Crossword Genius

Hairpin apparently in wooden dish (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tureen

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'wooden dish' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'hairpin apparently' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'hairpin' could be 'u' (as in a U-shaped hairpin) and 'u' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'treen' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'in' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for tureen that I've seen before include "Soup container" , "wooden dish" , "Deep bowl for serving soup" , "It holds soup" , "A large covered dish for serving soup" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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