Sauces/28 recipes

A glossy cherry rum sauce made with dark sweet cherries, rum extract, and a squeeze of lemon. Ready in 20 minutes, it's the finishing touch for ice cream, cheesecake, or crepes.

Pounded chicken breasts seared fast over high heat, then drizzled with a brandy, Dijon mustard, and lime pan sauce loaded with fresh chives. A 20-minute dinner with serious steakhouse energy.

Stir fried asparagus with mushrooms in a light chicken bouillon sauce thickened with cornstarch. A quick, low-calorie vegetable side dish ready in 20 minutes with bright green, crisp-tender asparagus.

Mexicali corn stir fry combines two cans of corn with garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, and soy in a fast wok dish. A 20-minute side that pairs perfectly with steamed rice.

Stir-fried beef and vegetables: a classic Chinese wok dish with marinated beef, crisp onions, and green peppers in a quick garlic-ginger soy sauce. Ready in under 20 minutes from wok to table.

Fresh Chinese noodles nestle in coconut curry broth loaded with tender chicken, red curry paste, turmeric, and fish sauce for a Thai-inspired soup that's rich, spicy, and ready in 20 minutes.

Fresh pear salsa with tomatoes, green pepper, oregano, basil, and a kick of hot sauce. A sweet-savory fruit salsa ready in 20 minutes that pairs with chips, fish, or grilled chicken.

Tender-crisp asparagus blanched in chicken broth and drizzled with a glossy oyster sauce glaze made with rendered chicken fat, sherry, and sesame oil. A 20-minute Chinese-style vegetable side dish.

A quick Chinese-style vegetable stir-fry with bean sprouts, ginger, garlic, and red pepper in a glossy soy-sherry sauce. Ready in 20 minutes as a vibrant side or light main.

A fluffy folded omelet topped with a creamy chicken sauce loaded with mushrooms, green pepper, pimentos, olives, and chives. Dinner-worthy eggs ready in 20 minutes that turn leftovers into something elegant.

Microwave cod fillets with a cool, creamy cucumber dill yogurt sauce. Lean, light, and on the table in 20 minutes with just 7 ingredients. A quick healthy fish dinner for busy weeknights.

Sautéed turkey breast strips tossed with pasta in a silky garlic, basil, and Parmesan cream sauce. Just 5 ingredients and 20 minutes stand between you and a restaurant-worthy dinner at home.

Pantry pasta puttanesca: quick tuna, anchovy, and olive pasta in low-fat tomato sauce. Low-fat, 20-minute weeknight dinner built entirely from pantry staples. Neapolitan attitude, no trip to the store.

Oros prawns, a South African favorite: garlic-butter prawns tossed in a sticky-sweet, spicy glaze of orange Oros cordial and Nando's peri-peri sauce. Sweet, hot, and ready in 20 minutes.

Open-faced sandwiches piled with sliced ham and chicken, smothered in a velvety cream sauce enriched with white wine and egg yolks, then broiled under a blanket of Parmesan until golden. Elegant comfort food in 20 minutes.

Round-up beef for a crowd, slow-braised round steak strips in a sweet-tangy ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Feeds 20 with chuck-wagon flair, served over noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.