Recipe: veal stock, demi-glace, glace de viande and consommé

Ingredients

• 7 pounds of veal bones, cut by the butcher for roasting
• 3 pounds of chicken necks and backs (get these from the butcher as well)
• 1 turkey neck, broken down into thirds
• 1 cup dry white vermouth
• 3 large onions, peeled and quartered
• 5 large carrots, sliced into 4 pieces
• 6 stalks of celery, cleaned and chopped into 4 pieces
• 1 large turnip, washed and quartered
• 4 medium to small leeks, white and green parts, washed very carefully and chopped
• 1 large or 2 small heads of garlic, sliced
• 1 28 ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes- drain the puree for some other recipe

Tie these next ingredients into a bundle of cheesecloth:

• 12 parsley stems
• 6 dried allspice berries
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 whole cloves
• One hard and fast rule about making stock- do not add salt or salt anything going into the stock.

For Consomme- serves eight:

• 8 cups home made stock
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced fine
• 2 celery stalks, washed and diced fine
• 1/2 small onion, peeled and diced fine
• 4 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation

• Turn the oven onto 375. We need to roast the bones, backs and necks. Put the cut bones on one and the chicken / turkey parts on the other, making sure that there is space on both sheets for air to circulate.
• Roast the bones for about 15 minutes and flip over in the pan. Flip the necks and back after about 20 minutes. Remove the bones after they have cooked for 30 minutes or are starting to brown nicely- be sure NOT to burn the bones- this is very important as it will result in a non-usable stock.
• Remove the necks and backs after about forty minutes- they should be browned up pretty well. Put all the roasted parts into the stock pot. Pour off the grease from both baking sheets. Place the sheets, one at a time, on your stove.
• Turn on the heat to medium. As soon as you see the liquid on the sheet start to bubble or make noise, pour the vermouth onto the sheet to deglaze. Scrape all the browned bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon.
• Move this tray to the side- leave the liquid in it. Put the next tray on the burners- when the tray is hot, pour the liquid from the first tray into the second and deglaze that tray, scraping off the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Pour the liquid into the stock pot with all the browned bits.
• Bright and delicious vegetables ready for the stock pot. Toss all the vegetables and the spice packet into the stock pot. Cover the whole deal with cold water until it is about 1″ from the top of the pot. Cover the pot and place on the stove over high heat. As it is coming to a boil, scrape off any foam, scum or fat that you see rising to the top. Boil the stock for 5 minutes being careful that it is not at a rolling (rapid) boil. After it has come to a boil, reduce the heat to low (or simmer if you have that setting), cover partially and cook for another 48 hours. It should only be simmering, not boiling.
• Skim off the foam and any other gunk as it forms. When the stock has cooked for what seems like forever, turn off the heat. Take out a good, sturdy sieve and line it with a folded over piece of cheesecloth. You are going to want to use the cheese cloth so that your super cooked vegetables don’t get mashed through the sieve.
• Using a ladle, start ladling the stock through the cheesecloth lined sieve into a holding vessel. When you have most of the stock out, start hunting through the solids in the pot to remove the bones- toss these out. Then start to put the solids into the cheesecloth lined sieve and pressing on them with the backside of a sturdy wooden spoon. We are extracting some good flavor here! If your cheesecloth becomes too soiled to allow liquid to pass, remove it and rinse under running water.
• After removing the fat (this is very important to do before reducing the stock) put the stock you want to reduce into a large sauce pan. Turn the heat to medium and begin to reduce. Stir every once and a while until the stock has reduced about 50%. At this point, you want to stir more frequently. When the reducing stock will lightly coat the back of a spoon, you’re just about done. Remove from the heat.
• Demi-glace ready to freeze.
  To make the Glace de Viande, continue to reduce beyond when the stock will lightly coat the back of a spoon. We are looking for a very dark and thick consistency without burning the stock. The best approach is to take it slow, over moderate heat. It is hard to have patience for this, but the outcome is worth the wait. When the mixture thickly coats the back of a spoon (and looks like a thick syrup), remove from the heat and pour into a ramekin or other holding vessel. Refrigerate. It will look kind of like a shoe polish- shiny and dark. Add sparingly to any pan sauce, chili or other meat dish for instant flavor.
• For Consomme- serves eight:
  Take out a pan large enough to fit the stock and other ingredients. This should be a high sided pan. Pour in the stock and turn on the heat to medium. While the stock is warming, whisk the egg whites until they are frothy. Add in the diced vegetables and lemon juice. When the stock is warm, pour the egg mixture into the stock and turn the heat to high. Bring to a boil and whisk until a crust forms on the top. This may take a couple minutes to happen. After the crust has formed, turn the heat to low and make a small hole where the stock can simmer through. Leave to simmer on the stove for an hour or more, without stirring. These are frothed egg whites. The egg white crust has formed and the consommé is now simmering. After it has cooked for an hour or more, remove from the heat. Line a fine mesh sieve with a couple layers of cheesecloth or two layers of damp paper towels. Begin to ladle the clarified stock through the lined sieve into a holding vessel. Discard the solids that remain. If the consommé looks like it needs to be sieved again, use fresh paper towels and run it through again. Ladle through a cheesecloth or damp paper towel filter to catch the solids. To serve, warm the consommé in a clean pan. For a clarified stock, this has some serious flavor.

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