Sauce

Peanut butter tames the heat in this mild puréed salsa with serrano chiles and onions. Spoon it over mushroom tacos or use it as a dip for chips.

For dense hand-pulled noodles, you’re going to want the sauce to be saltier and spicier, balancing out the thick wheat noodles with extra aromatics for depth of flavor.

Use this simple sauce for dumplings.

The thought of making homemade caramel sauce is daunting for many cooks, but there’s no reason to be intimidated. It’s simple to prepare and, start to finish, takes only 15 to 20 minutes, after which you have a luscious, full-bodied sauce to drizzle on apple and peach pies, use in and on cream pies, and top off pie à la mode. No fancy equipment needed: just a 3-quart stainless steel saucepan and a candy thermometer.

My classic salted caramel, enriched with butter and a touch of cream for a thick, smooth sauce, is perfect as a pie topping, or served alongside à la mode slices.

Green seasoning is one of those herb mixtures that is unique to the Caribbean and differs slightly from island to island.

Tomato brown butter is the deeply savory—and slightly sweet—result of swirling fresh, raw tomato purée into fragrant brown butter. Drizzle it over roasted vegetables, grilled fish, or grain bowls.

This bright, vinegary sauce is works wonderfully with all manner of panfried or deep-fried battered foods, including scallion pancakes and dumplings.

This all-purpose condiment is an ideal finisher for anything you might care to grill. Make it ahead and have it ready to spoon over grilled meats, fish, and vegetables.

Silken tofu is the base of this dressing, creating a punchy sauce that's creamy and silky. Bryant Terry uses it to dress a hearty grain salad with celery, persimmons, and chopped nuts—but you can also drizzle it over grilled vegetables, or use it as a dip for crudités.