Condiment

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Here's a tangy condiment that's great with roast turkey, beef or leg of lamb.

A spoonful of this classic compound butter, known as maître d'hôtel butter, makes an instant sauce for anything from grilled steak to sautéed chicken to steamed vegetables. It can also be stirred into soups and stews.

Active time: 2 hr Start to finish: 3 hr (plus 1 week for flavors to develop)

Typical Danish ingredients are featured in this easy-to-make condiment; it would be wonderful incorporated into a vinaigrette for cold poached salmon.

After lingonberry preserves, these pickled cucumbers are the most popular condiment in Scandinavia. They are a traditional accompaniment to Swedish Meatballs, simple salmon dishes, and roasts and other meats. They are even served with frankfurters sold at street kiosks, much like the sauerkraut that often tops the hot dogs sold here.

This dip would be good served before the Vegetable and Bean Chili or any kind of beef dish. In fact, it's compatible with almost any main course that doesn't contain cheese. Active time: 5 min Start to finish: 5 min

In Asian cooking, angled loofah is typically braised or served in soups, but it's also perfectly suited to pickling. Try to buy young loofah (no longer than 12 inches). Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr (plus 2 days for marinating)

Lowcountry cooking is full of ideas that seem foreign to outsiders. This sweet and spicy chutney is the perfect foil for salty country ham. Ground together, the two form a paste for memorable appetizers.