Channeling Julia

Not quite a dessert but almost as yummy - this dish is sweet and sour glazed onions

Although its origins are often attributed to the Hunan province of China, many places in China use a version of sweet and sour sauce as a dipping sauce or topping for fish and meat. In some regions of Eastern China raw fruits such as pineapple or pears and salad vegetables such as cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, and onions are served raw with vinegar and sugar. The sauces are traditionally made mixing honey or sugar with rice vinegar, soy sauce and spices.

Sweet and sour sauce is a staple of Chinese restaurants in North America and Europe where it's used as a cooking ingredient or as a pour over or dipping sauce for the meal. Even French cuisine has a version known as Aigre-douce where food is cooked immersed in the sauce. In the United States it is sometimes substituted for ketchup or used as a barbecue sauce.

A glaze in cooking is a translucent often sweet coating applied to food. Egg whites and icing are both used as glazes. Fruit is often an ingredient (we used raisins and tomatoes). We are probably most familiar with glazed donuts and pastries. If the glazing process is applied to vegetables they are are usually coarsely cut and "sweated" over low heat in a little oil or butter and stirred frequently until they are tender and translucent.