Whenever a cook browns meat, fish or fowl — or vegetables such as onions and carrots, for example — the browning surface is blessed with little bits of greatness: caramelized proteins or sugars left behind from the browning. The French call these “fond,” as in “foundation,” because they are now the very flavorful base for sauces that can be made directly in the same pan. Adding a liquid with which to boil, then scrape up these bits, is called “deglazing.”
Most any liquid (save for dairy) will do: broth, water, wine (red, white, dry, sweet, depending on the sauce), beer (light, dark, dry, off-dry, again, depending), cider or other fruit juices, or combinations of the above. Often, a final flourish of a generous pat of butter and a bit of flour can thicken the sauce.
Two things to remember when deglazing: If you reduce the liquid, you also concentrate whatever’s there (a wine’s acidity, for example, or a broth’s saltiness), and you’ll never get a good fond from a non-stick pan. Always both brown and deglaze in a non-reactive (sorry, cast iron) conventional metal-bottomed pan or skillet.
Brown vegetable stock
Recipe by Tucker Shaw, former Food Editor, Denver Post
This stock is suitable for sturdy soups such as French onion. Makes about 3 quarts.
Ingredients
- About 1/2 pound mushrooms (any variety; can be stems or offcuts)
- A pound or so of root vegetables, scrubbed, then chopped into big 2-inch chunks (carrots, turnips, parsnips)
- One big onion, peeled and chopped into eighths
- One head of garlic, separated into cloves, half smashed, the rest left whole
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (no more)
- A pinch of salt (no more; if you need seasoning later, add it later)
- A healthy grinding of very coarsely ground black pepper
- About 14 cups fresh water
Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss all ingredients except pepper and water in a roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour. Put stockpot over high heat. Add the roasted vegetables and black pepper and cover with 12 cups of water. Place roasting pan on stovetop over high heat and deglaze with two cups water. Add this liquid into the stock.
When stock reaches a boil, lower to a slow simmer for 45 minutes. Strain into a clean medium saucepan. Reserve one chunk each carrot, turnip and garlic (discard the rest) and place in blender with a ladleful of stock. Blend on high speed one minute or until completely liquefied. Whisk contents of blender into strained stock. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use. Will keep for about 10-12 days, though it may separate as it sits.
Contact Bill St John at bsjpost@gmail.com