Sauces
Guacamole
One of the delights of living in Southern California is that not only do we produce most of the nation's avocados, we also consume most of them. And I try to do my share. I usually serve it as a dip with tortilla or potato chips, or with taquitos(rolled tacos) and...
Crab with Tequila Cilantro Sauce
For this crab recipe, you can use fresh crab, imitation crab, or, as I did, meat from a couple of leftover King crab legs from a couple of nights earlier. This dish takes very little time to prepare, and yet is very elegant in appearance and flavor. Great for a...
Tarragon Blue Cheese Sauce
The aioli cayenne sauce shortcut recipe, using mayonnaise as a base instead of making it from scratch in the blender, was such a success that I decided to try the same thing with a tarragon flavored sauce. It worked. It was simple, too. I served it with cornbread...
Tartar Sauce
Tartar sauce is probably the most popular sauce to serve with fish, and has a flavor that all ages enjoy. Of course you can buy it in bottles, but in a pinch, or if you want to make your own flavor, it's easy to make it yourself. 1 cup mayonnaise1/4 cup sweet pickle...
Spaghetti (Marinara) and Lasagna Sauce
Here's a recipe for a sauce you can use both for spaghetti and lasagna. This is a contribution from sister-in-law Sherry. Of course you can use bottled sauce for both spaghetti and lasagna. And there's nothing wrong with that if you don't have the time. In fact, I...
Salsa
A good salsa is useful as an appetizer dip, as a garnish on beans and meat, and as a sauce on tacos and enchiladas. This is a very good salsa to use on tacos and fish tacos. As usual, I encourage you to start with this recipe and, in the future, modify it according to...
Rooster Steak Sauce
No, this isn't a sauce for rooster steaks. This steak sauce gets its name from an oriental chile-garlic sauce with a picture of a rooster on the bottle. The bottle is also labeled "Sriracha", which refers to the Thai seaside town of Si Racha, where the sauce...
Remoulade Sauce and Shrimp Salad
Remoulade sauce is a delicious accompaniment to shrimp cocktail or the shrimp salad shown in the photo. It's also good with fish, or as a dip for fresh vegetables. When you taste it, you'll be looking for places to use it! This elegant and tasty sauce is easy to make,...
Red Wine Pan Sauce
Here's a delicious steak sauce you make right in the pan after you cook or brown the steaks. If the steaks are 1/2 to 1" thick, you will season them with garlic salt and pepper, Montreal Steak seasoning, or whatever you prefer. Then heat a mixture of butter and oil in...
Quick Tomato Sauce
Here's a quick tomato sauce (or gravy) that is delicious over egg dishes, tamales, or chiles rellenos. It doesn't have any chile powder in it, so it's flavor is different than enchilada sauce. It's also easier to make. In the photo at right, it is shown on a delicious...
Peanut Sauce
This recipe is based on a widely-used Thai sauce. When you taste it, you'll know why it's so popular. Of course it's good served with oriental food, such as Chicken in Lettuce Cups. I think you'll also use it as a dipping sauce for appetizers and chips. This is a...
Orange Tarragon Mayonnaise
This is another quick and easy sauce that really tastes elegant. And rather than fuss with the blender making a sauce from scratch, this is another one that takes advantage that a lot of the sauce-making effort has already been done for you by the nice folks at Best...
Gravy
As you might already know, gravy can either be one the highlights of the meal or a disaster. I've struggled myself sometimes, trying to rescue a tasteless greasy mess into a decent gravy. Well, it turns out it's not as hard as I used to think. One surprise is that the...
Enchilada Sauce
You can probably buy enchilada sauce in a can, depending on where you live, but you quickly discover that it doesn't taste like the sauce in a restaurant. I don't know why. Once I asked the proprietor of a taco shop, and she told me that they also start with canned...
BBQ Dry Rub
Dry rub is used to marinate meat before grilling or barbequing, and is also frequently used during cooking to form a tasty crust on the meat. An example is my recipe for barbequed spare ribs. You don't have to make a dry rub; there are normally quite a few to choose...
Seafood Cocktail Sauce
Seafood cocktail sauce is probably most often served with shrimp. But it is also delicious with crab meat and seafood cakes. You will probably normally have a bottle of your favorite seafood sauce on hand. But if you run out, or if you want to make your own formula...
Barbeque Sauces
Of course there are many excellent barbeque sauces in the store, and you might already have your favorite. So why make your own? Well, for one thing, you might not have enough and don't want to make a trip to the store. Or you might want to experiment to see if you...
Avocado Relish
Here's a delicious relish, or salsa, recipe that is fast to prepare and delicious to eat. Serve it as an appetizer with tortilla chips, crackers, or pieces of toast or pita. I served it as a relish with steak, and it was great. You can make it hot or mild depending on...
Au Jus Sauce
This sauce, which literally means "with juice", is a classic accompaniment to prime rib. However, it is also delicious when served with a French Dip sandwich. You might make if differently if you are already roasting a rib roast or tenderloin, as opposed to making it...
Aioli (Garlic) Cayenne Sauce
Aioli means two things in French. One is a garlic sauce, and the other is a huge feast served to family and friends on special occasions. The classic recipe for aioli sauce requires you to make it in a blender or food processor like you do homemade mayonnaise. But the...