On the weekends, barbecue sauce shows up at nearly every meal. I’ve made countless versions over the years, but this is still one of my favorites. I draw flavors from around the globe to get just the right balance of sweet, spicy, and tangy. You can brush this on any meat while it’s grilling to build a sticky glaze. When mixed with homemade mayonnaise, it becomes an amazing spread.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 1 1/2 cups

　　1/2 cup passion fruit puree (see Pantry, page 253)

　　1 dried ancho chile, stemmed and roughly chopped

　　1 dried chipotle chile, stemmed and roughly chopped

　　3/4 cup ketchup, preferably organic Heinz

　　3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

　　2 tablespoons unsulphured blackstrap molasses

　　2 tablespoons garlic powder

　　2 tablespoons onion powder

　　1 1/2 tablespoons kecap manis (see Pantry, page 253)

　　2 teaspoons nam pla

　　3/4 teaspoon liquid mesquite smoke (see Pantry, page 253)

　　1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

　　1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

　　

Step 1

Bring the passion fruit puree to a boil over high heat in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the puree is syrupy and reduced by half.

　　

Step 2

Transfer to a blender and add the chiles, ketchup, vinegar, molasses, garlic and onion powders, kecap manis, nam pla, liquid smoke, sesame oil, and salt. Blend, scraping down the sides of the blender occasionally, until smooth. The sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.

　　Reprinted with permission from Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten with Genevieve Ko. Copyright © 2011 by Jean-Georges Vongerichten; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most influential chefs in the world, having single-handedly redefined haute French cuisine, lightening and refining it by adding select Asian accents. He is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants in fourteen cities around the world. His flagship restaurant, Jean Georges, at New York's Columbus Circle, is one of six restaurants in the United States to have been awarded three coveted Michelin stars; it received four stars from the New York Times. The winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, he lives in New York City and Waccabuc, New York, with his family.Genevieve Ko is a cookbook author and the senior food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. She has written for Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Fine Cooking and lives in New York City with her family.