Brown Sauces

Made from foods, usually meats, that have been browned before being simmered in liquid, brown sauces are based on broth, which in traditional farmhouse cooking is taken from the ever-present pot-au-feu and nowadays more likely is taken out of a can or made with a bouillon cube. In classic French restaurants up until a generation ago, brown sauces were based on demi-glace, which is reduced and concentrated sauce espagnole, a rich veal or beef bone broth with tomatoes added and lightly thickened with brown roux. In modern French restaurants, most brown sauces are based on glace de viande, a very concentrated veal broth (more often than not made with bones) that contains no flour.