What is Yuzu Vinaigrette?
Yuzu vinaigrette is a dressing used primarily for salads. It is composed of yuzu citrus juice, which tastes like a cross between a lime and a grapefruit. The juice is mixed with oil, vinegar and various seasonings to create a light dressing with a tart flavor.
Ingredients
The yuzu is a citrus fruit that looks like an extra textured yellow lemon. Before the yuzu is ripe it has a green rind and a sour and slightly floral flavor and smell Once ripe it turns a yellow-golden color and tastes like a cross between a grapefruit and a lime. The rind, or zest is used as well as the pulpy and juicy flesh. The flesh is yellow or glden. Yuzu flesh and juice are used the most frequently and can be found in sauces, broths, mixed drinks and more.
Rice wine vinegar, also called mirin is made from fermented glutinous rice and yeast. Both of these ingredients turn the sugars in the rice to alcohol. Rice wine vinegar is a condiment used in East Asian cuisine. It is clear with a yellowy hue and a thin viscosity. This sweet rice wine is used as a seasoning in grains, meats and vegetables. The flavor is sweet and a little bit vinegary with a hint of alcohol.
Vegetable oil is obtained by extracting oil from seeds. Types of vegetable oil include canola, sunflower, corn, and safflower. Light and with a neutral taste, vegetable oils are used to fry foods, or can be used to lightly coat meats and vegetables before roasting. Vegetable oils are also used as ingredients in salad dressings and sauces.
Garlic is used in cuisines around the world and is extremely popular for its depth of flavor. The garlic bulb forms underneath the soil and is harvested once it reaches maturity. The bulb typically has thin, dry, white and flaky skin, surrounding the individual cloves. Often there are 10-12 cloves to a bulb/head of garlic. The cloves are cream colored with a strong smell and flavor that is spicy and sharp. Garlic takes on a nutty flavor in addition, when cooked. It is used in countless dishes, sauces, breads and more.
Parsley is an aromatic herb with slender green stalks and sturdy, small green leaves. There are two common types of parsley, curly parsley and Italian flat leaf parsley. Italian parsley has a more robust flavor than curly parsley. Though each type tastes green, spicy and vegetal, with a hint of bitterness. Parsley is used as and herb to flavor dishes and as a garnish.
Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
The peppercorn plant grows in tropical climate and produces tiny black fruit. The fruit is dried and become hard. At this point it is ground into a textured powder comprised of black and grey dots. It has a flavor that is spicy, pungent and sharp. Pepper is an extremely popular spice, especially in Western cuisines and lends a gentle heat to dishes. There are different varieties of black pepper and the flavor changes subtly because of this.
