An unctuous, flavor-packed demi-glace that’s wheat free, gluten free, and vegetarian. Did we say vegetarian? We should probably mention that it’s in fact vegan—with no dairy at all. And yet, you won’t believe its rich, satisfying taste and texture. Oh, and hey, you can make this stuff in less than two hours!
Click below for recipe and instructional video..
Gorgeous, pastured lamb from Menzie’s Farm in the Hill Country outside of Austin is misted with Texas olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and cracked black pepper, then flashed in a 500 degree oven for 10 minutes.
The lamb is then packed with a persillade-like mixture of fresh bread crumbs, melted butter and garlic with a bouquet garni of both fresh and dried herbs including rosemary, thyme, savory, marjoram, sage and tarragon.
Next, the lamb is roasted at 400 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees (approximately 15-20 minutes), then removed from the oven and allowed to stand 15 minutes before being carved into double chops.
While the lamb rests, dried wild porcini mushrooms are soaked in just-boiled water enhanced with porcini powder, then strained into a pot containing brown stock and toasted shallots. The sauce is furiously reduced by a third and the mushrooms added and simmered for a couple of minutes before being finished with a spoonful of demi-glace and a knob of cold butter.
Served a perfect medium rare, this is one of my all-time favorite things to eat..
American lamb, especially those that are pastured and grass-fed, are generally milder/less gamey in flavor than those from New Zealand and Australia, with young lamb (less than 1 year old) being preferred for its tenderness.
Pastured veal sautéed with fresh crimini mushrooms and cipollini onions, simmered in a reduction of port wine, bone broth, shallots and demi-glace, flavored with fresh English thyme and cracked black pepper..
Sauté quartered brown mushrooms and small cipolline onions (about 1/4 pound of each) in a tablespoon of clarified butter in a heavy skillet until amazing-looking, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer vegetables to a side dish.
Return skillet to temp, add a little more butter and quickly sear a pound 1-1/4-inch cubes until well browned on the edges, but still rare on the inside. Transfer to the side to keep company with the vegetables, leaving the skillet on the burner.
De-glaze the skillet with about 1/3 cup of a good quality port wine, scraping up all the fond (the brown bits on the bottom of the pan, i.e. the best part!) with a wooden utensil.
Add a cup and a half of good roasted bone stock, 1/2 tablespoon of minced shallots and a loose tablespoon of fresh thyme. Bring to a boil then lower to a fast simmer and cook until reduced in volume by half (patience shall reward).
Return the veal, mushroom and onions to the pan and add a tablespoon and a half of demi-glace. Simmer slowly, stirring constantly until the sauce is thick and the veal is just heated through (still a little pink on the inside), maybe 5 minutes.
Off the heat, whisk a tablespoon of cold, cultured butter into the sauce, taste for salt and pepper and serve hot with a favorite side (French beans or asparagus, perhaps).
Pastured veal rib-eye steaks are dry-marinated with sea salt, garlic and herbs, then lightly coated with freshly-cracked black pepper and seared in a very hot, dry cast iron pan. The streaks are finished in a 500 degree oven and served with fresh herbs and a rich, brandied demi-glace with chanterelle mushrooms..
Quite similar to the French classic Blanquette de veau à l’ancienne popularized in America by Julia Child, this preparation features ethically-raised, pastured veal, brown mushrooms, garlic, onions, demi-glace, Madeira wine, heavy cream and fresh thyme. Serve over smashed potatoes or egg noodles..
“Veal usually comes from the male dairy calf or Bob calves, mostly of the Holstein breed. The meat is delicate in flavor, firm, fine grained and of a light pink color. A good Ossobucco con Polenta, made of veal shank, and accompanied by a glass of robust Sangiovese wine, can be the perfect meal for a cold winter evening.
Organic and industrial farming methods of raising the calves differ:
In factory farms, calves are raised indoors in small individual pens and fed intensively and exclusively on milk substitutes with plenty of antibiotics added in for good measure. Herbaceous food is excluded from their diets, resulting in iron deficiency which produces the “desirable” almost white meat of most supermarket veal.
Organically raised calves are fed with their mothers’ milk; fresh, whole and still warm from the cow. After the calves are two weeks old they are kept outdoors (weather permitting), untethered and in small groups of 4-8 where they have adequate space for exercise and social contact with other calves.
Calves will want to pasture when outdoors, which is only natural as grass provides iron and vitamins which they need to grow healthy.
The meat of pastured veal will not be as white as ordinary veal, but that’s a small price to pay for supporting farms that raise healthy and happy calves. ” –LocalHarvest
Pastured quail from Bandera, Texas are dry-brined with sea salt containing sage, rosemary and black pepper, then allowed to air dry in the refrigerator for two hours. The quail is quickly pan-roasted in a small spoonful each of rendered bacon fat and rendered chicken fat until the skin is crisp and the flesh is slightly pink. Served over a bed of stock-simmered farro with roasted vegetables, and topped with a chicken demi-glace with black figs, bacon and roasted spring onion..
Pan-roasted Quail with Black Fig/Bacon Demi-glace over Piccolo Farrotto
For the Sauce (about 1 cup)
1-1/2 cups rich, homemade chicken stock, divided
2 tablespoons roasted chicken demi-glace
1/3 cup black figs, trimmed and quartered
4 pieces thick cut, smoked bacon
roasted spring onions (from the Farro recipe), coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon pan drippings (from the quail)
1 small sprig fresh rosemary, stripped and bruised
Heat the chicken stock in a skillet over medium-low heat until simmering. Add the demi-glace, stir to combine and simmer until reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and cook until nicely browned. Transfer bacon to the side to drain, reserving the bacon fat for the next recipe.
Just before service, add the bacon, figs, rosemary and onion and allow to heat through, about 5 minutes.
For the Piccolo Farrotto (adapted from a recipe by Anson Mills)
1 cup farro piccolo
1 quart rich, homemade chicken stock
2-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large shallot, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 fresh bay leaf
2 stalks fresh celery
4 small, fresh carrots, trimmed
2 small spring onions, trimmed (reserved)
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Roast the carrots, celery and onion in a 375 degree oven until browned, about 45 minutes. Set aside.
Turn the farro into a food processor and give it ten 1-second pulses to crack some of the bran that encases the grains. Transfer it to a small bowl.
Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and keep the stock just below a simmer as you cook the farro.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed 3- or 4-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the minced shallots and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the farro, increase the heat to medium, and stir until the grains are hot and coated with butter, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine and simmer until reduced to a glaze. Add the bay leaf and 1 cup of hot chicken stock and stir once to make sure the grains are covered with liquid. Cook the farro uncovered at the barest simmer; when the liquid has been almost entirely absorbed and the farro begins to look dry, add about 1/2 cup of hot stock, stir once, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the farro once again begins to look dry. Continue to cook the farro in this fashion for 1 hour. Coarsley chop and stir in the celery and carrot and continue to cook, adding stock as needed, until the grains have expanded and are tender throughout, without hard, starchy centers, about 20 minutes longer.
Stir in the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. The farrotto should look creamy, not wet or soupy. Taste for seasoning, stir in the parsley, and serve immediately.
For the Quail (serves 4-6)
12 skin-on, boneless quail breasts
2 tablespoons more-or-less sea salt, black pepper and aromatics such as rosemary and sage
2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat
2 tablespoons rendered chicken fat
Season the quail on all sides with the salt mixture then place skin-side up on a plate and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove from refrigerator and allow to stand 20 minutes at room temperature.
Heat the bacon and chicken fats over medium in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Blot the quail breasts dry, then place into the skillet skin-side down without crowding. You may need to do this in batches. Allow to cook until nicely browned, then turn and cook until almost medium doneness.
To assemble
Spoon piccolo farroto onto dinner plates and arrange quail breasts on top (2-3 per person, depending). Spoon demi-glace over the top, garnish with a piece of rosemary and serve piping hot.
2-inch thick filets of grass-fed beef tenderloin are dry brined overnight with sea salt and fresh thyme before being pan-roasted to rare in an iron skillet. The steaks are then topped with Gorgonzola and blanched asparagus tips and finished to medium-rare in a 500 degree oven. Seasoned with smoked black pepper and served over porcini demi-glace..
Pan-roasted Filet Mignon with Gorgonzola, Asparagus and Porcini Demi-glace
Quick Demi-Glace, Home Version (adapted from Saveur Magazine)
1/4 lb. uncured bacon, finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup sprouted wheat flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2-1/2 quarts homemade beef stock, divided
1/4 cup good red wine (not cooking wine)
1 cup porcini mushrooms, sliced and sauteed
10 sprigs fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 leaves fresh sage
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Render bacon in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes. Add onions and carrots and cook until somewhat softened, about 8 minutes. Use a sifter to sprinkle flour over the vegetables and cook another 10 minutes. Add wine, herbs and 8 cups of stock and simmer uncovered until reduced in volume by three-quarters, about 2-1/2 to 3 hours.
Strain sauce, discarding solids. Return to pan with remaining stock and simmer until reduced by half, about 2 hours (add the mushrooms during last 20 minutes). Demi-glace may be kept in the refrigerator for up to one week or frozen for up to three months.
“Meat from grass-fed animals has two to four times more omega-3 fatty acids than meat from grain- fed animals. Omega-3s are called “good fats” because they play a vital role in every cell and system in your body. For example, of all the fats, they are the most heart-friendly. People who have ample amounts of omega-3s in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat. Remarkably, they are 50 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack. Omega-3s are essential for your brain as well. People with a diet rich in omega-3s are less likely to suffer from depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder (hyperactivity), or Alzheimer’s disease.” Eat Wild
CLA-rich, grass-fed sirloin steaks are rubbed with kosher salt, then loosely wrapped and refrigerated overnight. The steaks are wiped clean and seared in an iron skillet over high heat until nicely browned, then finished to medium-rare in a 550 degree oven. Meanwhile, fingerling potatoes, brown mushrooms, pearl onions and elephant garlic are sauteed stove-top.
While the steaks rest, the roasting pan is deglazed with cognac and the brown bits scraped loose with a wooden spoon. The finished vegetables are added to the pan with demi-glace, fresh thyme and smoked black pepper and heated through. A knob of cold, pasture butter is whisked in just before serving..
Pan-Roasted Sirloin w/ Mushrooms, Pearl Onions, Fresh Thyme & Cognac Demi-Glace
One of the most flavorful cuts of beef, the sirloin is a steak cut from the rear back portion of the animal, continuing off the short loin from which T-bone, porterhouse, and club steaks are cut.
The sirloin is actually divided into several types of steak, with the top sirloin generally being the most prized. The bottom sirloin is less tender, much larger, and is typically what is offered when one just buys sirloin steaks instead of steaks specifically marked top sirloin.
Aged, grass-fed filet of beef tenderloin is salt-crusted in a blazing hot iron skillet then finished in a 550-degree oven to a perfect medium-rare. Served with a classic demi-glace with shallots, porcini mushrooms, aged brandy and cracked green peppercorns, finished with a knob of double Devon cream butter..
Filet de Bœuf with Porcini-Green Peppercorn Sauce
For the Steaks
Aged tenderloin filets, cut 2-1/2 inch thick
Coarse sea salt
Blot filets dry, then lightly sprinkle coarse sea salt on all surfaces. Wrap loosely in butcher’s paper and refrigerate 4 hours.
Unwrap filets, blot dry and allow to stand 30 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile, pre-heat an iron skillet over medium-high heat for 15 minutes and pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees.
Sprinkle a little coarse sea salt in the bottom of the skillet and carefully lay down the filets. Sear without moving for 3 minutes, re-salt the pan and sear the other side for 3 minutes.
Transfer the pan with the filets to the hot oven and roast about 7-8 minutes for medium rare. Transfer filets to a dish to rest while you prepare the sauce.
For the Sauce
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup porcini mushrooms, brushed clean and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons butter
6 oz demi-glace
3 oz fine brandy, cognac, port or Madeira
1/2 tablespoon freshly-cracked dry green peppercorns
1 tablespoon double Devon cream butter, cold
Add 1 tablespoon butter to the hot pan that the steaks were cooked in. Add shallots and mushrooms and saute 2 minutes. Carefully add the brandy off the heat, taking care not to set the neighborhood on fire. Return to heat and reduce until only 1 tablespoon of liquid remains.
Add the peppercorns and demi-glace and bring to a boil. Remove sauce from the heat and whisk in double Devon cream butter.
Plate steaks and sauce and serve immediately with grilled asparagus and new potatoes, perhaps.
Pastured beef short ribs are seared until well browned, then braised in burgundy with celery, onions, carrots, garlic, green peppercorns, fresh thyme and rosemary. Once tender, the ribs are allowed to stand until firm, then seared a second time with fresh crimini mushrooms.
Meanwhile, the braising liquid is furiously reduced, strained and finished with cold butter and demi-glace. Served atop smashed red potatoes flecked with roasted garlic and minced chives..
Braised Beef Short Ribs with Garlic Smashed Reds and Mushroom Demi
Quick Demi-Glace, Home Version (adapted from Saveur Magazine)
1/4 lb. uncured bacon, finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup sprouted wheat flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2-1/2 quarts homemade beef stock, divided
1/4 cup good red wine (not cooking wine)
10 sprigs fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 leaves fresh sage
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Render bacon in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes. Add onions and carrots and cook until somewhat softened, about 8 minutes. Use a sifter to sprinkle flour over the vegetables and cook another 10 minutes. Add wine, herbs and 8 cups of stock and simmer uncovered until reduced in volume by three-quarters, about 2-1/2 to 3 hours.
Strain sauce, discarding solids. Return to pan with remaining stock and simmer until reduced by half, about 2 hours. Demi-glace may be kept in the refrigerator for up to one week or frozen for up to three months.
The elk is one of the largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest mammals in North America. Ranging in forest and forest-edge habitat, elk are ruminants, feeding on grasses, bark, forbs and tree sprouts. High in protein and low in fat, this animal was wild-harvested deep in the Texas hill country..
Pan-Seared Elk Medallions with Herb-Infused, Crushed Chipotle Demi-Glace
Allow one 5-7oz portion per person, depending on accompaniments
Medallions of wild elk loin, cut about 1 inch-thick
coarse sea salt
freshly-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of tallow
Season elk medallions on all sides with salt and pepper, wrap loosely in butchers’ paper and refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight.
Remove from refrigerator, blot dry and allow to stand 30 minutes at room temperature. Pan-sear with a little tallow or grill over a wood fire until just medium-rare, then allow to rest 10 minutes before serving over chipotle demi-glace.
Crushed Chipotle Demi-Glace, Home Version (adapted from Saveur)
1/4 lb. uncured bacon, finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup sprouted wheat, spelt or rye flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2-1/2 quarts beef or game stock, divided
1/4 cup good sherry (not cooking wine)
10 sprigs fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 leaves fresh sage
2 chiles chipotle en adobo, crushed
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Render bacon in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes. Add onions and carrots and cook until somewhat softened, about 8 minutes. Use a sifter to sprinkle flour over the vegetables and cook another 10 minutes. Add sherry, herbs and 8 cups of stock and simmer uncovered until reduced in volume by three-quarters, about 2-1/2 to 3 hours.
Strain sauce, discarding solids. Return to pan with chiles chipotle en adobo and remaining stock and simmer until reduced by half, about 2 hours. Demi-glace may be kept in the refrigerator for up to one week.
This post is part of Real Food Wednesday!
Fresh duck liver is seasoned simply with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, then seared over high heat with a bit of clarified butter. The pan is deglazed with Armagnac then reduced with duck stock, verjus and demi-glace. Served over wilted spinach with crispy-fried shallots, porcini mushrooms and a garlic croûton.
Although high in cholesterol, duck liver is low-fat, low-calorie and extraordinarily high in Vitamins A and B12. It is also a very good source of protein and iron..
Seared Duck Liver with Wilted Spinach, Crispy-Fried Porcini, Shallots and Armagnac-Verjus Demi
Verjuice (from Middle French vertjus “green juice”) is a very acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes. Sometimes lemon or sorrel juice, herbs or spices are added to change the flavour. In the Middle Ages, it was widely used all over Western Europe as an ingredient in sauces, as a condiment, or to deglaze preparations.
Picking green grapes for making verjuice. Tacuinum Sanitatis (1474). Paris Bibliothèque nationale
Ariane Daguin’s rabbit sausage is grilled over a wood fire then briefly braised in a roasted game stock demi-glace with green peppercorns, scallions and Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur. Served with black truffle escaoutoun..
Grilled Rabbit Sausage with Ginger & Green Peppercorn Demi-Glace, Black Truffle Escaoutoun
Slow-cooked grass-fed chuck roast with mushroom pan gravy, fresh herbs and roasted winter vegetables..
Classic Pot Roast with Mushroom Pan Gravy and Roasted Root Vegetables
Blot roast dry with paper towels and sprinkle all surfaces with kosher salt. Wrap loosely and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Pre-heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and pre-heat oven to 225 degrees.
Melt 1 tablespoon pastured butter in Dutch oven. Blot roast dry, wiping off any remaining salt and add to the pot. Brown 5 minutes per side without moving in between.
Add 1/2 cup Burgundy or other hearty red wine, 1 small yellow onion, chopped, 1 carrot chopped, 2 cloves of garlic, chopped, a few peppercorns and a mixture of fresh herbs such as rosemary, oregano, thyme and sage.
Cover and braise for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven, add 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, turn the roast, cover and return to oven until fork-tender, about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
Meanwhile, prepare root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, leeks and fingerling potatoes. Dress with melted butter, season liberally with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper and roast alongside the beef for 1 hour.
Remove the beef from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Cover loosely with foil and allow to rest. Meanwhile, turn the oven up to 375 degrees and let the vegetables get well browned.
Meanwhile, strain the liquid from the Dutch oven into a clean pot. Reduce slightly over medium heat, then thicken by whisking in a bit of roux. Add sautéed mushrooms and a little demi-glace if you have it. Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper if needed.
Slice roast against the grain into 1/2 inch slices and arrange on a plate. Tuck roasted vegetables alongside and ladle mushroom gravy over the beef. Serve with horseradish on the side if you like.
Local, pastured lamb loin chops with rosemary garlic demi-glace, fresh peas with fried shallots and mint, and mushroom wild rice.
C’est si bon!
Rosemary Garlic Lamb Chops with Mint Peas and Wild Rice
lamb loin chops from premiumlamb.com via greenling.com
Marinate lamb chops in olive oil, chopped garlic, fresh rosemary, freshly-ground pepper and a three-fingered pinch of coarse sea salt for 4 or more hours (refrigerated). Allow to come up to room temperature before cooking.
Rinse and prepare true wild rice according to package directions, about 1 hour. Add sautéed wild mushrooms, a teaspoon of pastured butter and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.
Lightly steam fresh peas until about 2/3 done, then transfer to a skillet with pastured butter and chopped shallots. Fry until browned, then season with chopped fresh mint, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.
Quickly sear lamb chops in a very hot skillet with butter and a little of the marinade until well browned but still rare. Transfer to a side plate.
De-glaze the pan with burgundy then scrape up all the brown bits with the side of a wooden spoon. Add a little brown stock, reduce and finish with demi-glace and fresh rosemary.
Set the rare lamb chops in the pan with the demi-glace until warmed through, about 2-3 minutes.
To serve, heap wild rice in the center of a dinner plate and arrange lamb chops around the perimeter. Spoon demi-glace over the top, then spoon peas in between the chops and garnish with additional mint and parsley.
This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays
Traditional French confit (kahn-FEE) of duck takes up to 8 weeks to make; its flavor is unparalleled. This recipe uses similar techniques, approximating the flavor of traditional confit in just 24 hours (hence duck leg demi-confit). Served with Grand Marnier demi-glace, root vegetables and wild rice..
The day before, rinse duck legs and pat dry. Place on top of a 1/8 inch bed of kosher salt in a non-reactive dish. Add a dozen bruised garlic cloves to the dish. Season duck with ground bay leaf, thyme, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, corriander and cumin. Cover duck completely with kosher salt, cover dish and refrigerate for 18-24 hours.
2 hours before dinner, remove the duck and garlic from the refrigerater and brush away all of the salt.
Brown the duck legs in rendered duck fat, remove to a side dish and pour off (and reserve) all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Sauté celery, leeks, carrots, thyme and garlic in same pan until browned, about 10 minutes.
Return duck to pan and add enough homemade chicken stock to cover all but the tops of the duck. The goal is to braise the duck until tender, but still have a crispy skin. Season liberally with fresh cracked pepper and place in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Reduce oven to 300 degrees and remove pan. Add wild rice and more stock if neccessary. Baste duck with reserved fat and return to oven for 1 hour.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the duck and vegetables to a side dish and keep warm. Degalze pan with Grand Marnier, add chicken stock and reduce quickly. Finish with demi-glace.
To serve, arrange duck on top of vegetable rice mixture, dress with demi-glace and garnish with slivered scallions and orange pieces.