What to Do and How to Cook with Demi-Glace

Demi-glace is a deeply flavorful, reduced brown sauce in classic French cuisine: made by combining brown stock and mirepoix and simmering until it will coat the back of a spoon. In everyday cooking, it becomes a powerful shortcut for adding umami richness to dishes, whether you’re spooning it over grilled meats or whisking it into soups and stews. Below, we've come up with a few ideas for what to do with demi-glace. 

Finishing Sauces & Gravies

• Spoon warmed demi-glace over grilled steak or roasted chicken for a glossy, savory finish. 
• Use as the base for sauces or your next gravy (you can also just use it as gravy! I've seen quite a few poutineries in Quebec using demi-glace directly over fries).

Soups, Stews & Braises

• Stir a tablespoon into any stew at the end of cooking for extra depth. 
• Add to braising liquid for shanks or short ribs.  

Pan Sauces & Reductions

• Deglaze a hot pan with red wine, then whisk in demi-glace for an instant pan sauce. 
• Combine with chopped mushrooms and/or shallots for an elegant twist.

Grain & Pasta Enhancements

• Stir into risotto just before serving for a unctuous umami finish.  
• Add to mushroom pasta sauce for a richer, meatier flavor.  
• Mix into Bolognese or meat ragù to deepen the flavor profile.  
• Use as the sauce base for Japanese hayashi rice, ladled over steamed rice. 
• Or add it to that NYTimes Japanese Curry Recipe.

Vegetable & Side Dish Boosters

• Toss roasted root vegetables with a spoonful of demi-glace as a savory glaze.  
• Stir into mashed potatoes for an umami-rich mash that pairs perfectly with roasted meats.  
• Blend demi-glace into mushroom gravy for shepherd’s pie.  
• Swirl into creamy cauliflower soup at the end for umami depth, or really any soup for that matter.
• Incorporate into lentil stew or chili for richer flavor (again, almost any stew will benefit).

Sandwiches & Burgers

• Mix a touch of demi-glace with some into ground beef then top with  sliced Porcini mushrooms and Gorgonzola for a home black and blue burger to boost juiciness and depth.  
• Brush demi-glace glaze on French dip sandwiches after toasting for a restaurant-style finish (or just dunk the sandwich in a bowl of it!).
• Drizzle demi-glace in a patty melt assembly before grilling for an upscale twist.  

Breakfast & Eggs

• Stir a teaspoon into scrambled eggs or omelets just before folding for silky, savory eggs. 
• Drizzle demi-glace on Eggs Benedict instead of hollandaise. 

Pot Pies & Casseroles (this is like a freebie section, just add it)

• Stir into chicken pot pie filling for a glossy, flavorful gravy.  
• Add to beef or chicken casseroles for restaurant-quality sauce straight from the oven.  

Global & Fusion Dishes

• Stir into curry bases—Japanese, Thai, or Indian.  
• Incorporate into Korean barbecue marinades or serve as a dipping sauce for bulgogi.  
• Enrich ramen broth by whisking demi-glace into the soup base for a deeper, meaty flavor. Even instant ramen will benefit here.
  
• Boost hotpot dipping sauces or broth bases with a spoonful of demi-glace for extra richness.