Demi-Glace (Brown Sauce)
(from tdwilli’s recipe box)
Demi-glace is another French sauce that every self-respecting restaurant keeps on hand. As an apprentice, I prepared it thousands of times for use in a variety of other sauces and dishes.
Also called brown sauce, demi-glace is traditionally prepared with what the French refer to as espagnole sauce (a mixture of brown stock, vegetables, brown roux, and tomatoes), brown stock, and Madeira or sherry. It’s simplified here to create a flavorful sauce you can keep on hand to add intense flavor to a number of dishes.
Source: Chef2Chef Food Service
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup chopped shallots
- 1 cup sliced white button mushrooms
- 3 Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups full-bodied red wine, such as Burgundy
- 7 cups beef stock
- 1/2 cup chopped leek
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Directions
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Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the shallots and sauti until translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Toss in the mushrooms and tomatoes and sauti until any liquid they release has evaporated.
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Stir in the tomato paste, then add 1 cup of the wine to deglaze, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer until almost dry, then deglaze with 1 more cup of the wine. Simmer until almost dry again.
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Add the remaining cup of wine, stock, leek and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
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In a medium bowl, knead together the flour and remaining butter to form a paste (beurre manii). Whisk this paste into the demi-glace and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sauce is smooth and velvety.
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Strain through a fine mesh sieve and cool the demi-glace in an ice bath. Pour into a jar or plastic container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.