What Is Demi-Glace Sauce
Demi glace is a French brown sauce used on it’s own or as a base for other sauces and dishes.
Traditionally, this tasty sauce is made by combining Espagnole sauce with brown stock in a 1:1 ratio. This combination is reduced by half, strained, and finished off by adding sherry wine.
You can treat this as a variety sauce in similar fashion to barbecue sauce. The same as BBQ sauce, demi glace can be used on beef, chicken, fish, and other dishes for flavor. While it can be used on any dish, it’s common as a beef steak or roast sauce.
Demi-Glace Substitutes
Demi glace is a great addition to any meal. Sometimes, you won’t have demi glace or want to take the time to make it, so it’s best to have substitutions to replace it with when needed. These are some great replacements for demi glace should you find yourself without the sauce but still need it for a recipe.
Beef Stock
A lot of what makes demi glace is the beef stock added, so it’s not surprise that pure beef stock would make a decent substitute for demi glace. Beef stock isn’t the same taste and texture as demi glace, so you may notice a difference. However, the beef stock can be thickened to make it more similar in texture to demi glace.
Beef Gravy
Another great substitute for demi-glace is beef gravy. While beef gravy isn’t an exact match for demi-glace, they both have (or can have) a thick jelly like consistency and a beefy flavor. It will rely on what kind of beef gravy you’re using, but for most recipes it will make a decent replacement regardless of the gravy.
Demi-Glace Concentrates
This option is if you don’t want to make the demi glace yourself or it’s not directly sold. These concentrates are usually sold in small packets and can be made (or turned) into a demi glace in as little as 5 minutes.
Is Demi-Glace The Same As Gravy?
Demi glace is not the same as gravy even though they are closely related.
Demi glace is made by prolonged reduction of a brown stock by simmering it in a Espagnole sauce. It’s meant to be a flavor rich addition to a meal, similar to gravy but with a stronger flavor.
Gravy on the other hand is thickened (or sometimes runny) sauce made from seasoned juices of meat. Essentially, gravy can be considered a thickened stock with some alterations.
Is Demi Glace Gluten Free?
Demi-glace and it’s gluten free status relies a lot on the recipe used to produce it. If you use a wheat flour or other flour containing gluten, then it won’t be gluten free. However, if it’s a reduction without flour and uses gluten free ingredients, then it’ll obviously be gluten free.
An example of a gluten free demi-glace recipe is here on the food network.
