Demi-Glace, the Rich Brown Stock of French Cooking

Homemade demi-glace: roasted bones, vegetables, and wine reduced slowly into a glossy, intense brown stock, the base for the great meat sauces.

Demi-Glace, the Rich Brown Stock of French Cooking
Prep
20 min
Cook
3 h
Total
3 h 20 min
Servings
6 servings
Calories
60 kcal
Category
Basics & Sauces
Cuisine
French

Looking for demi-glace, that glossy, deep brown stock that turns a simple slice of meat into a restaurant dish? Then follow this recipe: it takes patience and a long simmer, but the result is the most noble base of French cooking.

Demi-glace is a concentrated brown stock, made by roasting bones and vegetables and reducing the liquid until it turns syrupy and velvety. It’s the secret behind the great meat sauces, the ones that coat the spoon and bind roasts, braises, and steaks.

It has at least three real advantages: it gives depth to any meat main course, it makes good use of inexpensive bones and trimmings, and once it’s ready it keeps for a long time. A single spoonful is enough to flavor a whole sauce.

The most important tip involves two moves: brown the bones and vegetables well, since that browning is what gives color and flavor, and then reduce calmly. The final reduction is what makes the demi-glace thick and glossy, so go slowly and taste often. Salt only at the end, once the stock is already concentrated.

It freezes beautifully: pour it into ice cube trays and you’ll have cubes of flavor ready to use.

Ready? Let’s make demi-glace.

To make this recipe

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Oven tray or baking dish

Perfect for baking meatballs and vegetables. Choose a non-stick tray for better results and easy cleaning.

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Steps

  1. Arrange the bones in a roasting tray and roast at 220°C (425°F) for about 40 minutes, until deeply browned: this browning is what gives the stock its color and flavor.
  2. Add the carrot, celery, and onion cut into pieces, along with the tomato paste, dust with the flour, and roast for another 15 minutes.
  3. Transfer everything to a large pot, deglazing the tray with the red wine to recover the caramelized juices on the bottom.
  4. Cover with the cold water, add the bay leaf, thyme, and pepper, bring to a bare simmer, and cook over very low heat for at least 2 to 3 hours, skimming now and then.
  5. Strain the stock, then return it to the heat and reduce it until it turns glossy and syrupy, able to coat the spoon. Adjust the salt only at the end.

Helpful tips

The more you brown the bones and vegetables, the darker and deeper the stock will be: don't rush this stage.

The final reduction is what makes the demi-glace thick and glossy: go slowly and taste often.

It freezes beautifully: pour it into ice cube trays and you'll have cubes of flavor ready to use.

Use it to bind and enrich the sauces for roasts, braises, and steaks.

Useful features

With meatMore challengingBoiledMid-range costCan be frozen

Average nutrition per serving

Calories
60 kcal
Carbohydrates
5.0 g
Sugars
2.0 g
Protein
4.0 g
Fat
2.0 g
Saturated fat
1.0 g
Fiber
0.0 g
Sodium
350 mg

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