Condiments
725 recipes found
Sour Plum Molasses
Often made from sour varieties of pomegranates, apples, cherries, oranges and plums, sour fruit molasses is a staple in Northern Iranian cooking. Hanif Sadr uses wild plums that he forages in the Bay Area, which make his molasses extra sour, but store-bought plums work just as well. It’s a simple but long process, though it doesn’t take all day, as it would in Iran. Similar to preparing a fruit butter without sugar, this recipe calls to cook the fruit once to soften and release juices, then cook again to thicken. A nonstick pot prevents the molasses from burning on the sides and means less stirring. This molasses is worth the effort: You get a thick, spreadable sauce with a deep, caramelized plum flavor. Leftovers keep for a year refrigerated; use them for a variety of Iranian kebabs and stews, or mix with butter and rub on a whole chicken before roasting, as Mr. Sadr does.
Cilantro-Date Chutney
Inspired by two classic Parsi recipes from the chef and anthropologist Niloufer Ichaporia King, this sauce introduces the toasted cumin and medjool dates from her date and tamarind chutney into her classic green chutney, full of fresh ginger, jalapeño and lime. The ginger and the sweetness of the dates echo many of the flavors already present on the Thanksgiving table, and the cilantro, chiles and lime bring a much welcome vividness. It’s a delight! This sauce is also fantastic on leftover turkey sandwiches, and, other times of year, it makes for a great condiment on rice, fish, chicken and vegetable dishes alike.
Green-Tomato Chutney
Green Tomato and Lemon Marmalade
Here is a surprising, and quick, way to use up the green tomatoes that you couldn’t resist at the farmers’ market. Tangier, more complex and looser than most marmalades, this one offers candied slivers of fruit suspended in a thick, honeyed syrup that is just jellied enough to spread, yet runny enough to be dolloped over ice cream, or perhaps some leftover mascarpone.
Five Spice
At once musky and sweet, with a pronounced kick, five spice is traditionally made from equal parts cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, star anise and peppercorns (usually Sichuan or white). This one, adapted from Kian Lam Kho, the author of “Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking” (Clarkson Potter, 2015), includes Sichuan peppercorns to give the mix a characteristically numbing, tingly sensation on the tongue known as mala. Once the spices are toasted and mixed, the blend can be used both whole (simmered into stews, braises and soups) and ground (added to sauces, roasted meats and vegetables). Or, stir some salt into the ground blend and use it as a piquant table condiment: It’s wonderful sprinkled on everything from barbecued meats to scrambled eggs.
Pickled Green Tomato and Mirliton Chowchow
Chowchow is a bright, aromatic Southern salad of pickled green tomatoes (you could use tomatillos in a pinch), cabbage, cauliflower and that most traditional Southern vegetable, mirliton (chayote squash). You could pair it with steamed or boiled shrimp, or pile it on a sandwich. Either way, we wager you'll do it again. (Sam Sifton)
Fresh Tomato Sauce
This is a quick, simple marinara sauce that will only be good if your tomatoes are ripe. If you have a food mill, you don’t have to peel and seed the tomatoes; you can just quarter them and put the sauce through the mill.
Poppy Seed Dressing
Buttermilk Herb Dressing
Brown-Butter Vinaigrette
Pumpkin Puree
Anchovy Tapenade
Montpelier Butter
"One of my favorite recipes in the whole book ('Jeremiah Tower Cooks') is for Montpelier butter -- it's the best version I've ever tried and incredibly versatile. In 'New American Classics,' Tower wrote that this classic compound butter 'transforms hot cauliflower' and that 'on top of mashed potatoes it is so good that it should be arrested.' Here he says he hasn't changed his mind and further recommends it with hot grilled fish or steaks and, at room temperature, with cold poached salmon. With typical passion, he adds that when it is spooned between slices of leftover roast pork or veal 'the slices reassembled, left for a day, and then eaten at cool room temperature, it creates a lifelong memory.'"
Lemon Mayonnaise
Rémoulade Sauce
This rémoulade sauce (that goes particularly well with these crab cakes) is not the classic French version, which is made with mayonnaise, cornichons and capers, but rather a French Creole type. This one has paprika, horseradish, garlic and - what could be more all-American? - ketchup.
Garlic Oil
Molho de Pimenta (Pepper sauce)
Skordalia (Garlic Sauce for Artichokes)
Pilipili Oil
Pilipili, chiles in Swahili, infuse oil along with aromatics like herbs and onion to create a spicy condiment. Similar to hot sauce, these chile oils, found in Africa and across the African diaspora, provide a kick when drizzled on a dish. This version from the chef and author Bryant Terry uses fresh, small bird’s eye or Thai chiles for their vibrant taste and their availability in most supermarkets. Smoked paprika adds a bit of depth and helps to make the oil fire-engine red.
Tahini Ranch Dressing
This ranch-dressing adaptation comes from Julia Goldberg, a cook at Superiority Burger, Brooks Headley's vegetarian fast-food restaurant in New York. While traditional ranch relies on buttermilk and mayonnaise for its creaminess, the base in this version is tahini, or sesame butter, mixed with lemon juice and water until it turns smooth and glossy. Maple syrup and a generous amount of salt are crucial to mimicking the intense salty-sweetness of bottled ranch. The thick herb-packed sauce can be used as a versatile dressing for raw or grilled lettuces, a dip for crudités or a tangy sauce for grilled meat. After hours at Superiority Burger, the cooks like to experiment, drizzling it over oven-browned potatoes, or folding it into burritos. The recipe makes enough so that you can experiment with leftovers, too.
Molly O'Neill's Lemon Curd
Creamy Meyer Lemon Dressing
This delicate, lemony dressing is wonderful with most lettuces, both delicate and robust. I especially like it with endive. If you can find it, lemon-scented olive oil, sold in some gourmet shops, will add a delicious flavor.
Strawberry Sauce
Ice cream sundaes, of course, find expression in their sauces, which provide layers of flavor and seismic contrasts in temperature and tone. To the category of vivid and bright belong fruit sauces, particularly those with a touch of acidity and a shake of vibrant color. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, sour cherries or pineapples — sweet, just-ripe fruits cooked briefly with sugar — will brighten vanilla's pallor (high-pectin fruits can often go it alone without cornstarch for body).