Demi-glace is a highly flavored sauce that’s derived from French cuisine. The French word “glace” describes a sauce as an icing or glaze. Thus, a demi-glace is a base or ingredient used during culinary preparations.
How to Prepare Demi-Glace
The traditional preparation of demi-glace involves a combination of brown stock and Espagnole sauce.
Preparing the Brown Stock
Simmer roasted bones with aromatic vegetables such as carrots, onions, and herbs to prepare a brown stock. This will help to extract collagen and gelatin from the bones, to give a rich and flavored stock.
Bear in mind that the brown stock is prepared first because it’s an essential ingredient in preparing the Espagnole sauce.
Preparing Espagnole Sauce
Mix your stored brown stock with brown mirepoix (diced onions, carrots, and celery), tomato paste, and a brown roux (mixture of fat and flour).
Use Cases of Demi-Glace
Demi-glace can be a foundation for mushrooms, red wine, or bordelaise sauces. They can also be used as a finishing sauce or drizzled over roasted meats or steaks to give a glossy appearance.
Common Varieties of Demi-Glace
As mentioned earlier, demi-glace is now being employed in several cooking preparations. This led to variations and regional adaptations of different methods.
- Classic demi-glace: The classic variation is made by combining Espagnole sauce and brown stock in equal parts and reducing them together.
- Just lie: This involves thickening rich meat with a small amount of cornstarch or flour. This will give you a similar flavor of demi-glace and can be achieved within a short period.
- Veal demi-glace: Instead of combining beef and veal bones in the brown stock, veal demi-glace is made exclusively with veal bones. It is ideal for lighter dishes than the traditional demi-glace because it gives a mild and delicate flavor.
- Chicken demi-glace: This variation uses chicken bones and stock instead of beef or veal. It also pairs well with chicken dishes and lighter meats.
- Red wine demi-glace: Red wine is added during the preparation to give additional depth and complexity. This contributes to fruity and tannic notes, creating a sauce that pairs well with red meat dishes.
- Mushroom demi-glace: Mushroom demi-glace incorporates sautéed mushrooms, such as porcini or cremini, into the reduction process. This adds an earthy and umami flavor to the sauce, making it ideal for vegetarian or mushroom-based dishes.
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Considering the effort involved in cooking a demi-glace, many chefs often use a substitute or mixed concentrates. However, this will require quality cooking skills to achieve similar results without deviating from the natural flavor of the demi-glace. Conversely, you can visit Mare Oyster Bar for the best seafood and meat. Make a reservation today for the best-tasting seafood in the city of Boston!