Marrying pure demi-glace with rich heavy cream, as you do in this recipe, not only helps stretch the sauce but also creates the most refined version of gravy you’ll ever encounter. It’s great for adding umami, richness, and refinement to poultry dishes or Strip Loin Roast.
Ingredients
MAKES 2 CUPS
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- ¾ cup Demi-Glace, at room temperature
- 0.125 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Salt (optional)
How to Make It
- In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the cream and garlic and bring to a rolling simmer over medium-high heat. It’s important to use a much bigger pot than the amount of cream you want to reduce, because as the cream heats, it bubbles up like crazy and has a tendency to boil over if the pot isn’t big enough. Keep a small whisk handy so that when it bubbles, you can quickly stir it to keep it from spilling over the sides of the pan.
- Once the cream has reached a rapid simmer, turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer very gently, stirring occasionally with the whisk, until the cream is reduced to 1 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the garlic cloves from the pan, discard, and set the cream aside in the pan.
- Pour the sherry into a small saucepan and place over high heat until the sherry has reduced to 1 tablespoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Watch closely to ensure the sherry doesn’t totally evaporate. Set the sherry reduction aside.
- Return the pan with the reduced cream to low heat. When the cream is warm, whisk in the demi-glace and allow the mixture to heat slowly to a bare simmer, stirring occasionally. Add the sherry reduction and the pepper and stir to combine. Taste and add salt if needed.
- The sauce can be made up to 2 hours in advance; gently reheat over low heat before serving. It will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
