Beef Demi-Glace (French Glace de Viande)

Demi-glace is actually any rich broth or broth that is reduced by half or three-quarters to enrich it, it is normally still a relatively thin liquid. Glace de viande is made the same way, but it is normally reduced by a factor of 8-10, has a thick syrupy or paste-like consistency, and is much richer. Glace de viande can sometimes be purchased, but is expensive, $30-40 per pint, and if you look at the list of ingredients, often has additives and other adulterants, which make it easier to make. This recipe is "the real thing", is easy to make, though time consuming, and much cheaper than the imitations you can buy. A little goes a long, long way, and it stores indefinitely in the freezer. Just knock off a couple Tbsp. and add to any sauce to flavour it.

5-6 lbs beef bones, leg bones, cut in 2-3" lengths
olive oil, as needed
3-4 lbs chuck roast, cut in large chunks
2-3 large onions, unpeeled, quartered
5-6 cloves garlic, unpeeled, lightly crushed
3-4 ribs celery, with leaves, cut in 2" pieces
3-4 large carrots, scrubbed and cut in 2"pieces
2 plum tomatoes, quartered
2 cups dry white wine or 2 cups water
1 bunch parsley stems or 1 bunch parsley if desired
4-6 large bay leaves
1 tsp. whole black peppercorn

You may have to ask the butcher to order these for you if he doesn't broth 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°F (260°C/240°C fan, Gas Mark 10).

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) broth 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 broth 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 broth 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.18When 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 broth as possible.

Discard solids. Scrub pot well, and return to stovetop. Degrease broth as completely as possible, and return to the pot.

You should have 4-5 qts of broth 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).24You only have to pay close attention to the reducing broth 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 demi-glace (which is probably calling for demi-glace in error, they really mean glace de viande).

If the recipe calls for more than a couple Tbsp. of demi-glace, it probably really means demi-glace.

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 broth as the amount of glace de viande being used (1 Tbsp. glace de viande = about 5 oz broth).