LOVELY!!!just beautiful!

It looks wonderful, very rich and yes a wonderful color. I'm looking forward to seeing how you use it. Looks like you have a lot.

Lee

Oh Lee, I've got beef broth coming out my ears. I had more bones then I thought I had. Bones were stashed every which way in 2 freezers and I hope I found them all!

It was fun making the broth and we were having a mini blizzard at the time. My kitchen was warm and cozy and smelled very good!

But I'm going to make some Sauce Espagnole with some of the broth and then maybe some demi-glace too. The brown sauce should take up at least half of the broth I have.

Hmmmmm....I just noticed an omission on Sharon's recipe.

Brown Sauce (Sauce Espagnole)

3 carrots chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
1 large onion or 2 small onions
3 tomato paste
12 c. hot beef stock
Thyme
Bay Leaf
Parsley

There's no measure for the tomatoe paste. I think it's probably 3 T.

Sharon are you out there?

Michelle

What a lovely broth! I haven't made one in years. (I'm in my early 70s and have simplified my cooking habits.) But I still make chicken broth pretty often.

Julia Child has a recipe for Lentilles en Cassoulet which calls for beef broth. The lentils are simmered in the broth to a point slightly before they are completely cooked, because they'll finish cooking in the oven. A mirepoix is prepared with chopped onions, celery, carrots and garlic sauteed in olive oil or whatever, then thickened with some flour cooked in the chopped vegetables. This concoction is then mixed into the nearly cooked lentils and placed in a lightly oiled casserole. Top this with some cut up cooked sausage or cooked nicely seasoned ground pork, a sprinkling of fresh breadcrumbs mixed with parsley & other herbs & some olive oil. Put into a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the top is nicely browned.

A good rich beef broth is absolutely necessary to get the right full flavor into the lentils. It's a real crowd pleaser. If you want the recipe in detail (the above is from memory), please let me know. I'll dig it out and put it into this thread.

Looks absolutely wonderful! Also appears that you have a enough there for freezing. I made some just last week, would have been ideal to have more stock for freezing. I'll plan it better next time.

Lucy

Michelle it is beautiful!

Sorry about the typo, it's actually 3 Ounces. I've corrected my recipe, thanks. Also, the quantity of butter and flour for the roux is mentioned in the instruction but not the ingredients.

Happy saucing!

mmmmmmmmm - I've been wanting to do this - as I know the broth you buy usually has msg in it...

are there entire instructions?

haus, yes please post the lentil recipe. Joe loves lentils!

Stacy, it is Sharon's recipe. I tried a search but her instructions have fallen off the list. So here it is:

Brown Stock/ Sauce Espagnole /Demi Glace (Sharon/Chase)

Here is the recipe/method for my beef stock/Sauce Espagnole( brown sauce)/demi glace. I start out with the stock, freeze some and then use the rest to make a Sauce Espagnole, freeze some and then use some of that to make demi glace. It takes a few days but I love it!

I use the stock for soups and recipes calling for beef broth. I use the Sauce Espagnole (brown sauce), which is one of the four Mother Sauces, as a base for various beef based sauces such as Mushroom sauce , also for gravies, and the demi glace to add a really rich flavour to things like stroganoff.

If I'm feeling very ambitious I even clarify the stock....I need to get a life!

Brown Stock/ Sauce Espagnole /Demi Glace

5 Or 6 Pounds Of Beef Bones, Veal Bones , Maybe More
2 Celery Stalks Chopped
1 Onion Chopped
2 Carrots Chopped

For Brown Sauce

3 carrots chopped
4 celery ribs chopped
1 Large Onion Or 2 Small chopped
3 oz. tomato paste
12 Cups hot beef stock
herbs thyme, Bay Leaf, Parsley

For Demi Glace

2 Tbl Maderia
additional beef stock equal to the Brown Sauce

For the Beef Broth

Drizzel the bones and veggie with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the veggies and beef bones in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, turn and cook 30 minutes more or until lovely and carmelized. Place in a large stock pot and cover with 18 cups of cold water. Simmer for 4-6 hours. Strain, place in fridge. In the morning skim off fat.

For the Brown Sauce ( Sauce Espagnole)~

Saute mirepoix ( chopped onons, carots and celery) in butter until the onions are light golden brown. Add tomato paste and continue cooking gently. Make a brown roux over low heat in a heavy pan with 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of flour. When the roux is a hazelnut color, add two thirds of HOT beef broth. (Reserve one third for demi glace), and whisk together. Add the vegetables, as well as a bay leaf, a little thyme and some parsley stems. Simmer the mixture for 2 to 3 hours, skimming off the scum that rises to the surface. Strain it through a fine strainer, and press the mirepoix gently to extract their juices. Chill over night. Skim off fat.

Then, for the demi-glace:

Add an equal amount of beef or veal stock, bring it to a boil, and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half, again skimming the surface as necessary. Off the heat, add 2 tablespoons Madeira. Freeze in ice cube trays.

You can stop wherever you want in the process, just make the stock, continue and make the brown sauce and/or make the demi glace.

Michelle

Your broth looks wonderful!

Isn't it nice not to have to worry about autolyzed yeast extract, monosodium glutamate, soy protein concentrate, disodium guanylate,...etc

I was also in the kitchen making beef and chicken broth a couple of days ago. It feels great to have all those quarts of broth ready to go in soup weather. I was struck by the beautiful colors and took photos. I used recipes from "Twelve Months of Monastery Soups."

adopted, I see whole cloves and I assuming for the beef broth and the red onion for the chicken broth?

WOW...these ingredients sound fabulous. Could you post the beef and chicken stock recipes. I am over due for chicken stock too and have many red onions.

Michelle

Those are beautiful adopted.

I have a couple ??'s about Sharon's instructions.

First, what are the four Mother sauces???

Second, I am confused by the instructions for the demi glace additional beef stock equal to the Brown Sauce ...I think I am just looking at it the wrong way...:-)

Stacy

Sharon will have to answer the question on the Mother Sauces. Hopefully she is watching this thread.

I thought I had the recipe figured out but now as I reread it....I am confused too.

In the Brown Sauce directions it says:

"When the roux is a hazelnut color, add two thirds of HOT beef broth. (Reserve one third for demi glace), and whisk together." The 1/3 reserve would be 4 cups of beef broth.

We'll have to wait for Sharon to catch up with this thread.

Michelle

Mother sauces:

Brown sauce
Egg Emulsions
Bechamel
Veloute

and then, depending on who you ask

Vinaigrette
Tomato sauce

Msafirstein, those are peppercorns in the photo, but there are 4 cloves in the beef broth.

Wish I had thought to add parsnips. I love parsnips.

Although I did roast both the beef bones and chicken parts, his recipes did not say to do this.

My yield on both recipes was more than 4 quarts, so I don't understand why his yield estimates are so much lower.

Happy to share the recipes. I also included vegetable broth and fish stock recipes, my next projects.

Meat Broth
from "Twelve Months of Monastery Soups"

Makes about 10 cups
Ingredients
16 cups water (more if necessary)
2 pounds beef bones, shoulder, top ribs, etc. (any bones and meat that can be spared are good)
2 leeks, sliced
2 onions, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1 sprig of thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
4 whole cloves
8 black peppercorns
6 sprigs parsley
salt to taste

1. Pour the water into a large soup pot and add the meat, bones, vegetables, and all the spices.
Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the broth for about 3 to 4 hours, stirring it from time to time. Cover the pot.

2. After the long simmering, when the broth is done, remove the bones and meat. Pass the broth through a thin strainer, which should collect all the vegetables and spices and leave the broth clear.

3. Serve the broth hot as such, or refrigerate and use it later as the base for other soups. It can also be put in the freezer to keep it for future use.

Chicken Broth
from "Twelve Months of Monastery Soups"

about 12 cups
Ingredients
18 cups water
2 pounds chicken pieces (or more if available)
2 onions, coarsely chopped
2 leeks, thinly sliced
2 carrots, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 egg white, beaten
a bouquet of thyme and parsley sprigs, tied
black peppercorns to taste
salt to taste

1. Pour the water into a good-sized soup pot and add all the ingredients mentioned above. Bring the water to a boil, stir thoroughly, and then reduce the heat to low-medium. Cook slowly for about 2 hours and add more water if necessary.

2. When the broth is done, turn off the heat and let it rest gently for about 45 minutes. Withdraw the chicken and vegetables and then ladle the broth through a very fine strainer, or even better, through cheesecloth. When the broth has cooled, place it in proper plastic containers, and store it in the freezer for future use.

Fish Broth
Follow the recipe for Chicken Broth, but substitute fish bones, tails, etc., for the chicken pieces and add all the juice of a whole lemon. The best type of fish to use for broth making are red snapper, cod, haddock, and striped bass. It takes less time to make fish broth, so 1 hours of slow cooking is enough for the making of a fine broth or stock.

Vegetable Broth
from "Twelve Months of Monastery Soups"

Makes about 12 cups
Ingredients
18 cups water (add more if necessary)
3 carrots, sliced
2 turnips, sliced and diced
2 zucchinis, sliced
2 leeks, sliced
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 small lettuce, coarsely chopped (or a few leaves of cabage)
4 bay leaves
1 orange peel, minced
a few parsley sprigs, tied together
black peppercorns to taste
salt to taste

1. Pour the water into a large soup pot and add all the ingredients mentioned above. Bring the water to a boil and keep it boiling for about 30 minutes. Stir from time to time.

2. Reduce the heat to low-medium, stir some more, cover the pot, and let the broth simmer for about 2 hours. Filter the broth through a fine sieve, strainer, or cheesecloth. Allow it to cool and then store it in the refrigerator or freezer for future use. This bouillon is a wonderful remedy in case of colds and stomach troubles.

Chicken broth
3 pounds of chicken wings, or wing tips
And as many backs and necks as you have in the freezer.
(I don't know about you, but I never weigh the chicken backs and necks in my freezer..I just put enough in to fill my big stock pot)
Cover all with water, usually about 5 t0 6 quarts.
Add one big yellow onion, or 2 small, washed but not peeled ( the skin gives good color) and cut into quarters
One sweet potato, medium sized, washed and cut into 3 or 4 pieces.
4 or 5 whole cloves of garlic
2 or 3 parsnips, washed and cut into 3 or 4 pieces
4 or 5 ribs of celery, cut into 4 or 5 chunks, leaves too. parsley stems, about 4 inches and a bunch about 1 inch thick...save the leaves for another purpose.
1 teaspoon of pepper corns
3 or 4 bay leaves
1/2 a lemon, juice squeezed into the broth and the peel tossed in too.
Bring to a boil, turn down to the very lowest setting, you should just see an occasional bubble rising. cover and cook for 5 or 6 hours.
Cool until easy to handle, strain through cheese cloth, pressing hard on the solids....refrigerate, skim fat off top...
Salt to taste as you are using it.
Linda C

Gorgeous!!! Really beautiful -- and I'll bet their your home smelled amazing too! :)

Fenworth is right the four mother sauces are the basic sauces from which all other sauces are made.

Originally they were:

Sauce Espangnole (Brown sauce)
Hollandaise (Egg Emulsions)
Bechamel (White sauce)
Veloute (Chicken broth or Veal broth based sauce)

Now Tomato Sauce is also considered a mother sauce but was not one of the original four...probably becasue the original four were French.

As for the demi glace recipe....

The intent is to make as much beef stock as you wish. From that, if you wish to go further and make brown sauce and demi glace, reserve 12 cups of the stock. Use 8 cups for the brown sauce and keep 4 cups for the demi glace.

Demi glace starts with half brown sauce and half beef stock. So 4 cups of your newly made brown sauce and 4 cups of the original beef stock.

Don;t get too crazy about the quantities , this is not something that requires exact measurements.

Basically you make stock.
Then you use some of the stock to make a brown sauce
Then you use some of the brown sauce and some more of the stock to make demi glace.

I end up with some of all three, always making more stock than I need for brown sauce and more brown sauce than I need for demi glace.

It really is easy , but I seem to be making it hard.....

Thanks fen!! I thought Bechamel but was not sure about the other 2.

Arley and Kframe, I thought you might be interested in my broth cooling method! ;) BTW, it's -9 degrees outside.

Adopted, thanks so much for the recipes...C&P all of them!

My Espangnole is happily simmering away and it is gorgeous. My camera is low on batteries but I will post a picture later. I love the simmer feature on my stove and don't know how I managed without it for so long. Oh I know how I did, I stood over the stove and stirred...LOL!!

Here is a Fish Stock recipe from the book that Maryanne gave me in a swap, "A Seafood Celebration" by Sheryl and Mel London.

Fish Stock

"Ask your fishmonger for fish skeletons (fish racks), including a scaled fish head with eyes and gills removed. Any lean white-fleshed fish ---flounder, weakfish (seatrout), striped bass, or tilefish ---will do. Rinse well under cold running water.

3 lbs fish racks and head as described above
1 TBL Olive Oil
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
2 whole thin leeks, white and green parts, trimmed, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1 large ribs of celery, coarsely chopped
4 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
3/4 twp whole black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
12 c. water
1 1/2 c. dry white wine

Loosely tie the fish head and racks in cheesecloth for easy removal later on and set aside. In a 7-8 qt heavy nonreactive pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onions and saute until transparent about 4 minutes. Stir in leeks, celery, thyme, parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns and cloves. Set the cheesecloth-wrapped bones and fish head on the bed of vegetables and herbs, then add the water and wine. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and simmer, covered for 25 minutes. Cool slightly.

Put the pot in the sink, life out the cheesecloth bag and tie it around the water spigot to allow the broth to drip back into the pot. When it's cool, gently squeeze the remaining liquid from the cheesecloth and into the pot. Strain the stock, pressing the solids against the strainer to extract as much of the stock as possible. Discard the solids.

Let the stock stand until the sediment settles, then pour off the clear stock into quart containers and freeze them or use half the stock to make fish fumet, a concentrated form of fish stock used mostly to flavor sauces.

To Make Fish Fumet:

Bring the strained fish stock to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until it is reduced by half. Season with salt and freeze in either 1-cup containers or in ice cube trays. When the cubes are frozen, transfer them to freezer containers to use when you need them. Most sauces require only small amounts of concentrated fish fumet."

Michelle

Basically you make stock.
Then you use some of the stock to make a brown sauce
Then you use some of the brown sauce and some more of the stock to make demi glace.

Sharon, this is how I originally read your recipe but then questioned it. You did not make it hard, I was reading too much into it.

BTW, my Brown Sauce is gorgeous!! I can't wait to make the Demi-Glace.

Michelle

Why this thought came to mind I have no idea....Those stocks are so fine looking I'd swim in them! LOL. A languid backstroke :)

LOL! Michelle! More than once....more than twice....and still more...I have plopped the stock pot into a snow drift!!
And still more times I have left a huge pot of "stuff" on the deck. I put a couple of bricks on the lid, upend a big box over it...and put more bricks on top of that. Gotta keep the rackety-coons out, don't cha know!
I have also used the trunk of my car as an overnight refrigerator, critter safe!
But I do remember once when I was making a huge....enormous! pot of soup...using my friends biggest blue enamelware canner. I needed it for a school lunch function the next day. After I cooked it, I had my husband carry it out and put it into the trunk of the car to cool.
Well about 3 AM I woke to go to the bathroom and looked at the outdoor thermometer reading about a minus 20. So I woke up poor long suffering husband and said..."You have to bring that pot of soup in or it will be frozen solid and I will never get it defrosted by 11 to take to the school." And bless his heart, he went out to the garage in his PJ's and boots and lugged that huge pot into the kitchen for me!
Linda C

Linda, I just love using our new patio as an extension of my kitchen. In the summer I put my bread outside to rise and my canned goods to cool down. I don't like the lingering smell from my deep fryer so I had an exterior outlet installed and this spring will set up outside for deep frying.

But the snow drift cooling center was a new one for me...LOL!! It worked out well except as the pan cooled it sank further and further into the drift and I had to dig it out!

I finished up yesterday with the Brown Sauce and Demi-Glace.

My totals are:

8 c. Beef Broth
4 c. Brown Sauce
2 c. Demi-Glace

The Brown Sauce and Demi-Glace are gorgeously thick and out of this world delicious and I can't wait to use them.

Michelle

After seeing your stock yesterday, I had to have some so made a big pot of my own and turned it into mushroom barley beef soup - the best pot I ever made! Thanks for the inspiration. We'll be eating it for a couple days. Glad to see others using the snow to cool their goodies. My hub has always though I was nuts to put food outside, in the "annex," but what else can you do?

How long do your stock and sauces keep? Do you freeze them?

Sherry

Sherry, Yes, I freeze my stocks.

For the plain stocks I freeze in zip lock freezer bags, 2 cups per bag. Squeeze the air out and freeze them flat and they stack nicely in the freezer.

For the brown sauce I used screw top plastic freezer jars, I think their made by Rubbermaid. They hold 1 c. each and stack very well. I love these jars and they work out great for freezer jam too.

For the demi glace I used these tiny tupperware containers I've had for years and never knew what to do with them.

I labeled everything too. Learned my lesson last year!!!

Michelle

I have beef stock that I made last week setting out on the deck right now.....frozen solid. That's also where I stored Christmas cookies as I made them..I find all kinds of uses for my outdoor fridg...

Nancy

Hmmmm....I'm going to put my ice cream bowl outside. It won't fit in my freezer now and I've not made ice cream in forever!

Nancy, great idea for storing Christmas Cookies. I would never have thought of that!

Yep, I've got acres of freezer space!! And we seem to be in a heat wave....WOW, it's 6 degrees now!

Michelle

Outstanding looking broth!

Here is Julia Child's recipe for Lentilles en Cassoulet, which appeared in her book, FROM LULIA CHILD'S KITCHEN, published by Alfred A. Knopf, 1970. For this you must use your best homemade beef broth. Although Julia said substitutes are okay, I have found them to be a big disappointment.

Ingredients: 2 cups lentils (I prefer the very dark tiny ones, sometimes called Beluga); 6 cups of water; 2-3 pounds of meat cut into serving chunks (sausage, ground pork, lamb shoulder, or ham or a mixture); a mirepoix prepared by lightly sauteing in butter or oil 1/2 cup each of chopped onion, celery & carrot until tender, then add 3 TB flour to the the veggies & cook for a couple of minutes, and then add 1/2 cup of red or white wine; 1.5 cups of YOUR BEST HOMEMADE BEEF BROTH -- NO SUBSTITUTES ALLOWED; 1 bay leaf, pinch of dry thyme or oregano; salt/pepper; a mixture of 1/4 cup of fresh breadcrumbs & 3 Tb each of minced shallot and parsley.

Preheat oven to 450. Cook lentils in the water until barely tender, then drain. While lentils are cooking, dry your selected meats, spread them onto a roasting pan, sprinkle with a little bit of oil if you think they are not fatty enough and roast in upper middle part of preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, turning occasionally and basting. After you beat the wine into the mirepoix and it comes to a simmer (it should be slightly thick), add the beef broth to the mixture, then the herbs, and simmmer for 5 min.
Then add the cooked, drained lentils and set aside.

In a lightly buttered baking dish about 9 by 12 and 2 inches deep, spread the lentil mixture, then place the meat on top. Pour out the fat from the pan in which you roasted the meat, prepare a light reduction with the remaining fond, and pour this over the lentils & meat. Season meat with salt & pepper. Then sprinkle the chopped shallots, parsley & breadcrumbs over all & baste with some olive oil (or fat from the roasted meat if you're not worried about clogging your arteries).

The dish is now complete except for a final baking. It can be covered and refrigerated when cool. For the final baking, place lentil dish into the upper middle level of a preheated 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes. The sauce should be bubbly and the breadcrumbs lightly browned.

After allowing it to cool for just a few minutes, serve with good crusty bread and a nice salad. (for 6 persons)

As Julia would say, Bon Apetit!

Beautiful pix - enjoy the stock! (I can just smell it through the screen :)

Thank you, I have saved this entire thread and will be "stocking" my freezer...(snort)

got it - thanks!

I'm making some, too.

Stacy

Stacy, make sure you make the Espagnole (Brown Sauce). When I make beef broth again I will just make all Espagnole.

It is beyond delicious!

Michelle

Michelle glad you like the Espagnole Sauce we do too...but you have to keep a little as stock for soup! LOL

PS: I'm making meatloaf or Salisbury steak for dinner and using the Espagnole for the gravy...yum! Or maybe meatballs and add some sour cream to make a stroganoff type sauce.

I am going to get some soup bones after work to make beef stock tonight.

Looks sooooo good, and I have my "anniversary colonoscopy" on Thursday, so will need the broth to compliment my jello tomorrow! LOL

Linda

Linda, good luck on that "anniversary", you can celebrate with something decadent afterward!

I also use my garage or the deck for storage, the kids call it my "second refrigerator" (or freezer, depending on the weather, LOL)

I made beef stock and canned it about a month ago, I never made it past broth to the demi glace, somehow I got sidetracked. I know I have more soupbones, though. Maybe sometime in March? (grin)

Annie

Hey Michelle -- you've inspired me... I just put a pan of huge beef bones in the oven right now! I'm hoping the stock will be ok despite the fact that I don't have celery in the house... It is a really nasty sleety day here, with ice storm predicted, and I just couldn't manage to get myself out to the store for it... I thought I might put in a few sprigs of parsley instead to give it that bit of green flavor...

Emily

Beautiful broth!

By the way, here's how we cool our broth in Florida -

shaun that is hilarious!!!

Sigh... I'm feeling a little discouraged here... My bones looked pretty much just like Michelle's after roasting and putting into the pot... But after 3.5 hours of cooking it tastes like.... Eh, dishwater! Smells beefy, but the taste isn't there at all. I'm going to keep cooking it down I guess... Maybe I used too much water? I had about 10 pounds of bones, and I used 32 cups (2 gallons) of water... I thought that seemed like about the right proportion, given the recipe listed above...

Emily

hope someone with the "know" is checking in.

i'm working my way into the brown sauce. i can can this, right? do that as a BWB or does it have to be pressured since it originated from meat?

thanks
maryanne

I'm pretty sure you have to can it in Pressure Canner. But you might want to check at Harvest for the minutes in the Pressure Canner.

I just froze my Brown Sauce, 1 cup per ziplock bag.

Michelle

Sorry Emily, I did not see your question and now it's way too late.

I had more bones then the recipe called for so I just added enough water to cover the bones and vegetables. My broth tasted like beef but flat as there is no salt in the broth.

Again, my apologies for not see your post on Feb 1st.

Michelle

Beautiful broth! Much more user-friendly than chicken feet!

I have to admit that I do get envious of the snow, only for the extra refridgerator space!