Condiment

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from How to Grill, by Steven Raichlen. To read more about Raichlen and barbecue, go to our feature The Best Barbecue in the U.S.A. OK, this is ground zero—the ur American barbecue rub. Use it on ribs, pork shoulders, chickens—anything you want to taste like American barbecue. Use 2 to 3 teaspoons per pound of meat. A 4-pound chicken will take 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons. You'll find hickory-smoked salt available in the spice rack of most supermarkets. To make a spicier rub, substitute hot paprika for some or all of the sweet paprika.

Wear gloves when working with super-hot chiles like habaneros.

Wear gloves when working with chiles.

Serve the compote over vanilla or strawberry ice cream, angel food cake, pancakes, or waffles.

Chef Daniel Patterson of San Francisco's Coi shared this surprisingly easy recipe for making fresh butter and its delicious by-product—buttermilk—with Epicurious. The buttermilk can be used to make Patterson's Yuba "Pappardelle" with English Peas, Fava Leaves, and Basil . Test-Kitchen Tip: Making butter can be an extremely messy process—as the buttermilk begins to separate, it will splash out of the bowl with each turn of the beaters. Even if your mixer has a splash guard, be sure to wrap sheets of plastic wrap from the rim of the bowl right over the top of the mixer (splash guard and all) to seal off any open spaces.

One of our favorite spring ingredients— rhubarb—shines in this dessert. The compote can be served warm, at room temperature, or cold.

Rich, aromatic rouille is a classic lily-gilding for French fish soups; this one has an extra something special: saffron. Even if you love saffron, though, don't be tempted to add any extra threads. This is just the right amount to really flatter, not dominate, the soup.

Set out all of the components of this fun and delicious dish and allow guests to add their own toppings. Because the chili is meatless, the vegetarians in the crowd can also enjoy this meal by simply omitting the crispy cubed-pork topping.

Be sure to buy a colorful assortment of baby vegetables. Serve as a side for roasted meat or fish, as an antipasto with salumi and breadsticks, or as an appetizer with crusty bread and goat cheese.

Prunes take on a velvety texture in this Port sauce. The resulting syrup is silky and sweet, with a tropical vanilla fragrance.

This simple apricot-based condiment tastes as bright and sunny as it looks. Spread it on toast like a homemade jam, stir some into yogurt or a vinaigrette, or use it as a filling for white or génoise layer cakes.

The chicken calls for oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes from a jar, and this dip cleverly makes use of some of that oil.