Originally Posted By douglasmorris99:

I Love spinach, love to tease the wife and kids, grandkids about how much I relish eating fresh sauted spinach..excellent source of fiber and vitamens...good for her@@

Originally Posted By douglasmorris99:
sorry I didnt quote the question with the breif answer..those frozen mac and chees micro wave or can be held at temp in those crock pots and portioned out as desired and once cooled down,

tossed in the refer for the next weekend, then TOSS...only reheat once..

I can assume your vacuum seal bags of home made stuff will work the same, it's a perfect way to control yeild and keep sanitary and consistant with out drying it out. OR make big batches in that roasting oven and when it's gone it's gone..



let me know what you decide, curious..

CHEF

Originally Posted By douglasmorris99:



excellent,,I have a response somewhere here about Being a Chef..how old is the young future Maestro?

Originally Posted By TheWind:


She is 12, thinking about being a lawyer, but cooking is a better skill

Originally Posted By MEDIKEIGHTED:


belated +1!

Originally Posted By douglasmorris99:

thank you
I will get to your pork question a bit later today...

Originally Posted By Harvster:





Thank you sir.  I'll provide a report after the event.


 

Originally Posted By Harvster:
So here is what I did.  First the recipe that I sort of made up based on reading through a lot of different recipes and some taste testing from my kids:

1 stick salted butter
1/2 cup flour

heated this in a 4qt pot and made a roux.
then I added

3 cups whole milk
1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 and 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
4 tbs cheddar cheese powder (the kids said it was not yellow enough or cheesy tasting enough and this did the trick)

This was cooked until almost a boil and it thickened nicely.  The pot was removed from the heat and then the cheese was added

1 pound grated sharp cheddar
10 slices of American cheese

While I was making the above cheese sauce I was boiling 2 pounds of elbow macaroni.
when the macaroni was finished and drained, I dumped in the cheese sauce and stirred.

After testing a batch with heating for 8 hours and refrigerating and heating I found I had a very stable cheese sauce that never separated.  An occasional splash of whole milk was needed  after reheating or during extended stay in a crock pot to keep it creamy.

To keep it for the concession stand I prepared several batches a couple days ahead of time  and vacuum packed them in 12x16 inch bags.  I  kept these bags in the fridge at home and then in a cooler at the gym.  When I needed more mac and cheese I simply reheated in the bag in a microwave for a few minutes and then added it to a crock pot.  I sold about 15 pounds and people seemed to enjoy it.  

   

Originally Posted By douglasmorris99:



pork loin, while by all appearances doesn't need any added fat, takes to larding very well..small deep pockets with bacon fat forced into them helps solve
some of the dryness issue, pan searing before placing in the oven and remembering to be sure the center doesn't exceed 145 Degrees,(recommendation lowered May 2012, though Chefs have known it for years)  Ye Gods I hate quoting the NY Times  ..

I also add a can of cola or ginger ale or doctor Pepper to the pan for the seared roast before placing in the oven, the flavored steam helps and effects some additional taste
to what can be a bland center cut. Soy and Pineapple juice work well,  as does 7up with honey and cinnamon...

hope that helps
CHEF

Originally Posted By MEDIKEIGHTED:


i think i'll try some pineapple juice, soy, and brown sugar when i reheat it tonight and then wrapping the next one in bacon and add the juice to it as well.  thanks very much!

Originally Posted By douglasmorris99:



pineapple juice, soy, and brown sugar thickened with corn starch.. let the thinly sliced pork lay into the simmering sauce for a few minutes to heat up and then serve the sauce on the side..

Originally Posted By MEDIKEIGHTED:


we're very much in the ballpark, errors on my part kept it from being a home run, but still a solid triple.

this afternoon i mixed up:
4-5 oz pineapple juice
1/2 C brown sugar (too much, more on that to come)
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4  tsp garlic powder (should have left it out)

then sliced the loin and let it marinate in the fridge.  I thought about sticking it in the oven, but ended up with it in a pot on the stove steaming/braising to warm up.  Didn't have any corn starch, so I reduced the liquid down to a syrupy consistency after the meat was warmed.  Taste was good, but not quite where I wanted it - I was thinking Polynesian, but using too much brown sugar and adding the garlic powder took it too far and it ended up tasting Chinese to me.  It might turn out to be a good sauce for wings or grilled chicken, too.  Thanks for the assistance!

served with Zatarain's long grain and wild rice and corn.

<a href="http://s147.photobucket.com/user/lamedic1/media/Dinner%20Pics/100_0987.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r319/lamedic1/Dinner%20Pics/100_0987.jpg</a>

Originally Posted By douglasmorris99:
spices seem a bit light for 5# of solids and of course salt and pepper being cooked in while the soup simmers. how Light was your beef stock, bland pumpkin and tomato puree will wash out that beef flavor you were looking for.Both those ingredients are super bland and Pumpkin, like potatos will absorb salt and seasonings and break them down PDQ...



thats my dos centavos as I am BEAT from big town show set up and driving in hell frozen over...



best!



Chef

Originally Posted By watercat:

Not to distract from your newest question, but this worked great. Thank you!
 

Originally Posted By douglasmorris99:



are you pre breading and letting it sit breaded?

Originally Posted By Wight_Hat:


I bread one batch as one is cooking.  Each batch sits for five minutes or so accounting for the time it takes to actually get the meat breaded.

Originally Posted By douglasmorris99:
{lawyer talk}making caramel can be a difficult task and can be dangerous as melted sugar burns like a biotch.{lawyer talk over}..



Carmel sauce





1/4 cup sugar

4 oz butter

3/4 cup cream, room-temperature or warmed





(1/4 cup water for use in wet method only shown below)





The cream and the butter should be measured out, sitting next to the pan and ready to be added. Making caramel sauce is a fast process; if you are wasting time looking for ingredients when your sugar is burning, your not going to end up with caramel sauce you'll want to eat.



Combine the butter and sugar. On medium-low heat, add the butter and sugar to a heavy-bottomed, 2- or 3-quart saucepan.. •Do not stir the sugar and butter as it dissolves. If you need to, swirl the mixture gently to combine the ingredients, but not much. You want the caramelization to start from the bottom and let it work its way up.



Heat the mixture. Leave the sugar and butter mixture on medium-low for 5 to 8 minutes. Keep an eye on the caramel sauce. Swirl the mixture if necessary to prevent burning, but do not stir. If you find that you end up burning some of the sugar before the rest of it is melted, the next time you attempt your caramel sauce, add a half cup of water to the sugar at the beginning of the process. This is called a "wet" caramel sauce.

The wet caramel sauce will help the sugar to cook more evenly, although it will take longer to cook—the water will need to evaporate before the sugar will begin to caramelize



.Check the color. After 5 to 8 minutes, the mixture should turn a light brown. You should still see small bunches of sugar crystals which have not yet crystallized. •If sugar crystals start forming on the sides of the pan, use a brush to wipe them back down into the mixture.



Keep the sauce on medium-low. Continue cooking until the remaining crystals caramelize and bubbles start to form. The color should be deep auburn. This could take two minutes, or it could take another five. This is the time to really guard against burning. You don't want to leave the sauce unattended at this point.

If you're worried about the sauce burning, you can turn the heat down to low. It's better to take a little longer cooking, than to hurry the process and burn the caramel.

Keep resisting the urge to stir. Swirl if you need to, but don't stir yet!



Remove the pan from the burner. After all the sugar crystals have caramelized, take the pot off the burner, and mix in the cream a little at a time. Now is the time when you can finally use a whisk to stir. Mix in the cream in small batches and stir vigorously. The mixture will foam up and grow in volume.

As you mix in the rest of the cream, the sauce will turn a darker color. The sauce will keep on bubbling as the cream gets incorporated into the sugar and butter.





Strain the mixture. Pour the caramel into a heat-resistant bowl or jar, through a strainer. Any un-caramelized crystals left will not make it into the final mixture.

Let the sauce sit to cool to room temperature.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Warm it up before serving.
Wet Caramel Preparation





Gather your ingredients. In a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, combine sugar and water. Turn heat on high and wait for mixture to start boiling, stirring constantly. •When the mixture comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low, and stop stirring completely.

Allow mixture to boil undisturbed until it turns a deep amber. It should look like the color of dark beer.



Remove the sauce from the heat. Mix in the butter into the sauce, then slowly and carefully pour the cream into the caramel, stirring regularly. Careful: the sauce will bubble up furiously! Scrape the thick parts that settle on the bottom. If lumps develop, put the pan on the heat again, and stir until the lumps dissolve.



Get it to a nice, viscous consistency. The mixture should be uniform after cooling slightly and stirring. Strain into a heat-resistant bowl or jar and wait until caramel sauce is cool enough to serve.