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Showing: udo - varak; varaq

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udo

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

A Japanese vegetable that belongs to the GINSENG family. Its tender stalks resemble ASPARAGUS but have a light FENNEL flavor. Udo is used raw in salads or lightly cooked in soups and other dishes.

udon

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

A thick Japanese noodle similiar to spaghetti. It can be round or squared and can be made from wheat or corn flour. Udon is available in Asian markets in both fresh and dried forms.

ugli fruit

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

Its origins are vague, but the native Jamaican ugli fruit is believed to be a TANGERINE - GRAPEFRUIT hybrid (though the POMELO may also have been involved). It ranges in size between that of a NAVEL ORANGE and a giant grapefruit. Its acid-sweet flavor suggests grapefruit with hints of orange. The extremely thick, yellow-green skin fits rather loosely over the large, juicy, yellow-orange pulp sections. Ugli fruit is available on a limited basis around the country from winter to spring. Choo...

umeboshi

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

Pickled Japanese plums that are picked before they're ripe, then soaked in brine and red SHISO leaves, the latter of which adds flavor and a pink coloring. This Japanese condiment is very salty and tart and is a popular adjunct to most Japanese meals, including breakfast. Pureed umeboshi, called bainiku, is used as a seasoning. Umeboshi can be found in jars and cans in Asian markets and in some gourmet markets.

univalve

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

see GASTROPOD

univalve mollusk

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

see GASTROPOD

unleavened

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

A word describing baked goods (breads, cakes, etc.) that contain no LEAVENER, such as BAKING POWDER, BAKING SODA or YEAST. Among the most popular unleavened breads are LAHVOSH.

unmold

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

To remove molded food from the container (usually a decorative MOLD) in which it was made. The process generally requires inverting the container over a serving plate.

unsalted butter

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

see BUTTER

upside-down cake

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

Of this genre, the most popular is undoubtedly the traditional pineapple upside-down cake. Any fruit can be used, however, and this dessert is made by covering the bottom of a cake pan with butter and sugar topped with decoratively arranged fruit, then cake batter. During the baking process, the sugar, butter and fruit juices combine to create a CARAMELIZED glaze. Before serving, the cake is inverted onto a serving plate so the glazed fruit becomes the top of the cake.

USDA

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

United States Department of Agriculture

V.S.; V.S.O.P.; V.V.S.O.P.

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

see COGNAC

vacherin

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

A dessert consisting of several crisp MERINGUE rings stacked on top of each other and placed on a meringue or pastry base. Alternatively, the rings may be made with almond paste. This "container" may be filled with ice cream or crème CHANTILLY and/or various fruits.

vacherin cheeses

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

Any of several rich and creamy cow's-milk cheeses from France or Switzerland, characteristically containing 45 to 50 percent milk fat. Vacherin Fribourgeois from the Swiss canton of Fribourg has a grayish-yellow rind and a pale yellow, semisoft interior. Its mildly acidic, resiny flavor is reminiscent of GRUYÈRE. Vacherin Mont d'Or, which is made both in France and Switzerland, has a rich, slightly sweet flavor. The ripest of these cheeses are often so runny that they're eaten with a spoon...

Valencia orange

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

Grown in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, the Valencia orange has a thin, deep golden skin that's difficult to peel. Its flesh is sweet, juicy and contains few seeds. The Valencia is good both as a juice fruit and for eating out of hand. It's in season from January to November. See also ORANGE.

Valpolicella

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

Produced in northern Italy, this dry red wine is light-bodied and has a fragrant bouquet and fruity flavor. It's best served young and is sometimes viewed as Italy's version of a French BEAUJOLAIS.

vanilla -- from the Cook's Encyclopedia

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

Dictionaries describe the term "plain-vanilla" as something "simple, plain or ordinary." Few statements could be further from the truth-for there is definitely nothing ordinary about the seductively aromatic vanilla bean. This long, thin pod is the fruit of a luminous celadon-colored orchid (vanilla planifolia), which, of over 20,000 orchid varieties, is the only one that bears anything edible. Native to tropical America, the vanilla bean was cultivated and processed by the Aztecs, who use...

vanilla sugar

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

Wonderfully fragrant and flavorful sugar made by burying vanilla beans in granulated or confectioners' sugar-usually in the proportion of two beans for each pound of sugar. The mixture is stored in an airtight container for about a week before the vanilla bean is removed. The result is a delicious and perfumy sugar that can be used as an ingredient or decoration for baked goods, fruit and other desserts. Vanilla beans may be reused in this fashion for up to 6 months.

vanillin

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

see VANILLA

varak; varaq

BY: The Food Lover's Companion

Edible, gossamer-thin sheets of pure silver or gold that for centuries have been popular decorations in India for special-occasion desserts, confections, nuts and rice dishes. Varak sheets, which are flavorless and odorless, can be found in Indian markets and cake decorating supply shops. The gold- and silver-leaf sheets usually come in packages of twenty-four, each section sandwiched between two sheets of paper. Varak sheets are so fragile that they dissolve easily with human touch and ca...

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