Make ahead cream sauce for fish/chicken

[JustJoel]

I’ve got a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup (way off brand!) onions, garlic, milk, heavy cream, better than bullion less-salt chicken broth, and I think, white wine vinegar. I’d like to make a “make-ahead” creamy sauce that will go well with either chicken or fish (salmon) on pasta (spaghetti). I welcome any and all suggestions.

 

[JustJoel]

I’ve got a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup (way off brand!) onions, garlic, milk, heavy cream, better than bullion less-salt chicken broth, and I think, white wine vinegar. I’d like to make a “make-ahead” creamy sauce that will go well with either chicken or fish (salmon) on pasta (spaghetti). I welcome any and all suggestions.

I do, of course have olive oil, butter, and a little flour. I could, I suppose just make a bechamel our veloute, then season it when I make the pasta...

 

[jennyema]

Throw away the soup and make a ala minute veloute sauce. There's really no benefit to making it ahead of time. Unless you are talking about an hour or so ahead.

 

[taxlady]

Throw away the soup and make a ala minute veloute sauce. There's really no benefit to making it ahead of time. Unless you are talking about an hour or so ahead.

^^This

 

[JustJoel]

The thing is, we’re eating a lot of pasta, and I don’t want to fool around making a sauce every time I want some. I’d like to make enough for, say four meals, jar it, and refrigerate it. So there’s that benefit to making it ahead.

 

[Andy M.]

Dilute the canned soup with some broth and season it as you like. It will keep in the fridge for a few days. Not sure how it will freeze.

You can sauté some shallots, garlic and mushrooms and mix them in. Add some thyme.

 

[JustJoel]

I think I’m gonna go with the veloute. Provençal, which, for those of you unfamiliar with it, means that it’s made with olive oil instead of butter. According to several sources, it’ll keep for four or five days in the fridge.

Thanks for your input! Still taking suggestions!

 

[taxlady]

What about just making a big batch of the light roux ahead of time. That way it wouldn't be much effort to make the sauce. Roux keeps well in the fridge for weeks.

 

[caseydog]

The thing is, we’re eating a lot of pasta, and I don’t want to fool around making a sauce every time I want some. I’d like to make enough for, say four meals, jar it, and refrigerate it. So there’s that benefit to making it ahead.

Okay, so what your are really looking for is a pasta sauce that will work with fish or chicken, right? With fish, I don't do heavy sauces, like I would with chicken. Two entirely different things, to me.

Béchamel, or roux, can be made in advance, and made into a number of sauces later. I have never frozen it, but I'm pretty sure it would work.

I think it is a matter of finding that balance between made in advance and made at the moment that you should look for. If you knock out the time-consuming and difficult stuff in advance, and add the easy stuff when you go to cook a meal, you will get the best of fast and fresh.

Roux is time consuming. If you can make it some day when you don't have much to do, and keep it for finishing dishes later, that seems like a great solution.

Experiment, and share with us what you learn. That's what this forum is all about, IMO.

CD

 

[JustJoel]

What about just making a big batch of the light roux ahead of time. That way it wouldn't be much effort to make the sauce. Roux keeps well in the fridge for weeks.

That’s a good idea! Thanks!

 

[JustJoel]

Okay, so what your are really looking for is a pasta sauce that will work with fish or chicken, right? With fish, I don't do heavy sauces, like I would with chicken. Two entirely different things, to me.

Béchamel, or roux, can be made in advance, and made into a number of sauces later. I have never frozen it, but I'm pretty sure it would work.

I think it is a matter of finding that balance between made in advance and made at the moment that you should look for. If you knock out the time-consuming and difficult stuff in advance, and add the easy stuff when you go to cook a meal, you will get the best of fast and fresh.

Roux is time consuming. If you can make it some day when you don't have much to do, and keep it for finishing dishes later, that seems like a great solution.

Experiment, and share with us what you learn. That's what this forum is all about, IMO.

CD

Blonde or white roux for a bechamel or veloute sauce takes all of two minutes!

 

[JustJoel]

Okay, so what your are really looking for is a pasta sauce that will work with fish or chicken, right? With fish, I don't do heavy sauces, like I would with chicken. Two entirely different things, to me.

Béchamel, or roux, can be made in advance, and made into a number of sauces later. I have never frozen it, but I'm pretty sure it would work.

I think it is a matter of finding that balance between made in advance and made at the moment that you should look for. If you knock out the time-consuming and difficult stuff in advance, and add the easy stuff when you go to cook a meal, you will get the best of fast and fresh.

Roux is time consuming. If you can make it some day when you don't have much to do, and keep it for finishing dishes later, that seems like a great solution.

Experiment, and share with us what you learn. That's what this forum is all about, IMO.

CD

I did make about 2 1/2 cups of veloute, and used about half of it to make dinner, which came out perfectly! I made a lovely lemon and basil sauce that went really well with the chicken Mark wanted, and it was very good with the salmon I had, both served on spaghetti. The sauce was just thick enough to coat the pasta perfectly, and didn’t cover up the flavor of the chicken or the fish. Maybe I oughtta sell my recipe to the airlines, lol!