Hen of the woods or maitake mushroom. A frilled fungus with many caps that grows on trees and which is edible when it is very young.
Mushimono are created by steaming, a method of cooking which confers several advantages: The ingredients are uniformly heated without needing to be moved during the cooking process, while the steam itself does not cause the ingredients to lose their shape. Steaming thus preserves both the shapes and the flavours of the ingredients. Mushimono are often featured on fall and winter menus; for the most part they fall into the category of seasonal dishes.
A large, originally Japanese apple called Crispin in England, with greenish golden skin sometimes flushed with orange, a cross between Golden Delicious and Indo, since 1948. It gained its English name in 1968. It has crisp, firm white flesh, agreeably tart, and they store well. It is a triploid, which means that it is a poor pollinator and is a late-season apple, harvested from mid-October in South-East England and is at its best from December to February. When cooked it retains its shape but is most useful in salads.
A general name for fish or chicken, vegetables cooked in a pot at the table. The broth left at the end is often kept to cook udon noodles or zösui (rice porridge).
