Demi-glace is a rich brown sauce typically made with broth, espagnole sauce, a sachet of herbs, and a drizzle of dry sherry. Spoon over steak, duck breast, chops or to enhance other sauces.
Demiglace is a concentrated rich brown sauce that can be scooped over steaks, roast duck breasts or pork chops, or used as a base to enrich other sauces and soups. It can add an extra flavor boost to a braised meat sauce or stirred into a stew to give it a hearty richness.
To make demi-glace at home, you first need to make an espagnole sauce, which is a French mother sauce made from beef or veal stock. If you happen to have some Espagnole sauce in your fridge or freezer, you’re ahead of the game.
Tips for making demi-glace
Like espagnole sauce, the flavor of demi-glace depends on the quality of the broth used.
- Unfortunately, most store-bought beef broths don’t have much flavor. If your only option is a store-bought stock, you can build character and flavor by taking a few extra steps.
- Add 2 tablespoons of a combination of finely chopped onions, carrots, and celery to a quart of beef broth.
- Fold in a pinch of dried thyme and a bay leaf.
- Stir in 1/2 cup red or white wine and 1 teaspoon tomato paste.
- Let the mixture simmer for 20 to 30 minutes
- Strain and taste. Do not add salt to the broth. If you do this, the demi-glace sauce will be too salty.
Although demi-glace is usually made with beef or veal stock, you can also use homemade chicken stock for the sauce. Since most of the time you’ll be using demi-glace in other preparations, you only add salt to the finished sauce (I know I’ve said this before, but it needs to be repeated).
How do you use demi-glace?
- Stir it into a pan sauce for an extra flavor boost.
- To make a sauce for steak au poivre, reduce red wine, crushed peppercorns and demi-glace for a special steak dish.
- Add it to coq au vin or pair it with mustard to serve with a crispy roast chicken. Add some punch to a mushroom pasta dish by tossing in a spoonful of demi-glace.
How do you store demi-glace?
Demiglace will keep in the fridge for 5 days, but is best stored in ice cube-sized portions in the freezer. Pour into an ice cube tray and once frozen place in a double plastic freezer bag. It has a shelf life of up to 6 months.
If you want to add an extra dose of flavor to your recipe, simply add a cube of demi-glace to the sauce or broth.
More mother sauce recipes for you!
- Classic sauce tomato sauce
- Classic Espagnole sauce
- Classic velouté sauce
- Classic Beurre Blanc sauce
Classic demi-glace sauce
ingredients
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1 sprig of thyme
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4 sprigs of parsley
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1 bay leaf
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6 whole black peppercorns
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2 cups unsalted beef or veal stock, preferably homemade
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2 cups Espagnole sauce
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1 tablespoon dry sherry or to taste (optional)
special equipment
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string or cooking twine
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cheesecloth
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Fine mesh screen
method
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Make the Herb Bag:
Place the thyme, parsley stalks, bay leaf, and peppercorns in the center of a 6-inch cheesecloth. Gather the edges to form a pouch. Tie with a piece of string.
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Reduce broth and sauce:
In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the beef or veal stock and espagnole sauce. Add the herb bag. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced by half. You should end up with about 2 cups of sauce.
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Strain sauce:
Take out the herb bag. Place a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth over a medium bowl and strain the sauce.
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Season and storage:
If using it this way, season with salt to taste and add dry sherry. If you use it to make another sauce, don’t add salt. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or store in the freezer in small portions for up to 6 months.
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