I learned how to make demi-glacé from the legend Anthony Bourdain. I followed his wonderfully written step-by-step instructions in his Les Halles Cookbook, and the results were excellent.

Demi-glace is one of the foundations of classic French cooking. Made by slowly reducing rich brown stock until its flavors become deeply concentrated, it adds remarkable depth, richness, and body to sauces, stews, braises, and even soups. Just a spoonful can transform an ordinary pan sauce into something that tastes like it came from a fine restaurant.

The Story:

I started off with the intention of making a beef stock and then in typical Anthony Bourdain fashion, he causally mentioned demi-glacé and talked about how you could make that with a “little” extra effort and I said well, I’ll just keep going and I followed his basic instructions and off we went.

Here’s how you prepare your beef stock. Go ahead and make a big batch, because the reduction to a demi glacé will reduce the quantity substantially.

Ultimate Guide to Beef Stock: Ingredients and Preparation

Traditionally, French demi-glace was made by combining espagnole sauce with brown stock and reducing it slowly. The method I use here follows the more modern restaurant approach I learned from Anthony Bourdain: a beautifully made brown stock reduced with wine and aromatics until it becomes intensely concentrated.

Once you’ve prepared your beef stock, you are ready to begin making your demi-glacé. You want to strain your stock thoroughly to get rid of all of your solids. All of those ingredients have given all they can and they won’t add anything else to the stock. Sometimes it takes multiple straining through cheese cloth and wire mesh strainers to get as clear a stock possible.

Helpful hint:

If you are out of cheese cloth, you can double up on the wire mesh strainers and get an acceptable result.

I find the best way to clarify your stock after straining is to put it into the fridge and let the impurities come to the top where they can easily be skimmed off. This is best done overnight and then the next day you’re ready to make demi-glacé.

Preparation:

Pour red wine into a heavy-bottomed stockpot, using roughly one part wine to every four parts brown beef stock. Add the chopped shallots and bring the wine to a brisk simmer over medium-high heat. Allow it to reduce by about half. This concentrates the wine’s flavor while cooking off most of the alcohol.

Once the wine has reduced, pour in the brown stock and bring it just to the point of a gentle simmer. This is one of the most important steps in making a proper demi-glace: never allow the stock to boil. A vigorous boil can cloud the sauce and produce a harsh flavor. Instead, maintain the gentlest simmer you can manage.

Now comes the hardest part—patience.

Allow the stock to reduce slowly over several hours, stirring occasionally, until it transforms into a deep mahogany-colored sauce with an intensely rich aroma. You’re looking for a sauce that lightly coats the back of a spoon. It should have body and richness, but it doesn’t need to be syrupy at this stage.

Think of this as your foundation rather than the finished product. This demi-glace will become the base for countless classic sauces. Later, you can reduce it further for a more concentrated glaze or enrich it with wine, herbs, mushrooms, peppercorns, mustard, or other ingredients depending on the dish you’re preparing.

When the demi-glace has reached the desired consistency, strain it once more through a fine-mesh sieve or several layers of cheesecloth to remove every trace of solids. The extra care you take here will reward you with a beautifully smooth, professional-looking sauce.

To cool the demi-glace safely, divide it into smaller containers and place them in an ice bath, stirring occasionally until completely chilled before refrigerating.

Storage

Demi-glace freezes really well. I like Julia Child’s suggestion of pouring it into ice cube trays. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer bag, allowing you to thaw only what you need. A single cube can transform a pan sauce, enrich a stew, or add remarkable depth to soups and braises.

Looking for a recipe to use your Demi-Glace? Beef Bourguignon, Classic French Beef Stew with Red Wine