Great Chefs Cook Vegan - Linda Long [78]
Deglaze: To dissolve cooking juices and dark clinging particles in which food has been sautéed or roasted by adding liquid and stirring.
Dice: A small cubed dice is a 1/4 x 1/4 x 1/4-inch square. A medium dice is a 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2-inch square and a large dice is a 3/4 x 3/4 x 3/4-inch square.
Farro: An original grain from which all others are derived. Ground into a paste and cooked, it is the primary ingredient in polenta.
Glucose: A simple sugar that browns at a lower temperature than other sugars and is highly effective in preventing crystallization. Useful in sugar mixtures for pulling and shaping without cracking and breaking.
Goji Berries: Grown on an evergreen shrub in the China region, usually dried and look like red raisins. They are rich in antioxidants.
Grains of Paradise: A large-grained spice native to the west coast of Africa with a zesty flavor reminiscent of pepper, coriander and cardamom.
Green Mangoes: The native green mango is similar in flavor and texture to a crisp, tart, green apple.
Hakurei Turnips: A young Japanese turnip that has flat, round, smooth, and white roots and a sweet and fruity flavor.
Hijiki: Seaweed that comes in short matchstick-sized black strips and best used in dishes requiring simmering.
Isomalt: The only sugar replica made from pure sugar but tastes as naturally sweet as sugar. An inverted sugar that is easier to work and resists humidity.
Julienne: To cut food into 1/2 x 1/8 x 3-inch length strips.
Meyer Lemon: A hybrid between a lemon and an orange or a mandarin. Less acidic than a lemon.
Micro Greens: Known as the smallest edible plants on Earth. They are really just sprouts grown in a moisture-retaining medium, which grow vertically. Almost any tiny seed can be grown this way, and are harvested after they form their first true leaves.
Mirin Rice Wine: A very sweet Japanese wine used to flavor rice and sauces, and is not for drinking. A substitute is 1 tablespoon dry sherry plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar or white wine and sugar to taste.
Nama Shoyu: A raw unpasturized soy sauce with a rich, full-bodied flavor, plus healthful living enzymes.
Opal Basil: A variety of basil also known as purple-leaf basil. It has dark, purple-red leaves, stems, and flowers.
Pedro Ximenez (PX): Spanish sweet dessert wine some consider as one of the best in the world. Used in the production of sherry for sweetening and comes from a white grape of the same name.
Quenelle: The decorative shape of a neat, three-sided oval formed by smoothing a spoonful of mixture between the bowls of two rotating spoons. Often used in the plating presentations of sorbets, ice creams, and soft topping and mimics the shape of an egg.
Salsify (Goats Beard): A white fleshy root shaped like a parsnip with slight oyster or artichoke heart taste.
Sear: To quickly brown the surface of food by exposing it to extremely high heat.
Silpat: A popular brand name for a flexible nonstick food-grade silicone baking mat. Delicate cooking procedures are made possible by using it.
Simple Syrup: A 2 to 1 ratio mixture of sugar and water. Made by using two parts sugar to one part water and dissolving in boiling water. Some recipes prefer 2 to 2 or other ratios.
Sucanat: A brand name for a popular unrefined sugar made from pure dried sugar cane juice. It retains its molasses content and can be used as a substitute for brown sugar.
Suji: An Indian reference for a wheat semolina grain.
Sunchoke (Jerusalem Artichokes): A root of a plant in the sunflower family that looks like bulbous gingerroots with many stubby outcroppings. The ivory flesh is similar to water chestnuts and tastes of artichokes and salsify.
Sweat: To cook vegetables quickly over high heat usually with a little oil until crisp-tender.
Tamarind: An Indian date, a key ingredient in Indian cooking. The pods contain seeds and sour-sweet pulp that, when dried, become very sour.
Tofu (Regular): Chinese-style tofu, it is made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. It is