Dark Chicken Stock – Reduced to a Glace

Crush the garlic with the flat side of a knife.

Add garlic and herbs to a pot, then add the water.

Bring to the boil at 103 °C.

In the meantime, prepare and brown the vegetables.

Rinse the vegetables. Cut off the top and bottom and then cut the vegetables into rough pieces. You can leave the peel on all the vegetables.

Heat a pan to 220 °C and add oil.

Add the vegetables and brown for 4-5 minutes. Then transfer them to the pot with the water and seasonings.

Cut the chicken thighs along the bone, releasing the meat from the bones. You should get two pieces of meat and a bone from each thigh. This is to allow for as large a roasting surface as possible.

Transfer the meat to the pan that was used for the vegetables. Brown the meat for 2 minutes on each side at 220 °C.

All the meat cannot fit in the pan in one go. So you have to sear it in batches. Add the meat to the stock as it is cooked.

When you have added all the meat to the stock, then top up with water, if necessary, until all the meat is covered.

When the stock starts to bubble steadily, reduce the temperature to 100 °C and let it simmer for 3 hours.

Remember to lower the power level, so it doesn’t turn off. The cook top can easily keep the temperature at power level 4, you do not need to go higher than this.

When the stock has finished cooking, strain out the meat and vegetables. Then pass the stock through the finest sieve you have.

Next, skim off the fat. The easiest way to do this, is to let the stock cool completely. The fat will solidify at the top, and you can easily remove it. Alternatively, you can remove it while the stock is still hot by using a gravy or soup ladle.

Pour the stock into a saucepan and add the cornflour. Whisk out the lumps well before the sauce is heated.

Set the temperature to 150 ºC. As soon as the sauce boils, turn it down to 120 ºC. Let the sauce reduce a thick, slightly sticky sauce.

The sauce can be served as it is, or it can be refrigerated, here it will set and become like a jelly. You can then divide it into portions and freeze it, so you have it ready for when you need to make all kinds of sauces.