To make demi-glace at home, you will need to start by making an espagnole sauce, a French mother sauce made with beef or veal stock. If you happen to have some espagnole sauce in your fridge or freezer, you’ll be ahead of the game. To make a demi-glace sauce, you simply combine equal parts espagnole and beef stock with aromatics and simmer until it reduces by half. That’s all there is to it!
Tips for Making Demi-Glace
Like espagnole sauce, the flavor of demi-glace depends upon the quality of the stock you use.
Unfortunately, most store-bought beef stock doesn’t have much flavor. If you’re only option is a store-bought stock you can build the 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 stock. Toss in a pinch of dried thyme and a bay leaf. Stir in 1/2 cup red or white wine, and a teaspoon of tomato paste. Simmer the mixture for 20 to 30 minutes Strain and taste. Don’t add salt to the stock. If you do, it will make the demi-glace sauce to salty.
Although demi-glace is usually made with beef or veal stock, you could also use homemade chicken stock to make the sauce. Since you will mostly use demi-glace in other preparations, only add salt to the finished sauce (I know I already said this, but it bears repeating.)
How Do You Use Demi-Glace?
By itself, demi-glace can be spooned over meat or poultry, but its main function is to enhance other sauces, soups or stews.
Stir it into a pan sauce for an extra boost of flavor. 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 combine it with mustard to serve with a crispy roast chicken. Give a mushroom pasta dish some punch by stirring in a spoonful of demi-glace.
How Do You Store Demi-Glace?
Demi-glace will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days, but it’s best to store it in the freezer in ice-cube size portions. Pour it into an ice cube tray and once it is frozen, transfer it to a double plastic freezer bag. It will keep for up to 6 months. When you need an extra punch of flavor in your recipe, just add a cube of demi-glace to the sauce or stock.
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