Condiment

There were always barrels of pickles at the flea markets my parents took me to when I was growing up. My dad loved half-sours; my mom loved sweet pickles; I loved both. Mom would cut both kinds in half and stick them together, so I’ d get two flavors in every bite. This is my homage to those days, made with one of my favorite ingredients.

Use this technique to make infused oils with any soft herbs, such as tarragon, basil, and mint. I use herb oil as a garnish whenever I want an intense, concentrated herb flavor in a dessert. Think about serving strawberries and ice cream with a drizzle of black peppermint oil. Or drizzle some tarragon oil on a salad of tender lettuce and shrimp.

The word pinzimonio means “combination”—a very simple one of olive oil, salt, and pepper. It’s used as a dip for raw vegetables, served as an antipasto in the summer. Try it for the refreshing Italian variation on the tired old plate of crudités with gooky dip.

This is a staple in my kitchen; it’s a fantastic flavoring agent that I can use at a moment’s notice. I even like to pop my popcorn in it (recipe follows). It could also be used for dipping breads or vegetables, or as the base of a salad dressing.

In the past few years, it’s become all the rage for restaurants to serve a little saucer of olive oil, instead of butter, for diners to dip their bread in while they have the aperitivo and wait for their first courses. This simple recipe is not only great for dipping, but can also be used to liven up the flavors in other dishes—as your cooking oil, or in salad dressing, or just drizzled over grilled fish or meat. It’ll keep in the fridge for a month.

This is the seasoning mixture that I use to flavor the Southwestern fries at my Mesa Grill restaurants. It’s not hot, just subtly spicy and earthy in taste. The fresh cilantro provides a bright touch of both color and flavor.

Who out there doesn’t love barbecue-flavored potato chips? Toss this seasoning blend with Homemade Potato Chips (page 98) or Perfect French Fries (page 86) to satisfy your craving at home.

This spice and herb blend is great for seasoning beef and turkey burgers, but I especially like it tossed with hot French fries; they are addictive! The turmeric gives fries a gorgeous golden color.

Pickled onions such as these are most often used as a garnish for tacos, burritos, and guacamole in Mexican cuisine. I think they are just as delicious on most of the burgers in this book, and they add a level of intrigue that raw onion slices could never do. The fresh lime juice is essential for its fresh, clean flavor as well as its acidity. If you want to pump up the volume on flavor and add a bit of heat, try adding a few whole jalapeño or serrano chiles to the mix.

I love the spicy, vinegary punch of pickled jalapeño chiles. There’s no need to reserve these for nachos only; this pickle goes well with any Mexican- or Southwestern-inspired dish—and that includes burgers—that could use an acidic touch of heat. It’s simple to make your own, and I think you’ll find that the freshness of home-pickled jalapeños beats any jarred or canned supermarket version, hands down.

I love ketchup as much as the next American does, but when I was designing the menu for Bobby’s Burger Palace, I knew that I wanted to have a little something extra to offer in the squeeze bottles. The simple addition of pureed chipotle in adobo gives prepared ketchup an exciting smoky edge, while still keeping its sweet yet tangy identity intact.

This aioli is a riff on a tartar sauce that I made for the fish and chips episode of my show Throwdown. I may not have won that particular battle, but I did come out of it with some good ideas. Fries taste delicious doused with malt vinegar, no question, but they can quickly become soggy. This aioli, fragrant with anise-flavored tarragon, blends the great taste of malt vinegar into a creamy dip for fries with even more flavor than the original combo, and none of the sogginess.

As a New Yorker, I have ready access to some of the best dill pickles out there. Even so, I still like to whip up a batch of my own every now and then. It is really very easy to do, and you have total control over the flavor and seasonings. If you really like garlic, toss in a few more cloves; if you prefer your pickles on the spicy side, add a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes. This is a basic recipe and you should feel free to experiment with other spices, too, such as cumin or fennel seeds. One note: though light on labor, this is not a last-minute recipe. The cucumbers need to “pickle” for at least 24 hours to get the best flavor.

Use this béchamel-based sauce as a dip for potato chips and French fries or as a topping for burgers, such as the Buffalo Burger (page 27) or the Blue Burger (page 70).

There are loads of prepared honey mustards on the market today; all you need to do is open the jar and spread some on your burger. Take a good look at the ingredient lists, however, and you will find that many of them contain more corn syrup than they do honey. To make sure I’m getting just what I want flavor-wise, I prefer to mix up my own using my favorite Dijon mustard and a good-quality mild honey.

You would typically find this sauce served alongside a thick cut of prime rib. The blend of mellow mayonnaise, pungent horseradish, and sharp Dijon mustard complements steak so well that it is no surprise that it does the same for a beef burger. A rich salmon burger would also take beautifully to the sauce. For a touch of extra flavor and color, try adding a few tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs such as chives, dill, or tarragon.

This mustard gets its heat and color from ancho chile powder. Ancho chiles are dried poblanos and they have a flavor that I describe as that of a spicy raisin. I do recommend that you look for this variety for its pure deep flavor and don’t use a generic blend labeled “chile powder.” Red chile mustard is great on any beef or turkey burger and also makes a tasty dipping sauce for fries and onion rings.

I created this barbecue sauce to top the Dallas and Cheyenne burgers (pages 37 and 39), but it’s also an ideal dipping sauce for Perfect French Fries (page 86). After you’ve made this quick and easy sauce once, you’ll want to slather it on grilled chicken, steak, pork chops . . . you might never go back to the bottled stuff.