These yummy sauces are truly versatile

I 've been hitting the sauces lately. Two, in particular.

The first is a combination of butter and blue cheese so obvious I wondered how in the world I could have missed it for so long. Shall I call it "blutter?"

When I was a kid, the sharp flavor of blue cheese was too intense for my palate. It wasn't until recently that my taste for it blossomed, when I tasted a burger stuffed with "blutter."

"Wow! I bet this would be equally good drizzled over the patty," I remember thinking.

So I tried it.

Velvety perfection, the sauce was good enough to drink. Yes, I know it's an entire day's worth of artery-clogging fat. Was it worth it? You betcha. Hey, it was all in the name of research.

Making it is simple. All you do is combine equal parts of blue cheese and butter and melt the mixture in a microwave. That's it; done. You can't screw it up.

My new sauce fix didn't stop with burgers, though. Shamelessly, I adorned my steaks with it and char-broiled beef under a slick of melted "blutter." It's utterly, "bluttery" divine.

I'm telling you, the combo of butter and blue cheese radically changes the character of anything it touches. I swear it could make cardboard taste good.

And so could mustard barbecue sauce. Full of robust flavor, I served it recently over a piece of salmon. By the end of the meal, we were pouring the barbecue sauce on everything we could find - rice, salad, bread, whatever - just to enjoy more of it. I could have licked the plate.

First, I made and divided the sauce, reserving half of it to pour over the salmon prior to serving. I dipped the salmon in the remaining sauce as a marinade to generously coat both sides. Then I arranged the fish in a shallow baking pan and baked at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the edges of the fish were nicely browned.

Using this sauce, I think I could become fond of liver and onions.

MUSTARD BARBECUE MARINADE, SAUCE

2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper, fresh
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons horseradish
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil

NOTE: All ingredients must be at room temperature before beginning.

In a food processor, mixer or blender, process all of the ingredients, except the oil, until combined. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil. The marinade will thicken. After all the oil is added, process for an another 30 seconds, then refrigerate until needed.

Makes one cup.

Adapted from "Savannah Seasons: Food and Stories from Elizabeth on 37th" by Elizabeth Terry with Alexis Terry