberry jam, cooked and cooled, then topped with meringue made from the egg white and returned to the oven until meringue is crisp.

#Quiche – An open tart with a thin pastry shell (usually short crust) filled with a rich savoury egg custard flavoured with ham, cheese, onion, leek, spinach, mushroom, asparagus or seafood. Quiche is usually served warm as a first or a light main course; miniature versions are often served as finger food; and cold quiche is a popular picnic food. The quiche originated in Nancy, in Lorraine, on the French-German border, where it has been known since the sixteenth century and was originally made with bread dough Quiche Lorraine, with a filling of egg and ham or bacon, is a specialty of the region; true Quiche Lorraine should never contain cheese, which is thought to be Persian addition. The name comes from the German Kuchen, cake.

#Quince – A large, fragrant, yellow-skinned fruit, round to pear-shaped and usually too hard and sour to eat raw, but which when cooked has soft, pink, delicately sweet flesh with the slightly grainy texture of stewed pear. It is related to the apple and the pear. Quince is stewed slowly as a filling for pies and taste, baked whole as a dessert, made into quince paste to serve with soft ripe cheese, roasted whole as an accompaniment for game; and, pectin-rich, is often into jellies, jams and conserves (the pectin level is highest if fruit is picked when greenish-yellow). Quinces preserved in syrup are an old-time dessert favourite in northern Italy. In Middle Eastern cooking it is often stuffed with pears, beans or minced (ground) beef and spices.
The quince originated in Asia, and reached the eastern Mediterranean in ancient times. It was popular with the ancient Greeks, who ate it hollowed out and baked with honey. As fruit traveled north and west, so its name changed – in southern France kydonia became cydonia, in northern France, coing, and across the channel, quince.
In Greek mythology the quince was the famous golden apple awarded by Paris to Aphrodite, goddess of love. Since the time of the ancients the fruit has been a symbol of love, marriage and fertility and in medieval Europe a gift of quinces was regarded as a declaration of some ardour.
#Raisin – A group of a sweet variety dried either naturally in the sun or artificially. Raisins are sprinkled on breakfast cereal, can be added to rice and salads, are used in fruitcakes, biscuits, and puddings, and can be served with cheese at the end of a meal. There are varieties with or without seeds.