Demi-Glace
Espagnole and brown stock reduced by half — the workhorse brown sauce
Equal parts Espagnole and brown stock, reduced by half. More than half the classical brown sauces begin here rather than at Espagnole itself, so if you are going to make and freeze one brown sauce, make this.
It should be glossy enough to coat a spoon and set to a soft jelly when cold. That set is the gelatin from the bones, and it is how you know the stock was right.
Ingredients
- 1 quart Espagnole (see Espagnole)
- 1 quart brown stock
- 1/4 cup dry sherry or Madeira (optional)
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine the Espagnole and brown stock in a wide heavy pan and bring to a bare simmer.
- Reduce by half, 60 to 90 minutes, skimming the fat and scum from the surface every 15 minutes. A wide pan reduces faster and skims more easily than a tall one.
- When it coats the back of a spoon and leaves a clear line when you draw a finger through it, it is done.
- Stir in the sherry or Madeira if using, and simmer 2 minutes more.
- Strain through a fine sieve. Season with salt — carefully, since reduction concentrates whatever is already there.
Notes
- Freeze in an ice cube tray, then bag the cubes. Two or three melted into a pan sauce transforms it.
- Cold demi-glace should wobble. If it stays liquid, the stock lacked gelatin — use more bones next time.