Ingredients
1 dried bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
6 to 8 fresh parsley stems
8 to 10 whole peppercorns
For the Sauce:
2 tablespoons (or 1 ounce) clarified butter
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 cups low-sodium beef stock, divided
Kosher salt, to taste
Directions
1
Gather the ingredients.
2
In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons (or 1 ounce) clarified butter and add 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions, 1/4 cup chopped celery, and 1/4 cup chopped carrots. Sauté for a couple of minutes, until the onions are partially translucent.
3
Sprinkle in 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and stir to form a paste. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently until the flour is lightly browned, but by no means burned.
4
Whisk in 3 cups of the low-sodium beef stock.
5
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then lower the heat to a simmer, add the sachet, and reduce for about 20 minutes, or until the total volume has reduced by about a third.
6
Remove the pan from the heat and retrieve the sachet (set it aside). Carefully pour the sauce through a wire mesh strainer lined with a piece of cheesecloth and use a spoon to gently push the sauce from the remnants of the mirepoix (the sautéed vegetables).
7
Return the sauce to the pan, stir in the remaining 2 cups of low-sodium beef stock, and return the sachet to the pot.
8
Bring the pot back to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 50 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half.
9
Discard the sachet. Strain the sauce through a fresh piece of cheesecloth.
10
If using the demi-glace as is for a dish, season to taste with kosher salt. When adding it to another sauce recipe, wait to season that sauce until the very end.