Rouxbe

I really like the Rouxbe recipe for rich chicken stock. I like to take it one step further. Instead of simmering on the cooktop for six hours, I put the stockpot into a 250-degree oven, often overnight. It's happy in there, unmolested by direct flame, and all of the goodness of the ingredients is distilled into liquid bliss. Try this with the tomatoes from your garden - use the same technique, but once the tomatoes are boiling on the flame, put the stock pot in the oven and let it barely bubble at 200-250 degrees for several days. Check it after the second day because it can caramelize as it is reduced, and it becomes the perfect flavor base for classic Mexican cuisine! Once your perfect tomato paste is cool, you can line muffin tins with Saran wrap and fill with gems of tomato, freeze, store in freezer bags, and in the middle of next year's worst blizzard you can add the fresh taste of High Summer to any dish.