Herbs & Spices

This spring-themed dish works perfectly as an entrée or as a side dish.

I developed this low-maintenance recipe in my restaurant days, when I needed a big batch of whipped cream to last through the night in a steamy kitchen. The trick is a bit of extra sugar, which helps the cream whip into a stable foam that can be held for up to eight hours.

This particular kadi sauce is based on the Gujarati (Western India) version of a yogurt-based sauce thickened with gram flour (besan). In that region the sauce is sweet and sour.

Use this Indian-spiced tomato sauce in Gujarti Eggplant and Sweet Potato “Lasagna.”

Adding olive oil to this hot sauce recipe lends it body and mellows some of the heat.

Cooking the apples with their skins on adds a beautiful rosy blush to the finished sauce.

Keep this curry paste in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

This versatile marinade works on everything from eggplant to chicken breasts. Vary ingredients with the seasons, changing up the herbs as you see fit. Basil, thyme, oregano, and tarragon will all work perfectly here.

Heavy cream, alone or in conjunction with oil, can be added to vinegar and mustard, producing a vinaigrette that is excellent with delicately flavored salads. Because of its subtlety, creamy vinaigrette can be flavored easily with herbs such as mint, chives, or chervil. It is also excellent for showcasing a special vinegar.

These sugared doughnuts are craggy and crunchy on the outside, tender and moist on the inside. Apple butter (not sauce!) is key to their texture and flavor; look for it alongside jams and jellies in the supermarket, or at farmers’ markets, or make your own.

Serve panko-crusted white fish with a piquant relish of cucumbers, fennel, and chiles, kissed with both lime and cilantro.

This antipasto platter goes way past jarred peppers and cold cuts, with roasted vegetables that change with the seasons. Even at room temp, these options round out any meat and cheese platter.

Plums have a sweet but brightly acidic flavor, which suits them well as a topping for this savory porridge.

Stir the last few kernels of fresh corn into these sweet-and-savory waffles. No fresh strawberries where you are? Frozen, or even sliced plums, work just as well.

A 24- to 72-hour dry brine inspired by barbecue flavors gives this spatchcocked bird a ton of flavor, while the bricks (or cinder block!) help press the bird onto the grill for even heat exposure.

This creamy, tangy sauce with a garlicky, black pepper punch is ubiquitous on platters of grilled meats sold by halal street carts in major cities across the U.S. We can't stop drizzling it on everything from pita sandwiches to roasted vegetables to crisp salads.