Awhile back I posted a bit of a cheater’s recipe for the Black Pelican’s Citrus Rosemary Brined Chicken. I saw it on Diner’s Drive Ins and Dives and just had to recreate it. When I made it, I simplified things just a bit; I used a boneless breast and served it with the Vegetable Saute. It was fantastic.
Demi-Glace
The problem was, I couldn’t get my mind off of the way the Black Pelican served their dish. They laid down Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes, surrounded that with a pool of demi-glace and then topped it with the chicken and vegetable saute. Odd, I know. So odd, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And I couldn’t stop thinking about Demi-Glace!
Demi-Glace is not by any means a frugal item. Real demi-glace requires bones and a lot of them! Pounds and pounds. And wine! And lots of time! And the store-bought? Iffy tasting and pricey. I remembered seeing this “Cheater’s” Demi-Glace by Cook’s Illustrated and had to give it a whirl.
Conclusion? The first time I made it, it was salty, even with no added salt. I blame the stock. I made it a second time with a low sodium stock and it was much improved. Darned good, I’d say. I’d take this any day over a store-bought demi-glace, but have to admit it doesn’t outshine a real classically made demi-glace. But then, it’s not like anyone is going to be sipping teaspoons of the stuff and comparing!
The Black Pelican’s Citrus Rosemary Brined Chicken (Diner’s Drive Ins & Dives)
I’ll be keeping this on hand for when I do decide to serve the Rosemary Citrus Brined Chicken with my Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes (recipe coming sometime – see I’m crazy about Smoked Gouda, another pricey ingredient – you’ll see it in my savory Smoked Salmon Cheesecake, for one) or maybe I’ll serve it with another “fancy” meal. The demi-glace stores in the freezer for 6 months to a year.
I did make a couple of changes to the recipe. I noticed that when reduced to 1/2 cup, it was really way too strong, so I only reduced to about 3/4 cup. Since it was rich and syrupy then, I only used one package of gelatin.
Gibson Says Hi!
One thing I noticed was how flavorful the ground beef that was strained out of the sauce was! Talk about a heady, winey brew. The first time around I couldn’t do anything with it – and I was a bit miffed about the waste! The peppercorns almost melted into the ground beef and if you’ve ever bitten on a peppercorn? Well, it was unusable. I didn’t dare even give it to my Gibson – too highly spiced and grape products and dogs don’t mix.
The second time around I gathered the herbs and peppercorns into a bit of cheesecloth to contain them and used the ground beef later. I mixed the strongly flavored ground beef with a little Greek yogurt (I didn’t happen to have sour cream in my fridge) to tone it down a bit and served it over noodles. It was kind of an ugly but tasty combo of Beef Stroganoff meets Beef Bourguignon.
For the wine, use a good quality one; it doesn’t have to be expensive. Look for something that’s not too tannic. I’ve had good luck with Beaujolais (I know, a surprise!)
Demi-Glace
Cook's Illustrated Cheaters Demi-Glace, adapted
- 1 small onion, roughly, chopped
- 1 small carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms, halved
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 8 ounces ground beef
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups red wine
- 4 cups beef broth
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 1 package unflavored powdered gelatin
Process onion, carrot, mushrooms, and garlic in food processor into 1/8-inch pieces, 10 to 12 one-second pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until simmering; add beef and tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until beef is well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add vegetable mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until any released moisture has evaporated, about 8 minutes.
Add wine and bring to simmer, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Add beef broth, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns; bring to boil. Reduce heat and gently boil, occasionally scraping bottom and sides of pot, skimming fat from surface, until reduced to 2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.
Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over small saucepan, pressing on solids with rubber spatula to extra as much liquid as possible (you should have about 1 cup stock). Sprinkle gelatin over stock and stir to dissolve. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring stock to boil. Gently boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 3/4 cup, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
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I’ll be posting this little recipe on two link parties; a link party is a weekly posting where bloggers from all over “bring” a dish. They’re great places to see a roundup of recipes from various bloggers all in one place.
I’m bringing this Demi-Glace to Fiesta Friday 90 put on by Angie of the Novice Gardener. The hosts this week are Effie @ Food Daydreaming and Lindy @ Lindy Mechefske.
I’ll also stop by Throwdown Thursday, Quinn of Dad What’s 4 Dinner and Alli from Tornadough host this blogging extravaganza.
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