pasta/spaghetti sauce.....

you know, i was going to pick up some fresh basil or parsley. but as i was trying to decide i thought to myself that since i am going to be freezing this, i would rather add in fresh herbs the day-of, thought that would give it more of a pop.

I totally agree. Even though I'm not big on herbs in my marinara, apparently you are. That's something you can do to bring a little bit of life back into your previously frozen sauce.

All the best!

Chef Dan

Ok, I tried making a marinara using the gastrique to sweeten and add depth. I have to say I am a believer now. I have almost always got my sweetness from onion,carrot and celery so this was a bit of a departure for me. I was surprised to find out how much it brought out the brightness of our home processed tomatoes. While I was cooking down the vinegar and sugar for the gastrique, Anne came by and stuck her nose over the pan and took and good wiff. "Whoa! What the F@#$ are you making here...some kind of vinegar candy!?" was her response. Priceless.
Thanks for the idea. I will be exploring this concept further.

I'm going to be checking out this gastrique thing. Very interesting...

Chef Dan