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Basic Fond de Veau

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Appears in Chef John Besh’s cookbook, Cooking From the Heart: My Favorite Lessons Learned Along the Way. Read our review.

Chef Besh: "This sauce is the cook’s best friend and the building block of many great French dishes. The powdered stuff sold in stores is not even in the same ballpark. This fond, or foundation sauce, takes my Basic Veal Stock then flavors and reduces it to intensify its power. Fond de Veau does require a bit of preparation and is probably the most expensive sauce I use, but it is so worth it for the potent, authentic flavor it confers to something as simple as sautéed porcini mushrooms or as literally the secret sauce in the Ragout of Lamb."

Yield: 4 cups

Ingredients:

3 lbs. veal bones or shanks 
3 tbsp. olive oil 
2 large onions, roughly chopped 
1 carrot, roughly chopped 
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped 
1 head garlic, halved 
2 tbsp. tomato paste 
2 cups red wine 
8 cups Basic Veal Stock (recipe below) 
1 bay leaf 
4 sprigs fresh thyme 
1 tsp. black peppercorns 

Method:
  1.  Preheat the oven to 425°. Place the bones on a baking pan and roast until dark brown, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until caramelized, 15–20 minutes.
  2. Add the carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until browned, about 15 minutes more.
  3. Add the tomato paste and toast until it turns a dark, mahogany color.
  4. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
  5. Add the roasted bones, Veal Stock, bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the Fond de Veau is rich, dark brown, and reduced by half, about 4 hours.
  6. Strain and cool. Store in the freezer in small batches.

 

Basic Veal Stock

Note from Chef Besh: I never make a strong beef stock, preferring instead the viscosity, collagen, and more delicate flavor that comes from using veal bones. This Veal Stock is based on veal shanks.

Yield: about 6 cups

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. canola oil 
2 large onions, roughly chopped 
2 carrots, roughly chopped 
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped 
3 cloves garlic, crushed 
1 bay leaf 
1 sprig fresh thyme 
1 tsp. black peppercorns 
3 lbs. veal bones such as shanks, halved

Method: In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns, stirring until softened. Add the bones and cover with 12 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 3 hours, skimming the foam periodically. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. The stock is ready to use, or chill and freeze for future soups and stews.

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