Alternative Liaisons for Demi-Glace

Many chefs do not like the texture and floury taste that roux gives to sauces. Because flour is an impure form of starch (it contains a fairly high percentage of protein), it must be simmered in the stock and carefully skimmed for several hours to eliminate insoluble components that could cloud the finished demi-glace. It also has a distinct smell and taste that only long cooking can eliminate. And because roux contains butter, it is also necessary to cook it long enough in the stock to release the butterfat so it can be skimmed from the surface of the stock.