The most concentrated form of veal jus, reduced until it sets like jelly on cooling. A spoonful of demi-glace lifts any sauce a level; it is the reason restaurant sauces taste different from those at home.
Demi-glace
Demi-glace
Demi-glace
Demi-glace
Method
01
Reduce the aromatics
Bring the wine to the boil with the shallot, thyme and bay leaf in a large pan and reduce to a syrupy residue of about two tablespoons.
02
Reduce
Add the veal jus and reduce over a moderate heat to roughly a quarter of the volume. Skim off the scum in between. Allow one and a half to two hours; don't force it over a high heat, or it will turn bitter.
03
Test
Dip a spoon in the sauce and draw a line across the back with your finger. If it stays, it is ready. A drop on a cold plate should set within a minute.
04
Strain and finish
Pass through a fine sieve, only now season with salt and, if you like, finish with cold butter for gloss.
Tips & notes
Demi-glace freezes very well. Pour it into ice-cube trays; one cube in a pan with browned bits, a splash of wine and a knob of butter becomes a complete sauce within five minutes. Never salt before reducing; the concentration does the rest.
Chef's tip
Demi-glace is the pivot between the stocks and all the brown sauces: practically every classic derivative, Robert, Madère, Périgueux, bordelaise, starts here.
Variations
- Sauce Madère – With Madeira wine, nutty and lightly sweet.
- Sauce Robert – With onion, white wine and mustard.
- Sauce Périgueux – With black truffle, for the most luxurious uses.
Contains:
Milk
Sulphites
Serve with
- Sweetbreads
- Veal oyster cut
- Ham
- Poultry liver
- Beef tenderloin
| Calories | 186 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 17 g |
| Fat | 6 g |
| Fibre | 0 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
