Sauce

The miniature marshmallows are a great time-saving device in this recipe. Full-size marshmallows also work, but they’re more difficult to measure and don’t melt as quickly.

This sauce is a must for the Layered Ice Cream Pie (page 96), where it meshes with the cookie crust and ice cream for a sinfully delicious combination of textures and flavors. If you’re adventurous, this sauce could top off almost any pie.

This Italian sauce is traditionally served over fish, but it works really well as a dressing for salads as well as for grilled and roasted meats. Take care not to overprocess it; you definitely want some texture.

This sauce is the cool for our rich-and-spicy Tandoori Lamb Balls (page 40), but we also think it’s pretty stellar when served alongside The Greek (page 10) and Mediterranean Lamb Balls (page 24). Try using this sauce as a marinade on pork, chicken, or lamb at your next barbecue. The acid and enzymes work like magic—you won’t believe how tender your meat will turn. This sauce will keep for up to four days in the fridge.

Sure, you want this as a quick and simple sauce for the Reuben Balls (page 29), but it is also great as a dipping sauce for shrimp, tortilla chips, or veggies. Don’t skip the caraway seeds. Their distinctive aroma elevates this above and beyond store-bought dressing. This dressing will keep for up to a week in the fridge.

Addictive and easy, this is our version of a quick Asian-inspired sauce that we serve with Thai Balls (page 45). However, we also think it’s a smashing success alongside fresh-cut veggies as a crudités dipping sauce. Alternatively, try mixing a few tablespoons in with your next stir-fry or thinning it with water and serving it over Asian noodles. This sauce will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge.

We’ve revived this simple, classic French sauce with a combination of extra-virgin olive oil, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and some toasted pine nuts. It’s a summertime sauce that’s typically served with fish, but we like it with many of the meatballs, including Duck Balls (page 31) and Veal Meatballs (page 48). On a hot summer day meatballs can be dauntingly heavy, and a bright, fresh sauce can turn them into a suprisingly light lunch. Since chervil can be tricky to find, feel free to skip it if you can’t find it.

This gravy is so good you may just end up eating it like soup, spoonful after spoonful. We ladle it over practically any meatball in this book, and we also really love it over a big steaming bowl of Mashed Potatoes (page 79). You can make it ahead, though be careful to stir it frequently while reheating, scraping up the sauce on the bottom of the saucepan to avoid burning.

Once you taste this fast and easy go-to sauce, we’re willing to bet it will become a staple in your kitchen for any fish or chicken dish. The lemon brightens the roasted flavor of meatballs like Salmon Balls (page 34), Bouillabaisse Balls (page 23), and Chicken Meatballs (page 12). Drizzle it over braised greens or sautéed spinach for a big impact with little fuss.

Now this is the stuff. Rich beyond your wildest dreams, this sauce is not for the faint of heart. We think of it as Alfredo sauce on steroids, and it’s worth every calorie! At the Shop it’s a must-order with Chicken Meatballs (page 12). There’s pretty much nothing a ladle of this creamy sauce can’t improve—stir it into sautéed spinach for instant Creamed Spinach (page 100), or spoon it over steamed cauliflower, top with Parmesan cheese, and bake in the oven for the perfect gratin.

Sure, you can buy barbecue sauce, but wait until you try ours—it’s what we call QC, or quick cook. You probably already have most of the ingredients in your fridge or pantry. This tangy Lower East Side creation is the star ingredient in our BBQ Pork Balls (page 11), but it shines on its own with any grilled meat or bird.

Since everyone has his or her version of this sauce, we spent a lot of time getting this one right. No surprise, the best results came from using the best ingredients. When it comes to tomato sauce, using poor-quality canned tomatoes can leave an acidic or tinny taste in your mouth. So while it is a bit more expensive, we like to use Pomi brand chopped tomatoes (you know, the ones that come in the box). The sauce starts with a careful “sweating” of onions (cooking them slowly, until translucent but not brown, to extract as much flavor as possible), and the flavor continues to build from a nice, long, low-heat simmering after the tomatoes are added.

We hate to choose favorites—we love all our “children” equally—but this sauce is the one we go to again and again and again. It has the perfect amount of kick to it, but if you prefer it spicier, feel free to add more red pepper flakes. But please—this is a big tip coming—wait a minute or two after you’ve added the red pepper flakes before adding more. Give the peppers some time to hydrate and the spice to dissolve—a little chile goes a long way but takes time before it reaches its full potential. Of course we love this sauce over pasta and on a Smash (two balls on a brioche roll with sauce and cheese) too. Try tossing in a handful of arugula with the hot pasta and sauce and allowing it to wilt, adding a generous grating of parmesan cheese on top. Perfection!

This pesto is very simple, and its mild, herbaceous flavor makes it the ideal companion for just about any of the meatballs. While many pesto recipes call for pine nuts, we prefer the flavor (and lower price) of walnuts. Try finely chopping them and adding them right at the end for a nice, crunchy texture. We also love this as a healthy party dip, especially because it has no raw garlic—your guests will thank you too! Just cut up some carrots, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and celery and you’re ready to go. You can swap arugula for spinach if you prefer. Pesto freezes well and will keep for up to three months in the freezer.

Season: August to September. This is kitchen alchemy at its most exciting and rewarding: A mysterious-looking brew of dark elderberries, vinegar, and spices becomes a truly wonderful sauce, a secret weapon for the pantry that I don’t like to be without. According to tradition, pontack sauce is best used after 7 years, but I’m hard pushed to keep it for 7 months. Pungent, fruity, and spicy, it’s an unrivaled partner for winter stews, slow-roasted pork belly, or anything wild and gamy. Besides serving this sauce alongside meat dishes, you can add a couple of tablespoonfuls to sauces and gravies. The elderberry season is short and the berries are part of the hedgerow banquet for woodland birds, so don’t delay–gather them when you see them.

Season: July to September: Harissa is a North African ingredient used to enhance many fish and meat dishes, as well as couscous and soups. I also like to use my version to make a fruity, fiery dipping sauce (see below) to serve with pork, fish, or prawns. The strength of the paste depends on the variety and quantity of chiles used. The chances are that this recipe, which I would describe as moderately hot, will merely tickle the palate of out-and-out chile freaks. But all you need do to make it more fiery is increase the amount of chiles, include more of their seeds (see below), or perhaps add one or two very hot little dried chiles.

Season: September to October. The raw flesh of the lumpy yellow quince is dry and disagreeably sour. However, once cooked, it becomes pink and highly perfumed. Lightly sweetened and combined with good fluffy cooking apples, such as Granny Smiths, it makes a delightful accompaniment for roast pork or duck. I also love this aromatic fruity sauce on a home-baked rice pudding.