Classical Demiglace Recipes

DEMI-GLACE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Pour the oil into a metal roasting pan and put it in the preheated oven for 3 to 5 minutes to heat up the pan and condition it with the oil. Spread the bones out on the roasting pan and cook until browned, 30 to 45 minutes, turning the bones occasionally so they brown evenly.
• Transfer the bones to a large-enough stockpot to accommodate the bones, 6 quarts ice water and more. Use tongs to transfer the bones so you do not pour any fat into the stockpot. Add the ice water to the stockpot and bring to a simmer. Allow the stock to cook for 4 hours at a slow simmer. Skim the surface of the stock occasionally to remove any fat or impurities.
• While the stock is simmering, discard all but about 1/4 cup of the fat from the roasting pan. Bring the pan back up to temperature over high heat on the stovetop. Add the onions and carrots and cook until golden brown and caramelized. Add the celery and cook for another 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf and cook, stirring regularly, until the tomato paste gets a brick red color, about 15 minutes. Add 1 cup of the red wine and stir it into the mirepoix (vegetable) mixture.
• Add the mirepoix mixture to the stock after the 4-hour simmering time. Bring the stock back up to a simmer and continue to cook it for another 2 hours.
• In a separate pot, bring the remaining 7 cups red wine to a boil and cook until reduced by half, 15 to 20 minutes.
• When the stock has simmered for 6 hours, strain it through a chinois and combine the strained stock with the reduced red wine. Bring the stock to a boil, lower the heat to a hard simmer and reduce the stock until it has a consistency that coats the back of spoon and is about 2 quarts (8 cups) in volume, up to 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper and then strain the sauce though a chinois again.

DEMI-GLACE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place veal bones in a roasting pan.
• Roast bones in the preheated oven until well-browned, about 75 minutes.
• While bones are roasting, drizzle oil onto a baking sheet. Spread onion, carrots, and celery onto baking sheet; spread tomato paste over the vegetables and mix to coat.
• Roast vegetable mixture in the preheated oven until vegetables are well-browned, about 45 minutes.
• Transfer vegetable mixture and bones to a large stockpot. Pour 10 quarts water into stockpot.
• Pour 2 cups water into the bones roasting pan, set the pan over high heat, and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Pour liquid into the stockpot with the bones.
• Bring bones, vegetables, and water in the stockpot to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently, skimming foam as necessary, until meat and all connective tissue is completely off the bones, about 18 hours.
• Set a colander over a bowl and ladle vegetables, bones, and meat into colander. Discard vegetables, bones, and meat; return any broth to the stockpot.
• Bring broth to a boil; cook at a boil until liquid reduces to approximately 1 gallon in volume, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Strain broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a large container set in an ice bath; chill to room temperature. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until demi-glace is cold and set, 8 hours to overnight.
• Scrape and discard any fat from the surface of set demi-glace. Turn demi-glace out onto a work surface. Cut into 16 blocks, wrap each block in plastic wrap, and place wrapped blocks in a resealable plastic bag. Store in the freezer.

CLASSICAL DEMIGLACE

Steps:

• Reduce the stock by 1/3.
• Add the sauce Espagnole and reduce until you're left with one quart.
• Strain the sauce through cheesecloth.

BEEF GLACE DE VIANDE (OFTEN INCORRECTLY CALLED DEMIGLACE)

Steps:

• You may have to ask the butcher to order these for you if he doesn't stock them.
• At the very least, he will probably have them in back, and you will have to ask for them; they won’t be in the display case.
• Place rack in middle of oven, and preheat broiler on high or preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
• Lightly rub the marrow bones with olive oil, and place in a roasting pan.
• Place in oven, and broil or roast until nicely browned on all sides, turning regularly, and watching closely so they do not burn.
• Remove from oven, and pour any grease and olive oil from roasting pan into a large (at least 12 quart) stock pot, adding more olive oil as needed, and setting bones aside.
• Heat pot over high heat, add all of the vegetables, except the tomatoes and parsley, and cook until surfaces are browned and charred in places.
• Add tomatoes, and cook a couple minutes longer.
• Transfer veggies to pan with bones.
• Add a little more olive oil to pot if necessary, and brown the pieces of roast on all sides.
• Add the bones and veggies to the pot, and fill three-quarters full with cold water.
• Heat the roasting pan on the stovetop, and add a couple cups of white wine or water to deglaze, scraping up all browned bits on the bottom of the pan, and add this to the stock pot.
• Add the parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns to the pot, and bring to a slow boil, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface.
• Add more water to bring level to 1" from top of pot, and return to a boil.
• Partially cover, if desired, and adjust heat so stock stays at an active simmer or very slow boil (should be bubbling lightly).
• Simmer for at least 24 hours, adding more water every couple of hours as needed.
• While sleeping, just reduce the heat slightly, cover completely, and go to bed; top up with water, increase heat, and return to a boil in the morning.
• When done cooking, skim as much grease as possible from surface, and strain the broth into another container, pressing gently on the solids to extract as much stock as possible.
• Discard solids.
• Scrub pot well, and return to stovetop.
• Degrease stock as completely as possible, and return to the pot.
• You should have 4-5 quarts of stock at this point.
• Bring to a full rolling boil, and reduce by about 90% (yes, until only 2-2½ cups of thick syrup or paste remains).
• You only have to pay close attention to the reducing stock for about the last 15-20 minutes to ensure the pot doesn’t burn dry.
• Allow to cool to room temperature, and transfer to a 1 quart Ziploc plastic bag.
• Squeeze out all air, seal, and press to flatten.
• Refrigerate until solidified, then freeze until needed.
• To Use: Use in any recipe that calls for glace de viande or just a small amount of demiglace (which is probably calling for demiglace in error; they really mean glace de viande).
• If the recipe calls for more than a couple tablespoons of demiglace, it probably really means demiglace.
• Glace de viande can also be used to enrich any gravy or sauce, by just stirring in 1-2 Tbsp.
• Just cut or break off a small chunk of the frozen glace de viande, and stir it into the sauce.
• Just remember, this stuff is potent, equivalent to 10 times the amount of rich stock as the amount of glace de viande being used (1 Tbsp glace de viande= about 5 fl oz stock).