Sabayon
A frothy custard of egg yolk, sugar, and wine that is made by whisking the ingredients over simmering water. Served warm as a dessert or sauce.
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Sahlab
An extract from the tubers of orchids. It can be found in most Mid-Eastern markets. It can be quite expensive, but cornstarch may be substituted.
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Scallion
Also known as green onion. A bulbless onion with hollow green tops and a white base. It gives dishes a milder onion taste (and is not as abhorrent as chopping regular onions). It works very well in salads, but can also be used in cooked dishes.
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Scotch Bonnet Chiles
One of the world's hottest peppers, about 30-50 times as hot as a jalapeno. They resemble walnuts in shape and size and range from green to orange in color. Wear gloves and don't touch your face (or other precious parts) when handling them.
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Semisweet Chocolate
Also known as bittersweet chocolate, this is the chocolate most often called for in cake and cookie recipes. "Bittersweet" and "semisweet" are often used interchangeably, though bittersweet generally has more chocolate "liquor" (the paste formed from roasted, ground cocoa beans). Most semisweet chocolate contains at least 35% chocolate liquor, while some fine bittersweets contain 50% or more. Bittersweet and semisweet chocolate have a deep, smooth, intense flavor that comes from the blend of beans used rather than added dairy products. Sugar, vanilla, and cocoa butter are added to the liquor to lend an even richer taste.
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Serrano Chiles
A hot chile pepper. It is both smaller and thinner than the jalapeno.
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Shallots
An onion variety that produces clusters of bulbs. Their flavor is slightly less intense than that of onions. Shallots are excellent for pickling.
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Sherbet
A smooth frozen ice flavored with fruit and sugar or with a mixture of fruit, sugar, and milk or cream.
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Shiitake
Also called Chinese, black or oriental mushroom (in its dried form). Shiitake is a strongly flavored mushroom used in both its fresh and dried form.
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Soba
A dark brown buckwheat noodle used in Northern Japanese cooking. Look for it in the Asian section of your supermarket.
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Sorbet
A smooth frozen ice made with flavored liquids, either sweet or savory. Unlike sherbert, it never contains dairy products.
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Sorrel Leaves
Bright green leaves with a lemony flavor that soften when cooked.
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Soy Sauce
A salty sauce composed mainly of soybeans, salt, yeast, wheat, and sugar. Its good for marinating meats and in sauces.
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Spoom
A fruit or wine based ice to which Italian meringue is added when ice is halfway frozen. Spooms are traditionally served in stemmed glasses.
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Squab
Young, domesticated pigeon with dark meat (bird is usually about 4 weeks old and weighs one pound or less). It is often served rare.
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Sumac
A Middle Eastern spice that comes from the grated skin of a dark berry. It has a slightly acidic, astringent flavor.
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Sundae
A dessert of ice cream served with one or more toppings, such as flavored syrup, dessert sauce, nut, whipped cream, fruit, etc. It is said to have originated in Massachusetts when a law prohibiting the sale of all soft beverages on Sunday was passed. An enterprising soda jerk combined ingredients of an ice cream soda but omitted the carbonated beverage to make a "sundae".
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Superfine Sugar
Also called Caster sugar. It is pulverized granulated sugar. It can be bought or prepared at home by whizzing some granulated sugar in the blender.
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Sweet Chocolate
Very similar in composition to semisweet chocolate, sweet chocolate simply has more sugar added and less chocolate liquor. It's sold on grocery shelves in the baking section. For people with a real sweet tooth, sweet chocolate can be substituted for semisweet in recipes without a significant change in texture.
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