Let’s not pull any punches: Making demi-glace takes time. First you make a rich brown stock out of roasted beef bones (or roasted vegetables), which you’ll simmer for hours. From that, you’ll make the full-bodied Mother Sauce known as Sauce Espagnole (or simply Brown Sauce). Then (nope, we’re not done yet) you’ll combine equal parts rich brown stock (hopefully you have some left) and Sauce Espagnole and simmer the two together until the quantity is reduced by half. The result is demi-glace, a glossy, deep brown sauce, almost the color of chocolate, that is — and we don’t think we’re overstating things here — a magical savory elixir. While it’s not technically a Mother Sauce, demi-glace is the base for most of the European-style “small brown sauces” such as Bordelaise and Chasseur. But, you don’t have to feel obliged to stick to making classic brown sauces with it. Use a few tablespoons of demi-glace to enrich a soup or stew, punch up a pan sauce, make a stir fry more savory, or add a hauntingly meaty note to a pot of beans.
Click the image below to watch a short video.
Also try this vegetarian demi-glace that only takes 90 minutes to make! Click the image below to watch the video.
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