Béarnaise sauce is a piquant child of hollandaise, one of the so-called mother sauces of French cuisine. It is simply an emulsification - egg yolks and butter cut through with vinegar flavored with tarragon...
Author: Sam Sifton
In August and September, when tomatoes are at their ripest, make a batch of fresh tomato sauce. At the market, look for the cracked, slightly bruised tomatoes sold at a discount. The flesh of the tomato...
Author: David Tanis
Stirring a little chile paste into an otherwise classic Thousand Island dressing tones down its sweetness slightly, adding a very gentle bite. For something spicier - and for a noticeable pepper punch...
Author: Melissa Clark
A compound butter - a stick of butter seasoned with herbs, lemon and garlic or shallots - is one of the most versatile things to keep on hand. You can store it in the freezer, then slice it whenever you...
Author: Melissa Clark
Spiedies, grilled skewers of meat marinated in what amounts to Italian dressing, are a culinary mainstay of bars and roadhouses in and around Binghamton, N.Y. What follows is a recipe for the marinade...
Author: Sam Sifton
This all-purpose salad vinaigrette is reminiscent of the wasabi-tinged soy sauce you might have with a California roll. Soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil waltz in time, while the wasabi paste adds...
Author: Eric Kim
Crema is thinner than sour cream, a little more tangy and slightly salty. You can sometimes find it in stores, but it's very simple to make at home by combining sour cream with heavy cream and lime juice...
Author: Sam Sifton
Bursting with ginger and chile flakes, this simple sauce offers a savory, acidic contrast to the rich filling of mandu.
Author: Samin Nosrat
This creamy, luscious sauce gets its bite from the combination of mustard and horseradish. Dollop it on steaks and chops, fish, chicken, roasted vegetables (especially broccoli and cauliflower) or a hot...
Author: Melissa Clark
Packed with crunchy, sharp zing from onion, and tang and savoriness from capers, this homemade tartar sauce delivers bold freshness. Once you've mixed the base below, you can stir in more of whichever...
Author: Genevieve Ko
A vinaigrette can be as simple as an emulsion of oil and vinegar, but a memorable one carries flavors that hint at the season. This one, featuring charred tomatoes, is perfect for summer. Blistering fresh...
Author: Yewande Komolafe
This tangy, creamy sauce is the perfect home for all those extra herbs you may have on hand from other recipes - that leftover sprig of mint, the stemmy part of that bunch of cilantro, the droopy basil....
Author: Melissa Clark
The beauty of teriyaki sauce is in its balance of salty and sweet without the noise of sharp garlic, hot chiles or any other ingredients. You can add seasonings, if you like, or stick to the original,...
Author: Genevieve Ko
Consider this a recipe for a classic steak sauce, updated; that's bourbon syrup, made with real ingredients in a flash. Sure, you could buy a sauce at the grocery store, but making it yourself is quicker...
Author: Mark Bittman
Author: Mark Bittman
This excellent vegan gravy features caramelized mushrooms and a little soy sauce for depth of flavor, making it good enough to serve to your meat-eating guests, too. Just be sure to use a good-quality...
Author: Melissa Clark
While the turkey is in the oven, get some rest - and make the gravy. Giblet gravy requires the cook to use the neck, gizzard and heart of the bird to make deeply flavored stock, which is then combined...
Author: Florence Fabricant
Playing steakhouse chef means dreaming up the sauces and side dishes that you would most like to see on the table. Creamed spinach gives you a classic steakhouse experience in sauce form, and makes the...
Author: Mark Bittman
Run through with plump berries, this compote-meets-syrup mix makes any meal feel as leisurely as weekend brunch. A pair of natural sweeteners takes the place of refined sugar: Fresh berries cook down with...
Author: Genevieve Ko
Fresh tomatillos bring tanginess to this silky avocado salsa, and that acidity keeps the blend green even after days in the fridge. For more heat, double the chiles and keep all their seeds. If you don't...
Author: Genevieve Ko
This jewel-bright rhubarb sauce has as many uses as a Swiss Army knife. Glossy and sweet-tart, it tastes fabulous in iced coffee, cocktails and other mixed drinks, and is especially welcome over vanilla...
Author: Eric Kim
There's just enough oil to slick all the crispy bits of chile, onion and sesame in this version of the spicy Chinese condiment, so it delivers as much crunch as it does salty, sweet, nutty heat. Dried...
Author: Genevieve Ko
A classic Vietnamese condiment with a base of fish sauce, nuoc cham brings a bouquet of garlic and chile notes to everything that absorbs it. Extremely versatile, it's served alongside a wide range of...
Author: Yewande Komolafe
Seasoned with fresh mint, chiles and toasted spices, this piquant North African sauce is commonly paired with fish or chicken, either as a marinade or sauce. The preserved lemon adds a haunting flavor...
Author: Melissa Clark
One way to extend the life of fresh fruits is to incorporate them into caramel sauces. Any caramel sauce base can be enlivened by ripe or slightly overripe fruit, such as bananas, strawberries and stone...
Author: Yewande Komolafe
A classic sauce for steaks and fish, a good béarnaise should have a pronounced piquancy from the tarragon, vinegar and shallots, along with plenty of creamy richness from butter and egg yolks. The key...
Author: Melissa Clark
Both deeply herby and searingly spicy, this Yemenite condiment is popular all over the Middle East, where it's dabbed on just about everything: falafels, shawarma, grilled meats and vegetables. You can...
Author: Melissa Clark
Nutty browned butter adds a wonderful underlying note to this otherwise straightforward Buffalo sauce. The emulsion of hot sauce and that melted butter is key to this condiment's velvety texture, so be...
Author: Eric Kim
This simple, savory sauce is rich with tomato flavor. A few basil stems - or whatever herbs you've got on hand - add a welcome aromatic note, and a little zip with a blender or food mill leave it with...
Author: Samin Nosrat
This spicy dipping sauce is particularly good with fish, shrimp or chicken. You'll need a medium-hot charcoal fire to make it. Either start cooking when the main dish comes off the fire or, if making this...
Author: John Willoughby and Chris Schlesinger
Several styles of mole - negro, colorado, verde and so many more - span different regions throughout Mexico, and the formulas vary from family to family. Mole is often viewed as intimidating, a sauce that...
Author: Jocelyn Ramirez
Among the seven most well-known mole varieties, tomatillo-based mole verde is one of the easiest to prepare because of its use of fresh chiles and herbs rather than dried chiles and spices. Romaine, cilantro...
Author: Jocelyn Ramirez
Different recipes for fry sauce exist, all across the world, including in the United States and its territories. Utah has its own beloved version, as does Puerto Rico, where it is called mayokétchup....
Author: Eric Kim
These floppy, lightly pickled onions are a traditional accompaniment to grilled and tandoor foods throughout India and the rest of South Asia. There are different versions depending on the region, but...
Author: Melissa Clark
This delicious icing was originally published for use with our clementine cake, but it can complement all kinds of desserts. It's best made in a double boiler, but if you don't have one, other pans will...
Author: John Willoughby
Nam prik, the classic Thai dipping sauce, is made more complex and intriguing with the addition of tomatoes. This version of the sauce is perfect alongside a grilled rib-eye.
Author: Mark Bittman
Here is a simple, elegant pan gravy that lends itself well to cooking in the very pan in which you've roasted your turkey. It calls for whisking flour with the fat in the bottom of the pan to create a...
Author: Sam Sifton
This velvety purée of black beans and coconut milk is the perfect accompaniment to Mayi Moulen, a Haitian recipe for garlicky polenta-like porridge. Slices of nutty avocado offer a gentle contrast in...
Author: Francis Lam
Applesauce isn't just for babies. Sure, this very basic version is perfect for tender palates, but it also works as the base for many a sweet treat. In the fall you might try swapping in 1 1/2 pounds of...
Author: Samantha Seneviratne
Author: Pierre Franey
Maderia, a fortified wine, brings wonderful flavor to this Thanksgiving pan gravy, quickly whisked together after the bird emerges from the oven. As with any gravy, the flavor of the stock is essential...
Author: Steven Raichlen
Whipping cream in the summertime, or in a hot kitchen, doesn't require a background in thermodynamics. Still, this recipe features tricks that might be skipped in colder seasons, but are essential for...
Author: Yewande Komolafe
Author: Craig Claiborne And Pierre Franey
On her nights off, Amanda Cohen, the chef at Dirt Candy in Manhattan, uses up the white takeout containers full of rice that accumulate in her fridge by making vegetable fried rice (see the recipe here)....
Author: Jeff Gordinier
I never make gravy. Some people find that perplexing, but I don't like it - there's just too much fat involved. Instead, I make this mushroom ragout and spoon it over the turkey and on the side.
Author: Martha Rose Shulman
Oaxaca is the place where they invented mole sauce, "that perfect specimen of Mexican cooking," according to Ana M. de Benitez in "Pre-Hispanic Cooking." This is also where the natives carve wonderful...
Author: Molly O'Neill
A chunky blend of fresh tomatoes, red onions, chile and lime juice, sauce moyo can be found across West Africa, particularly in Benin, Togo and Senegal. It's great in hot and humid weather, though it brings...
Author: Yewande Komolafe
Blue butter - obviously fat on fat - is blue cheese for people who think they don't like blue cheese: The butter tames the sharpness, and the cheese makes the butter lively and intense. Serve this sauce...
Author: Mark Bittman
Chile chimichurri is an enlivened, updated version of the classic vinegar-and-parsley sauce. Served alongside a grilled rib-eye, the sauce brightens up the dish and makes eating a steak at home feel like...
Author: Mark Bittman
In August and September, when tomatoes are at their ripest, make a batch of fresh tomato sauce. At the market, look for the cracked, slightly bruised tomatoes sold at a discount. The flesh of the tomato...
Author: David Tanis