Cooking 101: Stock Derivatives

November 19, 2008

This post is part of a series called Cooking 101, which introduces the basics of cooking. The series follows the book Culinary Fundamentals, with supplements from The Professional Chef by the Culinary Institute of America. Check out the previous posts here.

Unit 14: Stocks

Part 2: Stock Derivatives

No, this post is not lamenting the sad state of my portfolio, but rather a look at three liquids you may want to consider before or after making a stock.

Rémouillage

Meaning ‘re-wetting’ in French (and pronounced ray-mwee-AHZH), this liquid is made by re-simmering the bones and mirepoix used to make a stock.  Essentially you save the bones and veggies when your original stock is finished, return them to an empty pot, and fill it once again with water.  Then just simmer away for a while.  Your product won’t be as flavorful as the original stock, but it is more flavorful than plain water.

Why would you want to make a rémouillage?  First, it can be used as the liquid for a subsequent stock with fresh bones, making the stock richer in flavor.  Second, you can cook rice, pasta or vegetables in it, adding a little extra flavor.  Finally, you can reduce it to a glaçe (see below).

Glaçe

A glaçe is a highly reduced stock or rémouillage.  To make one, you simply simmer your stock/rémouillage to evaporate water, moving to successively smaller pans as the liquid evaporates to prevent scorching, until you are left with a syrupy substance.  This will cool into flavorful, a jelly-like solid.

Glaçes can be used to boost the flavor of sauces/braising liquids/soups or as a base for a quick stock (i.e. add some glaçe to water to make a stock).  It can be used as a glaze for meats or even as a sauce on its own.  The most common kind is a glaçe de viande, or glaçe made from brown beef stock.

Court Bouillon

Court bouillon (KORT boo-YOWN) means ’short broth’ in French, and is a quick, flavorful liquid you can make for use in other foods.  Preparing a court bouillon involves simmering mirepoix, other aromatics, and a an acid like white wine or vinegar for about 20 minutes.  Court bouillon usually is used to poach fish or other seafood, where a full stock would be too flavorful.

I’ll admit, there probably won’t show up much for people cooking at home.  I plan on trying most of them out though to see if they are worth the trouble.

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