Condiment

This bright vinaigrette is good for a lot more than just grilled eggplant.

Feel free to experiment with other seasonings besides sumac, like lemon zest, za'atar, or crushed red pepper flakes.

I encourage rolling up your sleeves and using your hands to mix these spices—it helps to capture a feeling of nostalgia for cooking.

Gently heating chives— or almost any herb—in oil creates a concentrated, Technicolor elixir that's a favorite weapon of restaurant chefs: It's ideal for whisking into vinaigrettes and drizzling over fish, scrambled eggs, or ricotta crostini.

For the quick pickles, try using other crisp vegetables, such as radishes, celery, or fennel.

This textured spread is great served with cured meats. If you wind up with leftovers, use it on sandwiches.

Soaking seeds makes a healthier, creamier pesto, but you can skip it if you're in a rush.

Trust us: Your first batch of this condiment will not be your last. Spoon it over the Ricotta Omelets , or see the Cooks' notes for other ways to enjoy it.

Oh, mama! This one's hot. Not in that obnoxious, burns you right off the bat kind of way, but in that slow, didn't see it coming, want to take two more bites to feel the burn just that much longer kind of way. That's a good kind of pain. This seasoning has got three different types of chiles to make it complex and give it some heat, plus white and black pepper to round it out. Use hot or smoked paprika instead of regular to alter the flavor, if you like. We don't call for any salt in our recipe, but you can use as little or as much as you like without making the food overly salty. However, do remember to salt your fish in addition to using the spice in a recipe. And if you're using the blend for blackening, get that exhaust fan going or be prepared to set off every smoke alarm you have. (Better yet, do your blackening outside on the grill in a cast-iron skillet!)

This is one of the most popular seasoning mixes we sell, and it's a winner sprinkled simply over fish or used as part of a more complex recipe. This blend has just the right amount of garlic and onion, with paprika for depth and a bit of dill for flavor. But we think it's the celery seed that really makes this one sing. See what you think.

Italian Green Sauce for Fish or Meat An Italian edition of sauce verte, salsa verde goes with bollito misto, a northern Italian extravaganza of simmered veal, chicken, sausage, tongue, and more; but it's even better with plain poached, steam-poached, grilled, or oven-baked fish. Make it in a processor, following these directions; or, for a finer texture, make it with a mortar and pestle, as directed in the preceding sauce verte recipe. In essence, this is another version of pesto.

Toum bi Zeit I had struggled for years to get this sauce right—clear white, creamy, and pungent. But it was only when my Lebanese friend and food writer Anissa Helou offered the suggestion of strained yogurt instead of the customary dampened bread or mashed potato that the whole thing began to come together for me. This is delicious but—obviously—for garlic lovers only. It is best made with a mortar and pestle, as a food processor brings out an acrid flavor.

Reminiscent of your favorite sundae sauce, but better! A sip of soda made from this deep, dark, intense brew is like chomping down on a chocolate bar.

Serve spooned over roast chicken, steak, or pan-fried pork chops. And, of course, pancakes.

"This spicy butter has a built-in garnish; it turns into a sauce as it melts over your steak, leaving the herbs on top for looks and extra flavor." —Brad Leone, test kitchen assistant

I use simple syrup for keeping cake layers extra moist. Plain simple syrup works perfectly well on its own, but when I have used vanilla bean pods on hand, I like to steep them into the syrup (feel free to keep them stored in the syrup indefinitely). It's an unnecessary step, for sure, but I always welcome a little extra pop of vanilla flavor in my cakes.

Rhubarb's natural tartness is balanced by the sweetness of the brown sugar and raisins, creating the perfect foil to cut through rich meats.