Demiglace Substitute Food

DEMI-GLACE

Steps:

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

BEEF GLACE DE VIANDE (OFTEN INCORRECTLY CALLED DEMIGLACE)

Steps:

• You may have to ask the butcher to order these for you if he doesn't stock them.
• At the very least, he will probably have them in back, and you will have to ask for them; they won’t be in the display case.
• Place rack in middle of oven, and preheat broiler on high or preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
• Lightly rub the marrow bones with olive oil, and place in a roasting pan.
• Place in oven, and broil or roast until nicely browned on all sides, turning regularly, and watching closely so they do not burn.
• Remove from oven, and pour any grease and olive oil from roasting pan into a large (at least 12 quart) stock pot, adding more olive oil as needed, and setting bones aside.
• Heat pot over high heat, add all of the vegetables, except the tomatoes and parsley, and cook until surfaces are browned and charred in places.
• Add tomatoes, and cook a couple minutes longer.
• Transfer veggies to pan with bones.
• Add a little more olive oil to pot if necessary, and brown the pieces of roast on all sides.
• Add the bones and veggies to the pot, and fill three-quarters full with cold water.
• Heat the roasting pan on the stovetop, and add a couple cups of white wine or water to deglaze, scraping up all browned bits on the bottom of the pan, and add this to the stock pot.
• Add the parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns to the pot, and bring to a slow boil, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface.
• Add more water to bring level to 1" from top of pot, and return to a boil.
• Partially cover, if desired, and adjust heat so stock stays at an active simmer or very slow boil (should be bubbling lightly).
• Simmer for at least 24 hours, adding more water every couple of hours as needed.
• While sleeping, just reduce the heat slightly, cover completely, and go to bed; top up with water, increase heat, and return to a boil in the morning.
• When done cooking, skim as much grease as possible from surface, and strain the broth into another container, pressing gently on the solids to extract as much stock as possible.
• Discard solids.
• Scrub pot well, and return to stovetop.
• Degrease stock as completely as possible, and return to the pot.
• You should have 4-5 quarts of stock at this point.
• Bring to a full rolling boil, and reduce by about 90% (yes, until only 2-2½ cups of thick syrup or paste remains).
• You only have to pay close attention to the reducing stock for about the last 15-20 minutes to ensure the pot doesn’t burn dry.
• Allow to cool to room temperature, and transfer to a 1 quart Ziploc plastic bag.
• Squeeze out all air, seal, and press to flatten.
• Refrigerate until solidified, then freeze until needed.
• To Use: Use in any recipe that calls for glace de viande or just a small amount of demiglace (which is probably calling for demiglace in error; they really mean glace de viande).
• If the recipe calls for more than a couple tablespoons of demiglace, it probably really means demiglace.
• Glace de viande can also be used to enrich any gravy or sauce, by just stirring in 1-2 Tbsp.
• Just cut or break off a small chunk of the frozen glace de viande, and stir it into the sauce.
• Just remember, this stuff is potent, equivalent to 10 times the amount of rich stock as the amount of glace de viande being used (1 Tbsp glace de viande= about 5 fl oz stock).

DEMI-GLACE OR SEMI-DEMI-GLACE (SIMPLE REDUCTION AND 2 CHEATS)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring stock to a boil.
• Turn heat down to the lowest heat setting and allow to simmer for several hours until stock has reduced to 1-2 cups (remove any scum that rises to the surface as it simmers).
• It has reduced to demi-glace if it thoroughly coats the back of the spoon.
• *It's not as good as the homemade stock, but a good quality canned beef consommé can be used as a shortcut substitution. Reduce by half in the same way.
• **In a real pinch 2 teaspoons beef base can be dissolved in 2 tablespoons red wine as a substitute for demi-glace.