Go to the Recipe: Beef Demi-Glace
When do you think it is appropriate to use MSG and not? Obviously I'm not talking about use with fruit. Do you have a rule of thumb?
MSG—monosodium glutamate—is the taste of umami. We generally like to use it when we want to enhance the overall savory quality of a dish.
I do not have easy access to Glucose Syrup. I do have Lyle's Golden Syruphttp://amzn.com/B00181JIZ8is this reasonable substitute? If not what would be recommended?Thanks,Brian
T&L's Golden Syrup is delcious, but it's quite a bit sweeter than glucose syrup. If you can't get your hands on it, you can just reduce the demi a bit further.
What is the purpose of of the glucose syrup in the reduction?
Mentioned in the intro to the recipe. A way of adding viscosity without over-reducing the stock.
I am not familier with glucose syrup and cannot find a standard dextrose equivalent for it. Would a 42 DE Corn Syrup work as a substitute?
Sorry, just noticed you specified it as 42 DE.
If I didn't want to use MSG could I substitute shiitake mushrooms either fresh or dried somewhere in the process to achieve that savory enhancement?
You could add shitake, or consider tomato paste that also has high natural msg levels.
How can this be done with a vegetarian stock? What would you suggest as a replacement for the gelatin in the beef stock?thank you!
what units is "0.25 Beef stock"? I was going to use store bought beef stock, how much do I need? Thanks
So that 0.25 refers to 1/4 of the yield of our beef stock recipe, which is over 5L. So you will 1.25 liters of beef stock for this recipe.
Started the process of making Au Jus Burger today. Kicked it off by making this, and have a few notes for others who might be trying it as well.
Hold back on the salt until the end if you are using store bought beef stock. I made the mistake of cheaping out and using beef broth and then incorporating all the salt with the rest of the ingredients. It turned out to be sad, salty, grey water. Moral of the story: Make your own stock. Lol, like, seriously just make it. You have no idea what is in a pre-made stock and if it will even thicken up like home made will. I ended up using some left over veal stock (Mr. Keller's recipe), didn't have to put any salt at all, and it turned out to be that lovely velvety Au Jus texture.
I made my own stock with bones and bits that I had smeared with tomato paste and roasted. Its a little more traditional but the flavour is more defined. So im about to make the demi and skip the msg
Looking to do this on a larger scale, possibly for the full 5L recipe. Would I be able to multiply these ingredients by 4 to make a larger batch? I ask because I haven't had much success when trying to make larger batches without adding a small amount or roux or at least corn starch.
If you're reducing it 85% with Glucose Syrup. How much would you reduce it further if you're not using syrup? Are there key things to look for, ie. the spoon being coated?
Made the beef stock and have strained it, do you have to let it cool completely before using it for this recipe? I want to split the stock and use half for the demi and then freeze both into ice cubes. Is this the right way to approach this?
What's an alternate approach to the beef stock for those of us that don't have a Sous Vide Supreme? I'm assuming my Anova immersion circulator wouldn't love being put directly into my tub with roasted veg, ground beef pieces, etc.
Where's the Glucose Syrup in the recipe???!! I love you guys, but you need to hire someone with an extreme level of OCD to channel it into the site.
Where's the Glucose Syrup in the recipe???!! I love you guys, but you need to hire someone with an extreme level of OCD to channel their obsession with detail into the site.
Did you find the glucose syrup - I can't...
I'd just make it in a pressure cooker, assuming that you have one. I can't remember the last time I made beef stock, but I make chicken stock quite often and it's nice & clear. I just googled it and there's a Chefsteps version: http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/pressure-cooked-beef-stock
http://www.amazon.com/CK-Products-Glucose-16-oz/dp/B00085F7VO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1432168851&sr=8-2&keywords=glucose+syrup
Hi !! can you tell me what its the quantity of glucose syrup for the demi glace recipe ?
thanks !!
Major bummer the glucose amount is not listed...
How long can this demi be kept refrigerated before reheating for use?
what its the quantity of glucose syrup for the demi glace recipe?
Can we please get an answer for the amount of glucose you guys are using for this recipe? Thanks.
http://www.chefsteps.com/forum/posts/beef-demi-glace
Supposed to be between 10-15 grams.
Testing it out now with this quantity, will let you know how it goes.
Alternative is, reduce further if you don't have glucose.
I decided to use 2.5g of glucose syrup, because that looked roughly like what they used in the video. There was some detectible sweetness, but I didn't find it at all overbearing and the demi-glace was very viscous. I would happily use 2.5g again, but I think you could also get away with a little less. I think 10-15g (as mentioned below) would be far too much (the finished demi-glas would end up being around 7% glucose).
Why do you guys skim off the foam? A lot of recipes contain instructions to skim off the foam. However, I still don't know why? Also, what does the foam actually contain?
10 grams!
the foam is mostly fat i do believe, it separates as it sits
I make something similar but I refer to it as caramel. it began when my dog became ill. for the first time in my life I found myself boiling boneless, skinless chicken breast. and while the liquid was certainly weak tea, it had something. so, I decided to reduce it (Ok, I got bored and wanted to play with my new saucier, OK???) so, I cooked it all the way down. it had just a skotch of fat but not more than a few little bubbles of fat no skim.
I cooked it all the way down to the point that it had NO water and all I had were the proteins and carbs from the meat, itself. this is NOT stock. it has no other flavors like veg, it has no bone or skin so no collagen to produce gelatin.
but, it DOES include meat. and, when cooked all the way to caramel (and you CAN go to far, creating a nice, hard meat hard candy. ask me how I know) what you are basically making is a jar of nothing but the SEAR from your meat. and it is glorious! The pot of water from chicken breast yielded about 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of caramel. it tasted like the best part of the surface of fried chicken. and a teaspoonful is more than enough to flavor a nice bit of soup for two.
I also use this method to reduce a pork drip with smoke to create a home made liquid smoke pork base. the water placed under my bacon when it is smoked comes off in the same way, yielding a smoky pork caramel which gives me a great flavor to add to the bag for sous vide pork, and the bag juices always go into the sear pan to make the sauce.
I do this with my BBQ drippings, as well. this becomes the base of the BBQ sauce.
What I am doing is not stock, it is caramel. if you take it off with water still in, you will still have weak tea. you have to take it down to no water and allow it to cook, and sear itself.
The second time I made this demi, I did not use glucose syrup, but added 1g pectin at the end and got the absolute perfect texture!
foam makes the stock cloudy and adds up a bitter flavor to it. For any stock you, almost always, want a clear liquid instead of a cloudy one.
Hey I just made it using store bought stock. Reduced it by the 85% but it never thickened really... Still really runny despite adding the glucose as well. Could this just be because the store bought stuff is rubbish? What would you suggest would be the best thing to get the right mouthfeel and viscosity to correct it from where it is now? Xanthum?
Snap, runny sauce
After I posted it I just kept it going for a wee bit longer and it did get the consistency seen in the vid. The next day I was doing poutine and just doubled all the quantities and it gave the volume of sauce I'd usually want... Delicious though and I'd say with the store bought stuff to add the salt once it's been reduced as I think it's much saltier than you'd get by making it yourself
How long does it take to reduce by 85%?
You can add some sheets of gelatin to help with thickness here! Start with 4-5, check the viscosity and then add one at a time until your desired result is reached. We hope this helps!
Hi Paul! You can add some sheets of gelatin to help with thickness here! Start with 4-5, check the viscosity and then add one at a time until your desired result is reached. We hope this helps!
Hi Liisa, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours but really just depends on your burner and the size of the pot you're using. Thanks!
Just wanted to know how different this is to a demi made with 'espagnole sauce'. If you research Sauce demi-glace, it always says to combine your beef stock with espagnole sauce and from there your have your demi. (After reduction of course). I'm classically trained and there was never a mention of this extra step.
Glucose syrup is pretty much sugar so substitute with sugar.
Corn syrup is glucose syrup but made from corn.
What can I substitute for the red wine and is it necessity to add the red wine because I know it to make the flavour more deep . Hope someone can answer this
Did you ever end up getting an answer?
nooooo, glucose is not the same as sugar. Sugar is sucrose which is 50/50 glucose/fructose. Glucose is just glucose
How long can this Demi be refrigerated before use?
Red wine probably isn't the best way to put it. There are a lot of them and many will yield a very sour reduction. In order to avoid that a low tannin wine like Syrah would be the best choice. Wine reductions can be gross if the wrong wine is selected or if you hurry the process. Bring it down low and slow or it will burn. Also gross. Modernist pantry has a good discussion on red wine reduction in their Red Wine Glaze bit.
The longer the better. There are two ways to wreck a wine reduction. Using the wrong wine or getting in a hurry.
Did you ever find out? I wonder too...
did you ever find out? I wonder too...
This is such a good idea, I don't know why I've never thought about it. It's pretty much an umami bomb. I'd totally use it in my soups.
i actually just did this, sorta, while trying to make a demi glace. i took a nap towards the end thinking i had plenty of time but came back to it looking like caramel. talk about an umami bomb, wow...
I totally forgot about this post. No I never got an answer on this one
You can freeze it if not using it within a few days. I freeze mine in an ice cube tray then put the cubes in a Ziploc bag. Good for months.
A port wine is also a good option. the restaurant I worked at for many years used a relatively cheep port for their demi glace and it was awesome!
I wouldn't keep it longer then a week maybe 10 - 12 days fresh. or freeze it
port won't have the sour after taste. but you can't sub wine. you can just leave it out I guess, if you have something agains wine
A guy in Paris taught me this demi stuff and he did say..if I remember it right..that you can start out with a caramel ( sugar and water cooked to a light brown ) and get some of what a reduced fruit juice like wine will import in the sauce.
Put 2 or 3 tablespoons of sugar in a sauce pan and about half that in water. Cook it over low heat until it turns golden. The go for the rest of the recipe in that pan. When you reduce wine you concentrate it's sugars and it's acids. A dash of balsamic vinegar ( just a tablespoon no more ) should get you the sourness ( tartaric acid concentrate and tannin ) found in a wine reduction but a more palatable form of it.
Thanks Shawn. I tried the cheap port and it worked quite well.
Thanks for the tip!
It said in the write up that all the reducing to get the right texture zaps the flavour?
Thanks for this tip
I've got to cook for reformed alcoholics and it's good to know there's an alternative to wine
Classic Demi and modern Demi are different animals almost no one makes classic Demi due to time. Most people prefer the cleaner flavor and texture of modern Demi anyhow, I know I do.
5 days refrigerated, Up to 6 month frozen.
Pectine nh?
5 days refrigerated, up to 6 months frozen.
@Richard Richardsen I’ve made this multiple times omitting wine and using non alcoholic/halal “wine”. I must admit using an amber caramel with balsamic vinegar yielded the best taste, I don’t know how it compares to real good wine but I’m content for now. Thank you very much.
