Product Review - Tyler Florence - Classic Pot Roast Sauce

The fall happens to be my favorite time of the year....I love the colors, the weather, the holidays AND the food!  Don't get me wrong.....I'm almost as exited in the spring with the anticipation of the warmer weather, beautiful flowers and the fresh vegetables to come!  But there's something about the fall that just makes me a little bit more excited.  I love cooking rich soups and thick stews.....and this is just the weather for it!

I was at the grocery store on Friday and found a beautiful, marbled roast beef and thought, "It's not quite cool enough.....but I can crank up the AC!!!".  I threw it in the basket....then headed down the aisle to get my fave french onion soup mix (Mom's recipe....we've all had it!), and I saw on the shelf the name "Tyler Florence".  If you know me, you know that he is one of my favorite chefs.  If I'm planning to cook something, I always check out "Tyler's Ultimate" to see if he has made that dish before I move on. 

So I grabbed the jar.....and it was Tyler Florence's Classic Pot Roast Sauce......

...I had to have it....and it would be perfect for that roast already in my basket.  But then I'm just not a fan of ready made sauces....I really prefer to make them from scratch (although I've been known to buy ready made spaghetti sauce....and I have my fave....a different post!), but roast beef sauce?  Oh well, it has his name on it....I'll try it!

I let Dennis taste it and he liked it, although I wasn't so sure.  It didn't taste bad, but it did seem to have that "ready made" taste to it......oh well, I paid a pretty penny for it, I was going to use it....even it it ruined my beautiful, well marbled roast beef.

So, I salted and peppered one side of the meat, while heating olive oil in my Dutch oven....

...threw it in the pan, salt side down, then salted and peppered the other side.

I was looking for a really good sear because I knew that would definitely help this sauce to shine....

Yea....that's what I'm talking about!!  Once both sides had a good crust on them, I pour the sauce over the meat, as directed on the bottle.

Ummm......make sure you stand back...and pour slowly.....

Yep....spot cleaner required! 

As per the instructions on the bottle of sauce: "Add sauce, cover, turn temp down low; enjoy amazing aromas while it cooks."  OK....I'll do that!  While it cooked I went down to visit with a neighbor and when we came back......yep....the aromas were amazing!  I was starting to have hope that this was going to be delicious after all!

The meat was starting to get quite tender, so I added my vegetables....

....carrots, onions and two week old celery.  Yes, you heard that right!  My celery had been in my refrigerator for two weeks!  And no, it wasn't limp....it was just as crisp as the day I put it in the fridge!  How you say?  Well, wrap your celery in aluminum foil!

My neighbor, Carol, lives alone and there are only two in our household, so we sometimes buy something and split it.....and two weeks ago she handed me half of some celery she had bought...and it was wrapped in aluminum foil!!  She explained that it would last much longer....and she was right!  These are the kinds of tips you get when you talk about food all of the time!

Now back to the pot roast......was it at delicious as a sauce by Tyler Florence might promise?  Yes....it was awesome....rich and thick.....and NO pre-made taste.  It tasted as delicious and rich as Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon.  Would I buy it again?  Probably.....although it is a little pricey, it is delicious!

Although what I will probably do more often is try to duplicate his sauce.....the front of the bottle says, "Earthy Porcini Mushrooms Take Pot Roast To A Whole New Level"......so the next time I make pot roast, I'll add porcini mushrooms.  I'll let you know how it turns out!

Do you have a favorite pre-made sauce?