Sauce

Serve this Deep South specialty with Cream Biscuits .

The foundation of this étouffée-like dish is a brown roux that lends a deep, nutty flavor. The gravy pairs well with the Grits Dressing , biscuits, and turkey.

Lo's take on cranberry sauce makes citrus the star by soaking mandarins in fragrant elderflower syrup before caramelizing them. You can use any of your favorites: tangerines, clementines, satsumas, honeys, or Minneolas. Begin this recipe 1 day ahead.

Editor's note: Use this recipe to make Black Rice with Squid .

• Picada is an aromatic sauce traditionally used in Catalan cuisine as a base flavoring for many dishes. It is also often added toward the end of cooking.
• Picada will keep for 1 week in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer.

Editor's note: Use this recipe to make Black Rice with Squid . -Sofrito is a basic preparation of tomatoes, garlic, oil, and onions that forms the base of many traditional Spanish dishes.
-The sauce will keep for 5 days in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer.

Editor's note: Use this recipe to make Norma Naranjo's Tamales . Mrs. Naranjo says, "A lot of these traditional dishes are being modernized. You see chefs putting spices and things in their red chile. My grandmother only used salt. I only use salt. This sauce can also be used to make red meat chile or chile filling for tamales, or to give thickness and smoky fire to other soups and stews."

Use John Currence's classic Southern gravy for smothering biscuits , with or without the fried chicken.

Homemade mayonnaise has a silkiness, an elegance, that you won't find in any commercial preparation. Making it by hand isn't hard (or time-consuming), but patience, constant whisking, and attention to detail are the keys to success.

Here's a soda fountain favorite that goes back more than a century. It's similar to an Italian meringue frosting for cakes, and is to die for on any chocolate ice cream.

If I could only have one dessert sauce this—without a doubt—would be it. Caramel sauce is the most complex tasting sauce I know and it goes with every flavor in the pastry kitchen: apples, nuts, berries, stone fruit, chocolate, coffee, and pineapple. It is a staple in my kitchen. I use it to dress up store-bought ice cream, serve it alongside cake, and layer it into parfaits. Frankly, no commercial caramel sauce compares to one that's homemade. There are a few good specialty ones out there, but they are expensive. Making it at home is inexpensive—sugar, water, and cream. That's it. It keeps for weeks in the fridge and can be reheated in the microwave or double boiler. I know a lot of cooks who are afraid to make caramel. It can be tricky business for sure. Lest I scare you off, let me reassure you that if you follow these instructions carefully, you'll soon be making it all the time. If your first try is a light tan and the sauce is thin even after it's cooled, next time cook the caramel a little bit further. On the other hand, if the caramel has a bitter aftertaste, next time cook it a little less. A pastry chef trick to easily clean a pot you have just made caramel in is to fill it half full of water and bring it to a boil. The hot water will dissolve any hard caramel pieces that stick to the side. Another trick, on the off chance you do burn your caramel and you want to get rid of it, is to add a couple cups of water, carefully at first, just as when you add the cream, to dilute it. Let it cool some and then it can be poured down the sink.

A misleading name for such a luscious, creamy dish. This creamed spinach gunges up quite nicely.

Ladolemono, with its one-to-one acid-to-oil ratio (as opposed to the usual one-to-three), is a classic Greek vinaigrette that gives a flash of brightness to grilled octopus, shrimp, squid, or the smoky, crispy skin of a whole branzino

Vanilla is the classic ice cream partner for these boozy cherries, but try them with chocolate for a homemade version of Cherry Garcia.

Use this quick syrup to make fresh cherry colas or Old Fashioned cocktails.

Best with beef, pork, lamb, game meats