Ingredients

makes about 1 1/2 cups

　　1 cup your favorite or Homemade Mayonnaise (page 280)

　　1/2 cup fresh herbs, such as tarragon, basil, chives, parsley, cilantro, scallions, or a combination

　　2 tablespoons sour cream

　　2 small dill pickles, chopped

　　2 small sweet pickles, chopped

　　1 hard-boiled egg, chopped

　　1 jalapeño pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

　　2 tablespoons grated red onion

　　2 tablespoons capers

　　1 tablespoon dill pickle juice

　　1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

　　Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Combine the mayonnaise, herbs, sour cream, dill pickles, sweet pickles, egg, jalapeño, onion, capers, pickle juice, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste in a blender or food processor and pulse to blend to a chunky sauce. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve, or for up to 4 days.

　　

Know-how: How to Tell When Oil is Sizzling Hot

Step 2

There are many instances in this book, especially for pan- and skillet frying, where instructions call for heating oil or butter until sizzling hot. Instead of using a thermometer, check the oil’s readiness by dropping in a pinch of salt or flour; if the oil sizzles when the salt hits the pan, it’s ready to go. (When frying chicken and other slow-cooking foods, it’s important to keep the oil at a consistent temperature to ensure they cook evenly; in recipes like these I always provide an exact temperature and suggest using a thermometer.)

　　Reprinted with permission from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen: Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal by Sara Foster. Copyright © 2011 by Sara Foster. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Sara Foster is the owner of Foster's Market, the acclaimed gourmet take-out store/cafés in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the author of several cookbooks including The Foster's Market Cookbook, winner of the Best Cookbook Award from the Southeast Booksellers Association. She has appeared numerous times on Martha Stewart Living Television and NBC's Today show. She has also been featured in magazines such as More, House Beautiful, and Southern Living, and is featured regularly in Bon Appétit.