Pastryscoop

A winter squash used for baking and cooking. While jade green and light green striped on the outside, the kabocha squash has pale orange flesh that is tender when cooked. They average around 2-3 pounds, but can be larger.

This Hawaiian and Southeast Asian native citrus fruit is bright yellow-green in hue and is shaped like a pear. Their leaves, either dried or fresh, are used in cooking.

A Mexican liqueur that is dark brown in color and has a rich coffee flavor.

A German-produced liqueur that is flavored with cumin, fennel, caraway, and other seeds and herbs.

A smaller, rounder version of a lime coming from Florida. The key lime is more yellow than green in color.

A custard pie similar to a lemon meringue pie but containing Key lime juice. It is made from egg yolks, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and a graham cracker crust.

New Orlean’s king cake is a twisted bread, similar to brioche, decorated with icing and colored sugar in Carnival shades of green, purple, and gold. It can be filled with cream cheese or pralines but always comes with a small plastic baby trinket. It is eaten during Mardi Gras. The finder of the trinket is crowned king or queen of the feast.

King Cake is also associated with the Catholic tradition of the twelve days of Christmas—marking the supposed 12 days it took the wise men to travel to Bethlehem—and Epiphany (Twelfth Night) celebrations. King cake is known as galette des rois in France, bolo re in Portugal, dia de reyes in Spain, tortell in Catalonia, vasilopita in Greece, and banitsa in Bulgaria. It can be made with brioche or puff pastry and filled with frangipane or candied fruits. It contains trinkets of metal, porcelain, or plastic in the shape of babies, beans, or other objects.

A pastry filled with apricot jam and poppy seed or nut filling that is rolled into a cresent shape and topped with confectioner’s sugar after baking.

A French term for a clear cherry brandy made from small black cherries. The German term is Kirschwasser.

See Black Forest torte.

A bite-sized baked meringue containing nuts, coconut, or cherry. Also refers to commercially made bite-sized chocolates.

A Russian dessert made of sweet fruit puree that is thickened with potato flour or cornstarch and topped with cream.

This small bright yellow fruit is covered in “horns,” has light yellow-green pulp, and has a tart yet sweet flavor. It comes from New Zealand.

Grown in New Zealand and California, kiwis are known for their sweet tart flavor. Although their exterior is a drab brown covered in fuzz, kiwi flesh is bright green with black seeds speckling it. They are available year round and are rich in vitamin C.

The process of working a yeast dough to build up gluten. It may be done by hand on the bench or in a mixer.

A Polish and Czech sweet bun made with yeast and filled with nuts, jam, or poppy seeds.

Food that is prepared to conform to Jewish biblical laws. Kosher foods have been prepared under a rabbi’s supervision.

Rich Greek butter cookies that are rolled in confectioner’s sugar after baking. These special occasion cookies can come in many shapes and sizes.

A light cake made from yeast and filled with raisins, nuts, and dried fruits. It is baked in a pan similar to an angelfood cake pan, but with swirled sides.

A Russian yeast cake made with raisins, dried or candied fruit, and saffron. It is cylindrical in shape and topped with confectioner’s sugar icing and a rose.

This tiny citrus fruit looks like a miniature orange, and the entire fruit, both the skin and flesh, can be eaten. The skin is sweet, while its flesh is tart. Found in China, Japan, and the United States, the kumquat is available November through March. It can be eaten out of hand or used in recipes.