Stocks, Sauces & Dressings

Basic Vinaigrette

If you like vinaigrette-type dressings, always make your own. It’s absurdly easy, and your dressing will be fresher and brighter than anything you can get from a bottle.

Béarnaise Sauce

Béarnaise is a variation on Hollandaise with the lemon juice replaced by a strongly flavored reduction of vinegar, shallots, peppercorns and tarragon. It goes beautifully with red meat, French fries, egg dishes, and just about anything else.

Béchamel Sauce

This is the basic white sauce of classical French cuisine. It’s also the basis for a great many other things. Cheese added to a well-seasoned béchamel yields a cheese sauce for a great baked macaroni and cheese. Lasagna traditionally includes a layer of béchamel. Any number of cream soups start with a béchamel, as do almost all savory soufflés. The technique of cooking a roux and blending in liquid is also used to make gravy, and doing it correctly is how you avoid lumps. In short, it’s a basic technique and mastering it will make you a better cook.

Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing

This is the delicious, chunky orange salad dressing you may recognize from Japanese steak houses. It’s not the prettiest dressing you’ll ever see, but it’s so good — my absolute favorite.

Chili-Lime Dipping Sauce

A simple version of Thai nam prik, this bright and spicy sauce makes an incredible dip for grilled chicken.

Compound Butters

Delicious on steak or other grilled or roast meats, these easy flavored butters can be kept in the freezer and pulled out a moment’s notice. If you can find a good cultured butter to use as the base, all the better.

Duck Sauce

No duck here! Rather, this is the sweet-tangy condiment sauce served in Chinese-American restaurants.