Demi-Glace

Description

This is my technique for veal demi-glace, and there’s not much to it. I’m going for a pure veal stock reduction, fortified with nothing more than mirepoix and tomato. I don’t do the classic roux-based espagnole sauce, which is traditionally mixed with veal stock and reduced by half.

Ingredients

  • 10 pounds veal bones (joint and marrow bones)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3 onions, cut into eighths
  • 4 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 4 ribs celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
  • 10 quarts cold water
  • 2 cups cold water

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place veal bones in a roasting pan.
  2. Roast bones in the preheated oven until well-browned
  3. about 75 minutes.
  4. While bones are roasting
  5. drizzle oil onto a baking sheet. Spread onion
  6. carrots
  7. and celery onto baking sheet; spread tomato paste over the vegetables and mix to coat.
  8. Roast vegetable mixture in the preheated oven until vegetables are well-browned
  9. about 45 minutes.
  10. Transfer vegetable mixture and bones to a large stockpot. Pour 10 quarts water into stockpot.
  11. Pour 2 cups water into the bones roasting pan
  12. set the pan over high heat
  13. 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.
  14. Bring bones
  15. vegetables
  16. and water in the stockpot to a boil
  17. reduce heat to low
  18. and simmer gently
  19. skimming foam as necessary
  20. until meat and all connective tissue is completely off the bones
  21. about 18 hours.
  22. Set a colander over a bowl and ladle vegetables
  23. bones
  24. and meat into colander. Discard vegetables
  25. bones
  26. and meat; return any broth to the stockpot.
  27. Bring broth to a boil; cook at a boil until liquid reduces to approximately 1 gallon in volume
  28. 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  29. 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
  30. 8 hours to overnight.
  31. Scrape and discard any fat from the surface of set demi-glace. Turn demi-glace out onto a work surface. Cut into 16 blocks
  32. wrap each block in plastic wrap
  33. and place wrapped blocks in a resealable plastic bag. Store in the freezer.

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 19 hrs 45 mins

Total Time: 1 day

Servings: 36

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