Food and Cooking
Glossary
D
Daikon
A long, white vegetable of the radish family, also known as
mooli. It's crunchy, with a mild peppery flavour, similar to
watercress. Unlike other radishes it's as good cooked as it
is raw. In Chinese and Japanese cookery it's used for vegetable
carving as well as cooking. Daikon is sometimes available in
larger supermarkets, but you're more likely to find it in Asian
or Caribbean food shops.
Date
Widely grown in Arab countries, the date is the fruit of the
date palm. Dates are sweet and rich with a chewy, sticky texture.
Fresh dates are plump and dark brown with a glossy sheen. Dried
dates look very similar and it can be hard to tell the difference
if you buy them packaged.
Daube
A classic French method of cooking a type of stew, usually using
a single joint of meat braised in red-wine stock, with vegetables
and herbs. Once the meat is cooked, the braising liquid is thickened,
then reduced and served with the meat and vegetables. A daube
usually refers to a piece of beef cooked this way.
Dauphinoise (à la)
To cook something 'à la Dauphinoise' means to bake it
in a slow oven with cream and garlic. A gratin dauphinoise is
a classic dish of thinly sliced potatoes cooked in this way
- with garlic, cream, milk, butter and often gruyère
cheese - rich, but very delicious. Serve it as an accompaniment
to meat or vegetable dishes.
Deglaze
To deglaze is to add wine, stock or other liquid to a hot pan
or roasting tin in which food has been roasted or sautéed.
Use a wooden spatula to scrape all the tasty bits sticking to
the bottom and sides of the pan and stir them into the juices.
Reduce the liquid slightly and serve it with the food as a sauce
or gravy.
Demi-glace Sauce
Demi-glace sauce is a rich brown sauce often used by chefs.
It's made from a reduction of clear stock and sauce espagnole
- stock that has been thickened with a roux, diced vegetables
and tomato purée - and is the basis for classic sauces
such as Madeira, Diane and reform sauce. As an easier alternative
for home cooking, you could use a good quality homemade beef
stock that has been boiled and then reduced. Add a splash of
Madeira or sherry for flavour.
Dim Sum
The collective term for an array of little dishes eaten mainly
by southern and Hong Kong Chinese and served in tea houses and
restaurants all day long. It's sometimes called 'yum cha' after
the Chinese tradition of taking tea, and tea is the drink usually
served with dim sum.
Sometimes served from trolleys that are wheeled around the dining
room, dim sum comprises a variety of small steamed or deep-fried
dumplings with different fillings, but also other tasty morsels
such as steamed spare ribs, rice in lotus leaves, stuffed peppers,
fried whole prawns and steamed or fried meat or vegetable buns.
Dover Sole
The superior sole, Dover sole is a member of the flatfish family,
fished from the North Sea to the Mediterranean. It has a light
brown/grey speckled skin and a creamy underside. It has a firm
but delicate and flavourful flesh and is best cooked as simply
as possible. It's traditionally skinned on the darker side only,
leaving the white skin of the underside in place. The skin separates
easily from the flesh and the flesh falls easily from the bone.
Durian
A large, green, spiky, South-east Asian fruit about the size
of a football. To all but its fans, the durian has a nauseating
smell - in fact its transport has been outlawed by many airlines.
How something so delicious can smell so dreadful is one of life's
great mysteries. The creamy, slightly sweet flesh has an exquisitely
rich, custard-like texture and a flavour reminiscent of strawberries.
It's considered a delicacy in South-east Asia. Use it in an
exotic fruit salad.
