Sauces/28 recipes

Easy chicken piccata with golden flour-dredged cutlets in a bright, buttery lemon pan sauce built right in the skillet. A restaurant-style dinner with a tangy lemon kick, ready in about 20 minutes.

Vietnamese-style beef and French fries with thin-sliced sirloin in a savory fish sauce glaze, served over crispy matchstick potatoes. A sizzling 20-minute stir-fry that earns its 5-star rating.

Flambeed peaches in a port wine and cherry jelly sauce with cinnamon and lime, spooned over lemon ice cream. A dramatic tableside dessert that goes from chafing dish to plate in 20 minutes.

Fried bananas almandine sautes split bananas with sliced almonds in clarified butter, served over warm chocolate sauce spiked with Grand Marnier. A classic French-leaning dessert that comes together in under 20 minutes.

Seven-ingredient vegetarian chili built on a can of refried beans, tomato sauce, and basic pantry spices. Comes together in 20 minutes flat. The college-dorm chili that scales to a real weeknight bowl.

Ginger shrimp stir-fry with zucchini, red peppers, and jalapeño in a bright sauce of white wine, lime, mirin, and chicken stock. A 20-minute Asian-fusion skillet dinner finished with cilantro and scallions.

Chilled tomato salsa over hot angel hair pasta with red and yellow peppers, basil, garlic, and a hit of romano. Italian summer technique that needs zero cooking for the sauce. Ready in 20 minutes.

Pla nung horapa: Thai steamed red snapper rubbed with a fiery paste of galangal, lemongrass, red chiles, and fish sauce, finished with Thai basil and kaffir lime leaves. Aromatic Thai seafood ready in 20 minutes of steaming.

A fast wok stir-fry with large shrimp, snow peas, and bok choy in a bright lemon-orange sauce thickened with cornstarch. Dinner in 20 minutes, start to finish. Light, fresh, and full of crunch.

All-American hot dish brings ground beef freezer mix, corn, tomato sauce, olives, and noodles together in one skillet, finished with melted cheddar. A pantry-friendly weeknight dinner that cooks itself in about 20 minutes.

Homemade white stock made the classical French way: blanched beef, veal, and chicken-feet bones simmered with mirepoix and a sachet of herbs for up to 18 hours. Crystal-clear, gelatin-rich, and the foundation of every great sauce.

Creamy tuna dip spiked with brandy, made with cream cheese, sour cream, and a dash of hot sauce. Whip it up in 20 minutes and serve with crackers, French bread, or fresh veggies. The ultimate party-ready appetizer.

Pepper-crusted fresh tuna loin seared in a screaming hot cast iron pan, sliced thin, and served with a soy-sesame-ginger dipping sauce spiked with five spice. This Japanese-inspired tataki appetizer is ready in 20 minutes.

Chopped cooked turkey simmered in a thick tomato-chili sauce with dry mustard and onion, spooned over hamburger buns. This low-calorie, 6-ingredient turkey barbecue is ready in 20 minutes and stretches leftovers into a new meal.

Homemade chicken shawarma: yogurt-marinated thigh meat layered with spinach and roasted red peppers, baked into a stacked loaf, sliced thin, and served on fresh chapati flatbread with tzatziki.

Grilled jumbo shrimp marinated in citrus zest and herbs, served over sauteed vegetables with a triple-citrus honey-Dijon vinaigrette. An elegant plated dinner.