No-Cook

Guacamole means “sauce made with avocado” and comes from Nahuatl, the pre-Columbian language still spoken in some parts of Mexico: guac—avocado—and mole—a sauce made of more than one chile or ingredient. The best guacamoles are prepared in a stone mortar or molcajete. The chiles and cilantro are ground with lime and salt, and the avocados and tomatoes are mashed in, layering the flavors and creating a coarser, more interesting texture.

Mexico is blessed with one of the largest coastlines in the world, touching two oceans and two seas. Consequently, it has a very rich and diverse seafood culture. One of the centers for great seafood eating, including crab, is the Atlantic port Veracruz. Seafood vendors populate the market, their counters painted in the hottest tropical colors and the marinated catch of the day displayed in huge sundae glasses. Order mariscos of just one type or mix and match—the vendors compete with one another to make bigger cocktails in their own special way. When shopping for fennel, look for ones with tops intact; they add extra freshness to a recipe and a more complete fennel taste. If you cannot find fennel with tops, garnish with one teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon. For extra splash at a more formal party, slices of black truffles (if you want to splurge) or a few drops of truffle oil add elegance.

This marinade is especially good with chicken and lamb, imparting bright flavor and helping to keep the meat moist.

The addition of buttermilk to a basic vinaigrette imparts creaminess and reduces the amount of oil needed for thickening. This dressing has a lighter body than the others, perfect for tender lettuces.

Buttermilk and low-fat yogurt replace some of the mayonnaise and the usual sour cream for a lighter, more refreshing dressing. This is a favorite for spooning over chilled wedges of iceberg lettuce, and it also goes well with hearty Belgian endive spears. The dressing can be made with any crumbly blue cheese, ranging from mild Danish blue to the more pungent Roquefort, Stilton, or Gorgonzola.

The addition of cucumber to the traditional recipe results in a dressing with a decidedly lighter, fresher flavor.

This dressing is flavored with the fresh taste of herbs. It would be lovely as a sauce for poached fish and chicken or boiled shrimp.

If you like salad with nearly every meal, get in the habit of keeping your own salad mix, washed and dried, in the refrigerator. (You should also have the ingredients and recipe for homemade vinaigrette on hand for quick and effortless salads.) There are no exact proportions for the best salad blend, but a few general guidelines can help you create your own. Start by recognizing that salads are not just made from lettuces; supplementing them with other greens introduces contrasting flavor and texture components. Fresh herbs add bright notes, and shaved vegetables lend pleasant crunch. Consider all the different lettuces available, some tender (Boston), some crisp (romaine or Bibb), still others in between (red and green leaf). For contrasting taste (and texture, since some are sturdier than others), include a few greens, some with a peppery bite, such as arugula, watercress, or radish sprouts, and some that are pleasantly bitter, including dandelion, frisée, and chicory. When choosing herbs, steer clear of the sturdy, woody variety (rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf); choose tender, less robust herbs like basil, parsley, chervil, and tarragon, or frilly ones like dill or even fennel fronds. Watch out, too, for any strong-flavored herbs, like cilantro or marjoram, which can upset the balance. Consider adding fennel, radish (any kind), beets, and carrots to your basic mix. All of these vegetables lend themselves to being shaved paper-thin on a mandoline or grated. Because they will lose some of their crispness over time, wait to add these until just before serving [you can preserve their taste and texture for a few hours by keeping them in a bowl of ice water (acidulated, for fennel); rinse and drain well before using]. If you wish, toss them instead in a little of the dressing that will go into the salad; this will cause them to soften slightly, so dress them sparingly to retain their crunch. Once you’ve customized your blend, handle each selected ingredient with care. Except for sturdy lettuces like iceberg and romaine, gently tear lettuces and any large-leaf greens and herbs into bite-size pieces with your fingers instead of cutting (which can easily bruise them). Herbs should be gently blotted dry with paper towels (or a clean kitchen cloth). Once they’ve all been washed and dried thoroughly, allow them to crisp in the refrigerator before serving. Plan on 1 1/2 to 2 cups of salad mix per serving, and start with 1 to 2 teaspoons of vinaigrette for every cup of salad. Remember, you can always add more dressing as necessary, but it’s impossible to take any away. Here’s but one suggested combination; use the guidelines above to create your own, and any of the dressings on the following pages to finish.

When creaming butter for frostings, incorporating air and creating cells is not as important as simply creating a seamless texture. Many traditional buttercream frostings, such as the Swiss Meringue Buttercream on Page 455, incorporate softened butter into a meringue base, but this version is far simpler and quicker. You need only to beat the butter until creamy and then mix in confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder until smooth. This frosting will be grainier than a shiny, glossy meringue-based buttercream, but it is perfectly acceptable for a birthday cake or batch of cupcakes.

With its light taste and texture, this sauce is best paired with slender strands, such as cappellini, spaghetti, or linguine; to serve, toss sauce with freshly boiled and drained pasta, adding a generous handful of fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces. And keep in mind that although the sauce is extremely easy, it does need an hour or two to allow the flavors to meld, so plan accordingly.

Settings on pasta makers vary (some have as many as ten settings, others only six); this recipe was developed using a hand-cranked pasta machine, but you can use any machine as long as you change the settings incrementally.

Because no two batches of fruit have the same sweetness, it’s important to adjust the mix before freezing. This will affect more than flavor because sugar lowers the freezing point of water; so the sweeter your mix, the slushier your sorbet. Too little sugar and the sorbet will be icy hard. Some chefs use a saccharometer (which gauges a liquid’s density by how much of the instrument floats above the surface), but a large uncooked egg stands in quite well (see step 4). Watermelon is one of the simplest flavors to make, since it requires no added water. Follow the amounts in the chart on page 485 to make the suggested flavor variations. When using only juice, you can skip the first step. Citrus fruit can be squeezed by hand. For the kiwi and pineapple sorbets, you will need to add fresh lime or lemon juice along with water in the first step. All liquids should be strained into a deep bowl or plastic container as directed. If desired, add up to 3 tablespoons of other flavorings such as liqueur before adding the simple syrup.

The key to perfect whipped cream is to have the cream and bowl very cold, especially when beating by hand.

Macerating is a simple way to turn fresh fruit into a syrupy sauce. Sugar draws out the fruit’s juices; lemon juice preserves color and adds flavor.

The name belies the simplicity of this flavor enhancer, readily made by blending herbs and other aromatics with softened butter. It is most classically affiliated with steaks and chops, but compound butter can be used almost any time in place of plain butter. Try some on poached, steamed, or grilled fish or vegetables; feel free to experiment with different herbs and other flavorings. Compound butters will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer (thaw in the refrigerator before using); slip the parchment-wrapped cylinders into resealable plastic bags before storing. Or, chill the logs until firm, then slice off rounds and freeze individual portions. If you plan to serve the butter soon after it’s made, simply scrape it into ramekins or other small serving dishes instead of forming it into a log (cover with plastic and refrigerate until needed).

This recipe makes twice what you need for the Yellow Wax Beans Stracotto in Soffritto, but it is one of those things that is difficult to make in smaller quantity. Spoon what you have left over on grilled fish, vegetables, or chicken.