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There are a great many of uses in the kitchen for brown stock. From soups to stews, gravies, braised entrées, pan sauces, classic "mother" sauces - all the way to the formidable demi-glace. A good supply of brown stock is a necessity to the serious home chef, and even for those who aren't. When making this stock if you use all veal bones you will produce a "veal brown stock". Likewise, if you use all beef bones you will produce "beef brown stock". The key word here is brown. A critical step in making a brown stock is to create a "pan bourbon". The pan bourbon is what gives the stock its color and its distinct aroma and flavor. There is a slight difference in taste and properties between an all veal and an all beef brown stock. You will find the veal stock to be slightly more delicate and contain a little less gelée than the beef stock. It is quite acceptable to use a combination of beef and veal bones to produce brown stock. No matter which of the combinations you choose all are superior to powdered mixes, cubed, or canned stocks. I don't want to say to never use canned stocks, because I have, but only when my own negligence or busy schedule has found my supply of brown stock depleted. While canned beef broth has its occasional use in the kitchen, it will not work in place of homemade if you are making an Espagnole Sauce or a Demi-glace. In giving this recipe for Brown Stock, I will continue with additional reduction steps for the classic "mother" sauce Espagnole, and finally to the Demi-Glace. The beginning recipe for stock will require a 20-quart stock pot - like its cousin, chicken stock, it is more efficient to make a large quantity once than to frequently produce smaller batches. You may of course choose to make smaller batches by halving the recipe if this volume is too much for you. I don't recommend a batch that is smaller than half of the large batch. BROWN STOCK - Will make 8 to 10 quarts
10 to 12 pounds veal bones, beef bones, or a combination Cold water to cover ingredients (for a full recipe fill 20-quart pot to 2-inches from rim) Place bones and 1 of the onions, 2 celery stalks, and 1 of the carrots in a large roasting pan. Place pan uncovered in a preheated 400 degree oven. Roast for about 1/2 hour or until bones are very brown. Turn bones over and continue roasting for about 20 minutes until the reverse side is equally brown. Be careful not to burn the bones, or your stock will have a bitter, burnt taste. Remove darkened bones and vegetables from roasting pan and place in 20-quart stock pot. Place roasting pan over 1 or more burners and turn heat on to high. Quickly add 2 quarts of hot water, tap water is fine, to the roasting pan. Using a heavy spatula loosen all residue on bottom and sides of the roasting pan. Pour the now completed "pan bourbon" into the stock pot. Add the remainder of the ingredients and top off with water to 2-inches from the rim. Turn heat to high until stock comes to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Skim the top of the stock for the first 15 minutes. Continue reduction for 6 hours. Pour the stock through a fine strainer. Discard bones and vegetables. Adjust salt to taste, but be careful if you plan to make an Espagnole from some or all of the stock - this process will reduce the volume of liquid further and increase the existing concentration of salt. Refrigerate overnight and then remove solid fat on the surface with a large spoon. If you don't plan on continuing on to make Espagnole Sauce or Demi-Glace, your basic brown stock is now completed.
Now that you have an adequate supply of brown stock, you can now turn your attention to using some of the stock to produce an Espagnole Sauce. This French classic is one of the "five recognized mother sauces" and its uses are far reaching. It is also a key step in the production of Demi-Glace, which is the last stop on this step ladder of reduction. Even though "Espagnole" seems at first glance to be Spanish by origin, it is a fundamental building block of French cuisine. By adding wines, herbs, spices and cream to this "mother sauce" many specialized sauces are easily made - such as Robert Sauce, Bordelaise Sauce, Chateau Sauce, Mushroom Sauce, and even a Cider Sauce, just to name a few. Another advantage is that you can quickly produce a rich pan sauce with no additional thickeners or added fat. ESPAGNOLE SAUCE - Makes approximately 2 quarts
2 quarts boiling brown stock Over medium-low heat melt butter in saucepan. Add onions, celery, and carrots. Cook until onions soften, then add flour and mix into a roux. Cook the roux for about 5 minutes or until it begins to brown. Begin adding hot stock, 1 cup at a time. Stir thoroughly until each cup of stock is absorbed by the roux and becomes smooth. When all the stock has been incorporated, add the remaining ingredients and adjust to taste for salt and pepper. Cook at a medium simmer for 1-1/2 hours. Remove from heat and pour immediately through a fine strainer. The Espagnole Sauce is now complete and ready for use. It will keep for about 1 week under refrigeration and it also freezes quite well. When defrosting Espagnole, or after several days under refrigeration, you may have to thin it with a little stock to reach the consistency you desire.
You are now ready to do a final reduction and produce the classic Demi-Glace. You can choose to make a plain Demi-Glace, or you may infuse an herb or combination of herbs to make a flavored Demi-Glace. This decision must be made while assembling the ingredients in the sauce pot, before the reduction process begins. I usually make the plain version because I find it more useful, and you can always infuse the herb flavors later when you use the Demi-Glace to make a pan sauce. DEMI-GLACE - Makes about 2 cups
2-1/2 cups Espagnole Sauce Over medium-low heat combine the Espagnole Sauce and the Brown Stock. If you choose to infuse a flavor into the Demi-Glace, add the herb or herbs at this time. Bring to a medium simmer and cook until reduced by about 1/2, add the Madiera wine and continue reducing until you have reached 1/3 of the orginal volume. Stir mixture frequently through entire reduction. When finished, pour through a fine strainer. NOTE - When making a Demi-Glaze, the amount of reduction is more critical than the time of cooking. You can slightly speed up the process by bringing the mixture to a faster simmer, or slow it down by reducing the simmer. The 2/3 reduction is the important thing to accomplish. Bear in mind that the faster the simmer the more attention you will have to pay to avoid burning the sauce. When using herbs to infuse a flavor into the Demi-Glace use fresh herbs that are not cut up. This will permit you to remove them from the finished sauce with a pair of tongs rather than passing the finished sauce through a fine strainer. |
