Cream Sauce

Adding a flavorful cream sauce to a dish is an easy way to transform it into a decadent and filling meal. At one of chef Ashley Christensen's restaurants, Poole's Diner in Raleigh, North Carolina, she simmers seasonal vegetables in a sherry-cream sauce inspired by the creamed tuna and peas on toast that her mom used to make. "The rich sauce made us feel we were being fed like kings, but secretly from the peasant’s pantry," she says. Cream sauces work with everything from vegetables to a bowl of simple pasta. Use Food & Wine's guide to get dozens of ideas for your next sauce.