Can this be frozen? Have a lot of tomatoes in my garden this summer. Also, would regular tomatoes work with the same treatment?

Sassafras
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No-Cook Tomato Sauce
Recipe question for: No-Cook Tomato Sauce

6 Comments

Emma L. July 17, 2018
Hello! I haven't tried freezing this, so I can't speak to how it would turn out. I know that some compote butters freeze well, but with the moisture content in this one, it's less clear. And regular tomatoes might work—but depending on the tomato, might add too much liquid. I'd make sure you get as much pulp out as possible, then add more butter to sight if the sauce doesn't come together into a cohesive emulsion. Hope that helps!
 
Ttrockwood July 16, 2018
I think you’re totally fine freezing the finished recipe for this. (And use that tomato pulp you have leftover for pan con tomate!)
With larger tomatoes i would do the marcella hazan sauce which is similar but cooked a bit to help concentrate the flavors, and it incorporates the pulp- i have made double batches and frozen it myself. Makes for a luxurious soup base come winter ;)
 
Smaug July 15, 2018
I really can't comment on this recipe, other than to say if you're going to do it, don't discard the pulp, it contains a wealth of flavor and is useful in all sorts of dishes. People nowadays tend to cook a lot with cherry tomatoes, I think it's mostly because if you're buying your tomatoes you have more chance of getting something somewhat ripe; they're actually awfully sweet for cooking purposes if garden ripened. You usually avoid freezing raw tomatoes because the tissues break down, but this is pureed so that shouldn't be an issue. You can freeze your tomatoes if you plan to cook with them later; it's not a bad way to go if you have a glut. A fresh tomato sauce in the winter can be a rare treat.
 
Sassafras July 15, 2018
Thank you! Just to clairify, are you suggesting freezing just the tomato, or the tomato compound butter? I have frozen butter in the past when I’ve over purchased. Not sure if the blend would work once thawed. I too buy mostly cherry tomatoes when I don’t have my own, much tastier than the shipped un-ripe grocery store regular ones.
 
Smaug July 15, 2018
I think freezing the butter would work; mostly I'm just saying that the usual reason for not freezing tomatoes wouldn't apply. But yes, I like to freeze whole tomatoes when I have enough. I usually cut them in half; to use put them in a pan (frozen or thawed) and bring to a simmer, then run through a food mill and they're ready to make your sauce.
 
Smaug July 15, 2018
To (I hope) clarify a bit; the acidity of the tomatoes is at best an uneasy companion for dairy; it's conceivable that there could be a curdling effect on thawing of this sauce. If you go that route, I'd try a sample batch before committing a lot of expensive butter and irreplaceable tomatoes to it. Or you could hang out here and hope that someone who's tried it comes along.
 
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