Freezing More Than Just Entrees Like Deserts, Sauces, Soups
There’s a reason entrees are usually thought of first. They are the most expensive and time consuming item on the menu. Other dishes are called “first courses” “sides” “desserts” or , collectively, “accompaniments” because they are chosen to compliment the entree.
That doesn’t mean they don’t cost money, take time to prepare, leave leftovers and, when planning an event, aren’t a relief to have ready ahead. Fortunately, these recipes are portion specific, and result in less leftovers, because they don’t freeze well, but they are easily absorbed into other meals, either as intended, or as part of soups,casseroles, and egg dishes like frittatas and quiches.
Buying and preparing accompanying dishes ahead is another story. Soups, clear and those with a vegetable puree base, made from fresh or frozen, freeze very well, often needing only a stir and garnish to serve. Several months before an event, I begin to watch for sales on frozen or canned items I know I’ll need. I also take advantage of seasonal prices. I freeze the quart of chopped onion and celery I use in my Christmas turkey stuffing in September when prices are lower. One of my favorite ‘have ahead” is double baked potatoes. I buy a large bag, bake them, hollow and stuff them, then wrap each in plastic wrap and freeze them. All I have to do is unwrap and bake them for about 20mins. Last summer, I served them at a cook-out, and this winter, I served chilled cucumber soup. Both would have cost far more had I not made them months ahead. So with a little ingenuity and preplanning using the freezer can save time and money as well as offer fun choices.
Desserts are real freezer groupies. Cakes freeze in every stage from batter to leftovers. Batter should be packaged like entrees, in snug containers with a plastic wrap shield, but, honestly, cakes baked first have better volume. I like to ice them first too. It seems to protect the texture. I freeze the cake uncovered until the frosting is hard, then wrap it in plastic and put it in a box, or container, to prevent breakage. Cupcakes can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen in bags in rows. Good news for mothers of grade schoolers! I make my Yule log in November, freeze it until Christmas, then refreeze the leftovers for New Years Day, and it’s fine. Cakes keep frozen for 1-2 months and thaw at room temperature. This includes quick breads, fruit cakes and brownies.
Pastries, too, can be frozen raw or baked, but unlike cakes, I think they are flakier when baked just before serving. I make my own dough rounds, and freeze them between double layers of waxed paper, but there are really good ready made crusts available. The trick is to keep the crusts crisp and the fillings fresh, when preparing ahead. Fruit pies, tarts etc. can be filled and frozen but unbaked, they become soggy and baked, tend to be tough. The answer is to lightly cook the fruit with the ingredients listed in the recipe, usually some flour, or cornstarch, butter and sugar, until slightly thickened. Freeze it separately, thaw and fill the pie just before baking. Then proceed as directed. This also works with egg and vegetable fillings like pumpkin. Chiffon pastry fillings with whipped cream or egg whites and gelatin also freeze well in baked crusts for short periods, a week or so. Custard fillings don’t freeze.
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Flour based cookie dough of the consistency that can be rolled freezes well. Drop cookies with egg or other liquid bases don’t. Baked cookies keep so well that there’s no point in freezing them.
The “More”category reminds me of my Mother. Haunted by childhood memories of canning, she bought the biggest upright freezer she could find, and began a lifelong adventure. She always brought ingredients back from trips, and had lists of places to get others. She seemed to know how and what to freeze, before it became common practice. There were different kinds of flour and exotic coffee blends. She made layered ice cream molds with candied fruits and liqueurs, and fruit mousses to remind us of summer. She dried herbs or froze them in ice trays. I still freeze ginger root. It’s much easier to work with. Her blueberries were the best. She saved the 10oz boxes from frozen vegetables, lined them with waxed paper and single layered the berries by size, sprinkling each with a teaspoon of powdered sugar and separating the layers with waxed paper. Each box was wrapped in foil, then sealed in a plastic bag. At Christmas, they still looked and tasted fresh.
Like her, I freeze things I open and may not use again for awhile; tomato paste, spaghetti sauce, bread or rolls, some cheeses, broth and, of course, butter. She also froze extra lipsticks and spare batteries in glass jars. I know the lipsticks stayed fresh, and I never heard of a battery being dead so I guess both work. But hey, whatever does the job! The point is that the freezer can be a useful and economizing tool in planning ahead, in preventing waste and probably so much more, if you just push the envelope a bit and use your ingenuity.
Next: A Superbowl party, before and after–
