Sauce

Be sure your kitchen is well ventilated when you soak the New Mexican and guajillo chiles; their vapors can be a mild irritant.

This ganache thickens as it sits. The ganache used for the Inside-Out German Chocolate Torte and in step 7 of the Belgian Chocolate Birthday Cake (page 507) should be pourable but thick enough to fully coat the cakes.

This sauce can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Reheat over medium-low heat, or bring to room temperature before serving.

Extra sauce may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Warm over gentle heat just before serving.

Clarifying the butter is an easy and helpful way to achieve perfect hollandaise sauce.

Tamari soy sauce is similar to regular soy sauce but is slightly thicker and has a richer flavor. It is available at most grocery stores. Besides being the perfect condiment for the tofu, this sauce makes a nice addition to the soba noodles—just drizzle a little bit on top.