Glace De Viande

Glace freezes and stores extremely well; once cold, it will have the consistency of hard gelatin. Freeze it in an ice cube tray and then store the cubes in a sealed freezer bag.

10 cups brown veal (or other meat) stock (see recipe)

Remove the fat from the top of the chilled stock. Pour the stock into a 3-quart stock pot and slowly heat the stock over low heat until it comes to a very low simmer.

Simmer the stock very slowly for about 5 to 6 hours, skimming occasionally and monitoring the pot so that it doesn’t come to a boil. (If the liquid is still boiling even at the lowest temperature setting, move the pot slightly to the side of the heat source.) As the liquid reduces, strain the stock into a smaller sauce pot. Reduce the stock until there is about 1 cup remaining and coats the back of a spoon.

Strain the glace through a fine-mesh strainer. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator or an ice cube tray in the freezer, making each cube 1 or 2 tablespoons for convenient use in recipes. Servings: Makes 1 cup

Per serving (per tablespoon): 50 calories; 2 g fat (0 g saturated fat; 36 percent calories from fat); 2 g carbohydrates; 0 mg cholesterol; 84 mg sodium; 6 g protein; 0 g fiber.

Veal stock

Roast the bones first and then the mirepoix (so the vegetables, which cook more quickly, don’t burn). It’s important to roast both thoroughly: The more caramelized they are, the more flavor will be in your stock.

Put the roasted bones into a large stockpot, add cold water and slowly bring to a simmer. Once the vegetables are roasted, add some tomato paste and cook it for a few minutes on the stove top to caramelize, then add this to the stockpot, too.

Deglaze the vegetable-tomato paste pan with red wine and add the liquid to the stockpot, along with a bouquet garni and some peppercorns.

Bring the ingredients in the stockpot to a simmer; once the stock is simmering, lower the heat to maintain a bare simmer (make sure it doesn’t boil), and start skimming, as foamy-looking impurities rise to the surface. Skim until the liquid is pretty clear (being careful not to skim out the mirepoix).

Cook at a bare simmer for about eight hours, skimming occasionally as needed.

Chicken stock

Bring raw chicken bones and, if you can get them, chicken feet (which add flavor and increase the amount of gelatin), mirepoix and a bouquet garni plus cold water to a slow simmer.

Simmer on very low heat for about four hours

When you get the hang of the basic technique, try throwing in some lemongrass, fresh ginger, cilantro and a handful of Thai chiles to your chicken stock.

Stocks are useful ways to use up vegetables that might be past their prime or leftovers from your freezer. Just make sure that you resist any urge to add salt.
Strain, cool, store

When the stock is finished cooking, strain it and cool it as quickly as you reasonably can, ideally in a big ice bath in your sink. You want to make sure that the proteins cool quickly. Then refrigerate it.

When the stock is chilled, you can easily remove the layer of fat that’s risen to the surface. The stock will have the consistency of Jell-O, from the gelatin in the bones. Divide it among smaller containers, and refrigerate or freeze it for use later.