A friend of mine is a sous chef for a local French bistro. When he comes over every once in a while for beers, video games and genuine Mooch B.S. he usually brings me (the amateur chef cum professional B.S.'er) something good from the kitchen.
Normally it is something easy to deal with like imported butter or guanicale, but this time I got (12) 1.5 oz. containers of veal demi glace.
The Joy of Cooking has a few gravy ideas, but I would like to know if you guys have any creative ideas.
I would ask my friend but I don’t want to seem non-appreciative or god forbid - less than a kitchen know-it-all.
A demi-glace is just a heavily reduced stock so you can use it in place of normal stock if you want (ie: soups, stews, gravies etc.). However, that seems like a waste of a good demi-glace (an I presume it is good) to me. If someones gone to all the trouble to reduce it to a demi-glace, then it’s best used in reciples that call for a small amount of intense flavours and this basically limits you to sauces and gravies.
A bit of roux, some demi-glace and red wine with some fresh herbs and a pat of butter mixed in at the end is all thats needed for a great gravy.
Seriously, demi-glace is GREAT to have around. It freezes well if you need to keep it a long time.
I use it to make all kinds of sauces to put over steaks.
Heat with red wine, rosemary, and garlic for a nice rich sauce
Heat with cream, peppercorns, and brandy for steak au poivre
Saute a pile of fresh mushrooms (I like the wild varieties - chanterelles, etc, but any work) with butter and garlic, add demi glace at the end, serve over steak. Or, add cream and/or red wine and parmesan and serve over pasta.
Reconsitute some porcini mushrooms in hot water. Chop, heat with demi glace, using porcini water to thin out if needed.
Depending on how glace-y your demi-glace is, you may need to adjust how much other liquid you add, or use a roux or butter to thicken slightly.
Here is an awesome pasta recipe, from Emeril Lagasse, of all people! I have prepared it many times before, and everyone always loves it. You can at least use some of your veal demi-glace in it.
Emeril’s Pasta
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 1999
3/4 pound pepperoni, sliced in half, lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1/2 pound assorted mushrooms (portobello, shiitake and button), sliced
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons garlic
1/4 cup torn basil
3 cups spinach, chiffonade
2 cups veal demi-glace
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 pound fresh fettucine, cooked al dente
Place pepperoni on a hot grill, cut side down. Grill for 3 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. In a large saute pan, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and saute for 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the grilled pepperoni, garlic, basil and spinach. Saute for 3 minutes or until spinach has begun to wilt. Add the veal demi-glace and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add the heavy cream and bring back up to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Add the pasta and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.
Sorry to resuscitate the thread, but thanks for the ideas. My Joy of Cooking probably has some help in there, but I prefer real world experience.
I do have (8) 2 oz. containers frozen, and if someone wants a few, I’d be willing to part with them if you wanted. It’s from a local (Chicago-area) French bistro. Let me know. Maybe I’ll post my experimental results in a few.