Sauces/22 recipes

Yummy chicken curry: tender curried chicken in a quick, creamy sour cream sauce with sweet golden raisins, ready in about 20 minutes. A fast, mild weeknight curry that skips the coconut milk and the long simmer.

Flaked tuna folded into creamy bechamel sauce with a splash of sherry, served three ways: over fried eggplant, in tart shells, or on buttered biscuits. Retro comfort food in 20 minutes.

Tender Australian lamb cutlets glazed with a sticky honey-soy and plum jam sauce, finished with toasted sesame seeds. Ready in under 20 minutes for a quick, flavor-packed weeknight dinner.

Deviled eggs stuffed with chopped chicken, Dijon and dry mustard, and a kick of hot sauce. A protein-packed appetizer ready in 20 minutes that disappears at every potluck and picnic.

Chicken livers simmered in butter with prosciutto and sage, perched on sautéed bread triangles, and drizzled with a Marsala wine pan sauce. An Italian classic ready in 20 minutes for two.

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.

Adapted from “Jacques Pépin Celebrates” (Knopf, 2001)- New York Times

My craving for Korean food has officially come back to life again, and this was the dish I made for dinner yesterday. Instead of using cooked rice that traditional bibimbap does, this time I cooked soba noodles instead. Sauteed a few veggies that I had on hand separately, tossed with the spicy Korean chili sauce and a bit ketchup, and served with homemade kimchi. YUM!

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.

Broiled porterhouse steak with caramelized Spanish onions and a mushroom-sherry pan sauce. A lighter steakhouse dinner for two with a Weight Watchers-friendly approach.

Chicken-fried steak with saltine cracker breading and hot pepper sauce egg wash, pan-fried crispy and smothered in a milk cream gravy made from the pan drippings. Pure Texas comfort.

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.

Rich, deeply roasted brown veal stock simmered for 12 hours with carrots, onions, celery, garlic, and bay leaves. This restaurant-quality base stock is the backbone of French sauces, braises, and soups.