Sauces and Condiments

Tiny, tart, red lingonberries are prized throughout Scandinavia but are most associated with Swedish cuisine. Their flavor is something like cranberries and raspberries combined. Look for lingonberry jam or preserves, preferably Swedish, in gourmet stores and better supermarkets. If you can’t find them, canned whole-berry cranberry sauce makes a close substitute.

The lime juice and peel add a refreshing tropical note to this sweet-tart jam. Try it as a topping for vanilla ice cream; complete the tropical theme by adding chopped macadamia nuts.

Mark Militello, chef-owner of Mark's South Beach on Miami Beach and Mark's Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, created this fiery, smoky sauce after a sojourn in the French West Indies. It's everything a barbecue sauce should be -- sweet, tart, fruity, fiery and smoky -- and the perfect topper for a grilled fish steak or chicken. It's made with Scotch bonnets, the chile of choice in the West Indies and the hottest chile around. Scotch bonnets are similar in appearance to habaneros, which can be substituted.

Sweet maple-accented apples make the ideal partner for french toast or pancakes.

This fiery salsa does double duty in northern Mexico -- first as a dip for chips, then as a smoke-scented accompaniment to grilled steaks. Its distinctive smoke flavor comes from grilling the main ingredients over mesquite. The fire power comes from the long, slender chiles de árbol, available dried at Mexican markets and many gourmet shops. Use two for mild heat, six if you have a stomach of steel. You could also make the salsa with chipotle chiles (smoked jalapeno chiles), which add a smoke flavor all their own. Serve the salsa over beef or tuna steaks.

Daikon radish is a long, thick, white-fleshed radish with a softened piquancy that is reminiscent of spicy horseradish and a texture close to that of red radish. It can be found in the produce section of supermarkets or in Asian markets. If it’s unavailable, substitute red radish and a teaspoon of horseradish.

This rich, deep-flavored sauce with its slightly sweet taste is the perfect backdrop to the salty ham.

Mom’s Barbecue Sauce Sauces and Condiments Cooking Pleasures Mom’s Barbecue Sauce 2 1/4 cups ketchup 1/2 cup diced uncooked bacon 1 large onion, finely minced 6 garlic cloves, minced 3/4 cup water 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup vinegar 1/4 cup packed bro

By CCA Member Rosemary Siewert; Apple Valley, Minnesota

Orange Marmalade Syrup Sauces and Condiments Cooking Pleasures Orange Marmalade Syrup Carefully blend 1 (16-oz.) jar orange marmalade or other preserves and 1 cup boiling water in blender until smooth. Serve at room temperature. 2 cups   Cooking Ques