Espagnole, Brown Sauce to Demi-Glace.
Every good home cook or professional chef worth their merit should have a good understanding of the mother sauces. This is the first of those sauces that call for more than a couple ingredients, and takes a little while to complete, but in the end you are given a sauce that has so much potential. Since sauce espagnole is one of the five French mother sauces, I am going to walk you through how to create a good starter sauce, but since espagnole on it’s own isn’t used in many dishes, we are going to also explore how to prepare a demi-glace. Demi-glace refers to a daughter sauce where veal stock is used, but today we are going to make it with beef stock, also known as a beef demi-glace.
As always, fundamentals in the kitchen are a necessity, so before anything reaches the heat, it is ideal to cut any of the ingredients, weigh out certain items, and have everything laid out in front of you before starting this recipe. This is also known as “mise en place,” which translates to “putting in place,” which will aid in preparation for this recipe.
Espagnole
-What You Need-
8 Ounces Brown Roux(You can use my “It’s a Roux” recipe and use 4 ounces of butter and 4 ounces of flour by weight instead of 2 ounces of each.)
64 ounces Beef stock(This should be hot when you use it. Store bought stock is just fine, make sure to use organic beef stock if it is store bought)
1/4 Cup Bacon Fat(Butter will work as a substitute)
1 Large Carrot
3 Ribs of Celery
1 Medium Onion
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 Ounces Tomato Paste
-Bouquet Garni-
1 Sprig of Thyme
4 Bay leaves
1 Stalk of Sage
-Let’s Make It-
1) Roughly chop all your vegetables, and put your bacon fat into a large skillet at medium heat to melt the fat.
2) Once the fat is melted and introduce the carrot, onion, and celery into the pot and move around. The goal is to coat them in the fat, and cook them slightly.
3) While your veggies are cooking in the skillet, start making your roux in a medium stock pot. You want the roux to be the color of a milk chocolate.
4) When your roux is ready, add all 64 ounces of beef stock while whisking the roux and stock together(you don’t want lumps).
5) Once all your stock is incorporated, add your cooked veggies, your bouquet garni, and 3 ounces of tomato paste.
6) Bring your stock mixture to a simmer, NOT A BOIL, and let simmer for 45 minutes, or until it coats the backside of a spoon. During this time, skim any of the foam that forms on the top of your sauce as it cooks.
7) Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8) Once sauce is fully cooked, you may transfer your fresh espagnole to your dish, or through a wire mesh strainer into jar(s).
-Bonus! Demi-Glace-
This little bonus recipe is phenomenal when drizzled over any savory dish, and it is easy to make once you have an espagnole. There aren’t many recipes that use espagnole as their primary sauce, and is usually made into a daughter sauce, or a child of that mother sauce, such as this delicious demi-glace.
-What You Need-
1 Cup of your Freshly Made Sauce Espagnole
1 Cup Beef Broth
-Let’s Cook-
1) Combine espagnole and beef stock in a medium saucepan.
2) Heat up to a simmer and let reduce by half(this may take a while, so make sure to stir often to reduce the chance of burning your sauce.)
3) Enjoy. Yes it really is that easy.
Today we learned the third French mother sauce I have covered, and a bonus daughter sauce. This rich and silky smooth sauce is sure to enhance any beef dish, as well as other meats, and mashed potatoes as an alternative to your typical gravy. I’m excited that you’ve made it this far, and hope that you will join me for even more multifunctional sauces and the dishes that pair with them.
Thank you.
Stay Happy. Stay Healthy. Stay Cooking.
