How to make homemade sauces: demiglaze and Espagnole

What do you do when you're cooking a cut of meat that doesn't produce enough drippings? Compensate by whipping up these two tasty sauces.

This is a beautiful homemade sauce for meats like lean pork that don't produce enough drippings of their own to make gravy. Far better than canned or packaged gravy mixes, it's cheaper too.

What you need:

• 50 ml (1/4 c) unsalted butter
• 60 g (2 oz) Black Forest or Virginia ham, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 50 ml (1/4 c) all-purpose flour
• 1 L (4 c) beef broth
• 375 ml (1 1/2 c) canned broth
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) tomato paste
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt
• 1 ml (1/4 tsp) dried thyme
• 1 ml (1/4 tsp) ground black pepper
• 125 ml (1/2 c) dry red wine

What to do:

1. In a large, heavy saucepan over moderate heat, melt the butter or margarine. Add the ham and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly golden, abut eight minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it is soft, about five minutes. Add the carrot and cook until it is tender, about five minutes.

2. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and stir until it is blended. Gradually add 750 millilitres (three cups) of the beef stock, the chicken stock, tomato paste, salt, thyme, and pepper, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring frequently and skimming off any scum that rises to the surface, until the sauce thickens and thickly coats the back of a spoon, about 30 minutes. Strain the sauce through a sieve and discard the solids.

3. Stir in the remaining cup of beef stock and the red wine and cook, uncovered, until the sauce reduces to 800 millilitres (three and a half cups). Makes 800 millilitres (three and a half cups).

Simple, yet rich, this is another brown sauce for lean meats that don't produce drippings. Homemade is tastier, less salty, and cheaper than canned or packaged brown gravy.

What you need:

• 50 g (1/4 c) unsalted butter
• 60 g (2 oz) Black Forest or Virginia ham, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 50 g (1/4 c) all-purpose flour
• 750 ml (3 c) beef stock or canned beef broth
• 375 ml (1 1/2 c) chicken stock or canned broth
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) tomato paste
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt
• 1 ml (1/4 tsp) dried thyme
• 1 ml (1/4 tsp) black pepper

What to do:

1. In a large, heavy saucepan over moderate heat, melt the butter or margarine. Add the ham and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly golden, abut eight minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it is soft, about five minutes. Add the carrot and cook until it is tender, about five minutes.

2. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and stir until it is blended. Gradually add the beef and chicken stocks, tomato paste, salt, thyme, and pepper, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring frequently and skimming off any scum that rises to the surface, until the sauce thickens and thickly coats the back of a spoon, about 30 minutes. Strain the sauce through a sieve and discard the solids. Makes 750 millilitres (three cups).

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