Wild Rice

Wild Rice is not rice but the seeds of the tall wild grass Zizania aquatica native to marshy areas in North America.

The long, dark brown grains are nutty in flavor and chewy in texture.

White Chocolate

White Chocolate tastes like chocolate but is not truly chocolate as it contains no cacao solids.

It is made of cacao butter, milk solids and sugar.

Chanterelles

A trumpet shaped wild mushroom, yellow to orange in color and have an apricot aroma.

They are grown in Oregon, but most are imported from France. They can be purchased fresh or dried in supermarkets.

Bean Curd

Soy milk curds that have been been pressed into cakes. Also known as tofu, the bland cakes quickly absorb sauces and blend nicely with foods such as soups and stir-frys.

There are two types: The custardlike Japanese form which is silky and tender but still able to be sliced and the Chinese type holds together even while frying.

Bean curd is perishable and should be refrigerated in water.

Oyster Liquor

The natural juice from freshly opened oysters. It should always be clear with a clean and briny aroma. Discard oysters with cloudy liquor. If there are pieces of shell or other grit inside the oyster, rinse it before cooking. The shell will refill with juice.

Marzipan

A pliable mixture of finely ground almonds, sugar and egg white. It is used as a filling and to make confections and decorations. It can be tinted, rolled into sheets, cut into strips or molded into various shapes. It is available at supermarkets in tubes or plastic-wrapped logs.

Gnocchi

Pronounced: NYOH-kee

Small Italian dumplings made of potatoes or semolina. Eggs or cheese can be added to the dough. It is shaped by hand, cooked in boiling water and served, like pasta, with several different types of sauces.

Dragees

Pronounced: dra-ZHAY

These are hard candies, originally almonds with a hard sugar coating. The name is from the Greek for honey-coated almonds.