While writing a series of posts describing how to make all the classical stocks at home (which we will be releasing on this blog shortly), it occurred to me that there are several terms surrounding veal stock and its many forms that can be confusing, even for the pros.
Here’s a veal stock glossary to help:
Brown Veal Stock:
A traditional building block for French cuisine that is used in soups, sauces, and other recipes. Made by simmering mirepoix, veal bones (often roasted), water, a sachet, and a small amount of tomato paste for a minimum of 6-8 hours. However, longer cooking time is better as it allows more gelatin to be extracted from the bones.
Demi-Glace:
“Half-Glaze” in French. Essentially a concentrated beef or veal (usually veal) sauce that is usually used not as a stand-alone sauce but as a flavor booster for more complex sauces, soups and other applications. Traditional Demi-Glace (as standardized by August Escoffier) is 50% brown veal stock and 50% espagnole sauce reduced by half to two thirds. Unfortunately reduction concentrates flavor, and espagnole sauce relies upon a roux for thickening power, which can give the final product a strong “roux flavor.” Modern chefs tend to prefer Demi-Glace that is 100% brown veal stock because it has a cleaner taste.
Glace:
“Glaze” in French. Glaces were originally used primarily to coat cuts of meat to make them appear glossy and give them more meaty flavor. Now they’re used as ways of adding more meaty flavor to soups, sauces, etc. (as in Demi-glace and Glace de Veau)
Glace de Veau:
“Veal Glaze” in French. This is brown veal stock with no other ingredients that has been super reduced (traditionally twice as reduced as Demi-Glace).
Espagnole Sauce:
(aka Sauce Espagnole) A traditional French sauce made of mirepoix, brown veal stock, tomato puree, brown roux and a sachet.
Gelatin:
This natural protein is created when collagen in meat dissolves. Gelatin not only gels (Jello) and thickens, but in liquid form gives body, smoothness and a better ‘mouth feel’ to soups, stocks, and sauces. Gelatin is the secret behind delicious slow-braised meat dishes like pot roasts and osso bucco.
While it’s not currently featured on the site, Marx Foods does offer chef-made veal demi-glace for food service frozen in 4lb tubs that can be special ordered. All you have to do is ask.