Demi-glace
The foundation of classical French cooking and one of the few things that genuinely cannot be hurried. Eight hours of simmering and two and a half of reduction turn four kilos of bones into barely a litre of dark, syrupy liquid that sets rubber-firm when chilled. One spoonful dissolved into a sauce does what no stock cube can — it gives depth, body and shine.
Your own work in that: 30 min.
- Roasting the bones 60 min
- Simmering 480 min
- Straining 30 min
- Reduction 150 min
- Chilling 180 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneRoast the bones deep brown
Heat the oven to 220°C. Spread the bones on a tray, drizzle with half the oil and roast 45 minutes, turning them halfway, until deep brown but not black. The colour of the bones is the colour of the finished demi-glace — pale ones give a grey, weak stock, burnt ones a bitterness nothing rescues.
Ingredients: 4000 g veal and beef bones · 3 pcs onions · 3 pcs carrots · 4 pcs celery · 1 pcs leek · 3 tbsp tomato paste · 3 tbsp oil
Deep brown, not black — this sets the sauce's colour.Roast the vegetables with tomato paste
Add the roughly chopped vegetables tossed in the rest of the oil and the tomato paste spread over the bones and roast a further 15 minutes. The paste caramelises on the tray and brings acidity and colour the bones alone do not have.
Ingredients: 4000 g veal and beef bones · 3 pcs onions · 3 pcs carrots · 4 pcs celery · 1 pcs leek · 3 tbsp tomato paste · 3 tbsp oil
Deglaze the tray with wine
Transfer everything to a large pot (at least 10 litres) and deglaze the tray with red wine on the hob, scraping up all the residue, then pour the wine into the pot. That residue is the most concentrated flavour in the recipe — left on the tray it would be a loss.
Ingredients: 6000 ml water · 500 ml red wine · 6 pcs thyme · 3 pcs bay leaves · 1 tbsp peppercorns · 1 bunch parsley · 1 pcs garlic
Simmer eight hours without boiling
Cover the bones with cold water, add the herbs and garlic and cook 8 hours with the surface barely trembling. Starting from cold water lets the proteins set slowly and rise as scum that is easy to skim, and boiling emulsifies the fat and clouds the stock irreversibly.
Ingredients: 6000 ml water · 500 ml red wine · 6 pcs thyme · 3 pcs bay leaves · 1 tbsp peppercorns · 1 bunch parsley · 1 pcs garlic
Never boiling — boiling clouds the stock for good.Skim fat and scum hourly
Skim the fat and scum off the surface with a slotted spoon every hour. Do not top up with water — the level is meant to fall, as that is part of the reduction. The finished stock should be about 3 litres.
Ingredients: 6000 ml water · 500 ml red wine · 6 pcs thyme · 3 pcs bay leaves · 1 tbsp peppercorns · 1 bunch parsley · 1 pcs garlic
Strain through muslin, do not press
Strain the stock through a sieve lined with four layers of muslin and do not press the bones or vegetables. Pressing forces particles through that cloud the stock — and clarity is half the effect in demi-glace.
Ingredients: 6000 ml water · 500 ml red wine · 6 pcs thyme · 3 pcs bay leaves · 1 tbsp peppercorns · 1 bunch parsley · 1 pcs garlic
Reduce to a quarter of the volume
Boil the strained stock in a wide pan for 2.5 hours, until reduced to about 800 ml. Lower the heat towards the end and watch it — at this stage scorching would destroy a day's work in two minutes.
Ingredients: 6000 ml water · 500 ml red wine · 6 pcs thyme · 3 pcs bay leaves · 1 tbsp peppercorns · 1 bunch parsley · 1 pcs garlic
The spatula leaves a trail on the base — reduction done.Chill and cut into cubes
Cool and refrigerate 3 hours. Demi-glace sets into a firm, rubbery jelly — the sign that the collagen has done its work. Cut into cubes and freeze. An ice-cube-tray cube (about 2 tablespoons) is worth roughly half a cup of strong stock.
Ingredients: 6000 ml water · 500 ml red wine · 6 pcs thyme · 3 pcs bay leaves · 1 tbsp peppercorns · 1 bunch parsley · 1 pcs garlic
Before you start
Veal bones are the key
Veal bones carry the most collagen and the least pronounced flavour, giving a neutral, universal base. Beef alone gives a distinctly beefy sauce that suits poultry and veal less well. Half and half is a safe compromise.
What to use it for
A spoonful of demi-glace turns the pan juices from a steak into a restaurant sauce. It also goes into bordelaise, madeira and pepper sauces and into braises. Cubes in the freezer are a store of flavour for a dozen or more sauces.
Six months in the freezer
Frozen cubes keep their quality for six months. In the fridge demi-glace lasts a week. Never salt it during production — reduced to a quarter, any salt becomes four times as pronounced.