Spicy sriracha mayonnaise. Photo: onthemetro, Flickr.

We may have already pegged sriracha as the ultimate condiment, but we were so wowed by the simple brilliance of sriracha mayonnaise that we decided to have you feast your eyes on another rendition of it. The sauce -- made by the ever-creative White on Rice couple -- spikes mayo with sriracha, soy sauce and lemon, in a deceptively rosy-looking sauce. Longtime fans of the usual pesto mayo, we were tickled by the unlikely marriage of the all-American staple with the exotic, spicy-sweet chili sauce.

The New York Times reported back in February on the "Chili Sauce to Crow About," which is a simple purée of red jalapenos, sugar, garlic powder, vinegar and salt. Most notably marketed by Huy Fong in trademark clear plastic dispensers with a green cap and rooster image, the Times says the sauce "may be best understood as an American sauce, a polyglot purée with roots in difference places and peoples." And its uses are indeed variegated, if not unlimited -- Jean-Georges Vongerichten uses it to spice up a hollandaise and Kogi serves it as a garnish for their Korean BBQ tacos.

What's your unique use for the sauce?

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Photo: Rachel is Coconut&Lime, Flickr.

In this effortlessly elegant breakfast fix, pear butter replaces uninspired butter and jam. Warmly spiced with pear cider, ginger, allspice and cardamon, Coconut & Lime's concoction also works well wherever you'd usually dab butter (pancakes, waffles, muffins, etc.) -- and is even more versatile, deliciously swirled into the likes of yogurt, cottage cheese, hot cereal and more.

Cooked for 10 to 12 hours in a slow cooker, the condiment will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two months -- though we'd be surprised if it lasts half as long as its shelf life permits.

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Photo: www.houstonhotsauce.com

September might be halfway over and autumn imminent, but that doesn't mean the fall food fun has to end. Here's a selection of September food fests across the country.

Nappanee Apple Festival, Nappanee, Ind., Sept. 17-20: Apple season is upon us. Many are headed to pick-your-own orchards. This festival includes an apple-peeling contest, apple bake-off, pie-eating contest and the world's largest baked apple pie, weighing in at 600 pounds and a whopping 7 feet across. There's a daily lumberjack show, too.

The Houston Hot Sauce Festival, Houston, Sept. 19-20: Hot sauce festivals are on fire! Nationwide, they're popular, chilehead blow-outs. Attendees can sample and purchase a plethora of sauces, chiles and dry rubs. Don't forget to vote in the People's Choice for the Hottest Hot Sauce at this ninth annual festival.

Ro*Tel's Queso Dip Recipe. Photo: ConAgra Foods

"What the hell is that?" is the first question many non-Texans ask when they see the goopy Southwestern cheese dip chile con queso (queso for short and pronounced "kay-so"). The prevalent and heralded form of queso is a mixture of Velveeta and Ro*Tel canned tomatoes and chiles. It's usually orange, flecked with red and green chiles, and a crust forms when the dip begins to cool. At the risk of being run out of town: What's so good about that?

When queried, this writer's wife, a Texas native, her relatives and friends answer along the lines of "it's just so good!" Queso is good; so is cow's brains. Queso is creamy and spicy and won't run off a tortilla chip like other salsas. Crucial to understanding the dip is the facility with which it is prepared. Ready in five minutes, it's a fiesta favorite. Are there Texans at a party you're hosting? Whip out the queso and welcome the adulation. "It's just so good!"

Another reason is Lone Star pride. "Texans have a special place in their hearts for queso and Ro*Tel. Both originated in the state," says Mike Locascio, vice president and general manager at ConAgra Foods, Ro*Tel's manufacturer.

We conducted a mustard taste test to find the best brand in the U.S. From honey mustard to dijon mustard to spicy mustard to whole grain mustard, we've got the best mustard to suit your sandwich or hot dog.

Test your ketchup, mustard, and relish knowledge with our Condiment Quiz on Slashfood. Is ketchup considered a vegetable by the USDA and what are anchovies a key ingredient in? Find out here.

Cinnamon-fig jam. Photo: eatingoutloud, flickr.

As summer dwindles to a balmy finish, leaving many of us eagerly anticipating the prospect of jacket-worthy weather, there isn't a better time to consider the not-so-distant future, in which we'll be lamenting the lack of luscious summer fruits.

Those who think ahead may be able to savor the best of both seasons by jarring summer in a delicious jam. An endeavor that turns out to be deceptively easy -- requiring namely the boiling of fruit and sugar combined -- and inexpensive, it's also a remarkably flexible one, open to tastes and preferences. Stick with simple fruits, pairing berries of similar varieties together, or get bold, marrying fresh summer fruits with audacious autumnal flavors and herbs, ranging from cinnamon to rosemary, basil to thyme.

For inspiration, see our own Eric Deisel's peach jam, Eating Out Loud's cinnamon-fig jam (pictured), trusty Martha's sweet-savory peach-rosemary jam, the Washington Post's tart rhubarb-ginger jam, or the endlessly creative "White on Rice" Couple's variety of tomato-based concoctions, particularly their tomato-and-thyme number.

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Doug Sohn, owner of Hot Doug's. Photo: William Couch/ Flickr.

Frankfurter maestro Doug Sohn, the man behind the beloved Chicago eatery Hot Doug's, is a stickler for putting the same care into his hot dog toppings that a top chef would a béarnaise sauce.

"Whatever you pair, you want it to taste good," he says. "We caramelize our onions in real butter. We get the freshest tomatoes."

Sohn is a trained chef who bypassed life in a haute restaurant to grill haute dogs. He's been on the wiener beat for nearly a decade, and remains an undeterred champion of foie gras in the wake of a since-overturned Chicago-wide ban. His sought-after pups feature tantalizing names like the "mighty hot" Keira Knightley and the "mighty, might, mighty hot!" Salma Hayek andouille sausage.

With grills heating up for the Fourth of July, here are Sohn's thoughts on how to spruce up that old dog.

Sohn on bringing his own dogs to Cubs games and the awesomeness of foie gras franks after the jump.

Corn relish. Photo: bookgrl/ Flickr.

As summer kicks into high gear, roadside stands and greenmarkets are bustling with fresh produce.

Fresh herbs, cut just that morning, perfume the air: sultry thyme, sprightly parsley and rosemary for remembrance. Sweet onions tumble out of bushel baskets and into burlap bags. Piles of peppers fight for your attention in red, green, orange, yellow and even black. And who can resist fresh ears of satiny corn?

As you lug all of your fresh produce home, don't worry -- as always, we've got your back. Beyond the jump is an original recipe to use that corn, those peppers and those onions to make a quick, fresh corn relish.

This relish has a Southwestern twang, but it can accompany virtually anything coming off of your grill for Fourth of July barbecues, from juicy burgers and seared steaks to perfectly smoked chicken. And if the summer corn is too irresistible to resist buying a bushel, you can double the recipe and send some home with your guests.

McIlhenny Co.

Contest entrants are being asked to create a "budget-friendly" entrée incorporating one of Tabasco's signature pepper sauces. The winning recipe is worth $10,000, which means this will likely be the last time the winning chef will have to resort to finding flavor in a $3.99 bottle.

For recession-struck eaters, however, hot sauces like Tabasco have become indispensable for enlivening otherwise dreary meals of Ramen noodles, beans and rice and boxed macaroni and cheese.

In this weekly series, home cook Bruce Watson works his way through a decades-old family cookbook, adapting the best recipes exclusively for Slashfood.

Beets are funny: while they are among the hardiest of winter root vegetables, their gorgeous color brings to mind the energy and exuberance of early summer.

In our family cookbook, my Aunt Evie tipped her hat to this weird dual nature with her recipe for pickled beet dip. Filled with the earthy flavors of winter vegetables, the dip's brilliant pink color suggests the joy of Easter eggs, cotton candy and sunsets. Pairing the coarseness of winter with the energy of summer, it's the perfect spring food!

While most dips tend toward blandness, this one has a nice kick. It goes well with crackers, but really shines as the centerpiece on a tray of crudite. Although the ingredients may sound odd, they blend nicely and the finished product is one of those rare beet dishes that even avowed enemies of the dark red vegetables will love. One warning, though: be sure to let everyone know that it's beet dip. Given the color, some people will assume that it is a cherry or raspberry dish!

Get the pickled beet dip recipe after the jump.

Barbecue sauce intrigues me. It's rich, thick, delicious and a healthy homemade version can add lots of flavor to healthy eats like grilled or steamed veggies and chicken dishes. There are thousands of recipes and versions, and I think the real reason that I'm so in love with barbecue sauce is that it can pose a challenge for a professional recipe developer.

Almost any fruit, seasoning or condiment can be made into a barbecue sauce and I'm curious to hear about the "secret" unusual ingredient Slashfoodies use in their favorite versions. I've made barbecue sauces with grapefruit, blueberry and chocolate, but I've heard of many other renditions that sound tasty and fun -- like mango, orange, pomegranate honey, dried cherry and a white variety, just to name a few.

Get Jennifer's Spicy Apricot Barbecue Sauce recipe after the jump.

Normally, macarons are like the one above, colorful, light, and full of sweetness. But what if it wasn't?

The world has seen chocolate on chicken and bacon cookies, so why not Ketchup Macarons? It's almost natural -- tomatoes are fruit too, yet they never get the cookie love. Just replace that center above with the spice of ketchup.

David Lebovitz recently whipped up a batch of Pierre Hermé's ketchup macarons, noting the perception in Europe that Americans put ketchup on everything. I can't say I blame them for that assessment (sandwiches, eggs, fries, meat, you name it). But making it into a cookie... That's something I want to taste for myself.

And speaking of unique cookie flavors: What's the most unique cookie flavor you've ever tasted?

[via Serious Eats]

While on weekend food safari (scored: manchego, kraeme kase, smoked mozzarella, soppresata, genoa salami and muffaletta for Oscars antipasti), I was reminded that there is nothing like a Manhattan supermarket. If you only experience the city through media, you might never think that urban superpeople on the move need to buy groceries, so somehow it's touching to be among us when we do. For those who've never had the pleasure: picture a supermarket where there's barely room to maneuver yourself, let alone a cart, and then picture that space full of lifers piloting push-carts filled with whatever can be stored in tiny kitchenettes.

Another secret of urban foraging is the Roland Corporation, a New York City-based food importer whose offerings grace my cupboards in every format from tinned anchovies for Caesar salad to fragrant pumpkinseed oil for the accompanying pasta. Someone at Roland knows me and my kind: we orthodox mustardphiliacs cannot enter a space where condiments are vended without investigating what treats the mustard aisle is offering. And that's how, in a Chelsea Gristedes, I discovered Roland Tarragon Mustard.

Ah, the rich velvety taste of hazelnuts and chocolate! What started as a small Italian company, from the 1940s, has become a world sensation. Indeed, yesterday blogs around the world celebrated World Nutella Day. Based on Piedmontese Gianduja, a chocolate containing about 50 percent almond and hazelnut paste, Nutella was created by Pietro Ferrero in his small patisserie in Alba.

World Nutella Day falls just before Valentine's Day, just in time for people to purchase a bottle and concoct a delicious Nutella-based cake. In fact, World Nutella Day even has it's own website with recipes that range from breads, cakes, and ice creams to savory dishes, like pizza. It turns out that you can have a three course meal with nutella! Check out some of our favorite recipes below:

• Banana and Nutella Crepe
• Butternut Squash Ravioli with Nutella Sauce
• Creme au Nutella and Macarons - This gorgeously seductive dessert is certain to increase your taste for love this Valentine's Day.
  
• Super Simple Nutella Ice Cream
• Nutella Champagne Shooter - Okay, the title of this recipe is misleading. This is an exquisite cocktail made with chocolate and hazelnut liqueurs, and a sparkle of Champagne (no Nutella). It's more of a tribute to Nutella worthy of making the list.
• Nutella Espreso
• Coffee Macarons with Nutella Cream
• Nutella Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
• Creamy Nutella Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache and Toasted Hazelnuts
• Cinnamon Nutella Cake

There are also a whole bunch of delicious nutella-based treats in our Flickr pool. What are some of your favorites?