Sauces/40 recipes

Strawberries Elegante pairs ripe sliced strawberries with orange liqueur and a silky brown-sugar cream cheese sauce. A 10-minute no-cook dessert that tastes like more work.

Round up beef with 10 pounds of round steak strips braised in a tangy ketchup, brown sugar, and red wine vinegar sauce. Feeds a crowd and freezes well.

Easy pimento chicken in a creamy Havarti-pimento cheese sauce with hard-boiled eggs, mushrooms, and diced cooked chicken. A retro one-pot dinner ready in 20 minutes.

Fresh spinach puree with garlic, blended silky smooth with just water and seasoning. A vegan, no-cream sauce for pasta or baked potatoes ready in under 10 minutes.

Sauteed mushrooms with tarragon, garlic, and a splash of soy sauce. A simple vegetarian side dish or appetizer with just 5 ingredients and 10 minutes of active cooking.

Minute a la king with tuna and peas in a creamy mushroom sauce served over toast points. A quick, 4-ingredient pantry dinner ready in under 10 minutes.

A big beef rump roast braised low and slow with dried pinto beans, green peppers, and onions in a tangy tomato-vinegar sauce with brown sugar and thyme. Feeds 10 hungry folks.

Whipped cream frosting with raspberry sauce: sweetened whipped cream and a cornstarch-thickened raspberry coulis, both ready in under 20 minutes. A clean, fruity finish for cakes and desserts.

Stir-fried warm Asian salad with napa cabbage, fresh mushrooms, spinach, celery, garlic, and ginger tossed in soy sauce. A low-fat vegetable side dish ready in under 10 minutes.

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.

Pan-fried fish fillets finished with a quick boiling sherry vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil sauce, punched up with fresh parsley, chives, and chervil. A French bistro classic that cooks in under 10 minutes.

Spargel in Weisser Sosse: German white asparagus in a creamy white sauce with julienned ham and freshly grated nutmeg. A classic springtime German side dish ready in 20 minutes.

Slow cooker turkey meatloaf with horseradish, chili sauce, and garlic. Set it on low for 8-10 hours and come home to a spiced, tender loaf ready to slice.

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.

Classic Chinese five spice chicken marinated in soy sauce with ginger, star anise, cinnamon, and cloves, then baked until the skin turns golden and fragrant. A simple, aromatic main dish with just 10 ingredients.

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.