Game Glaze

Glace de gibier (game glaze) teaches the purest law of reduction: as water leaves, flavor, gelatin, and salt remain. The last of these matters before you touch a pan. Begin with unsalted Brown Game Stock (No. 8), because a pleasant stock can become punishingly salty long before it becomes a proper glaze.

The original method assumed a saucier watching an open fire, game stock never far from the stove, and a succession of smaller stewpans waiting as the volume fell. At home, two heavy saucepans and a fine sieve lined with damp muslin do the work. The brigade's battery of pans was volume-management scaffolding, so one transfer is enough for this small batch; the gradual lowering of the heat, the filtration at each transfer, and the final spoon test belong to the dish and must stay. This is the method of Meat Glaze (No. 15), applied faithfully to game stock for one cook, one stove, one evening.

The finished glace de gibier is dark mahogany, almost garnet at a thin edge, and glossy enough to veneer a spoon. Lower the heat as the liquid concentrates. That is the step that decides everything: a lively simmer builds the glaze at first, but the same flame will scorch it once only a cup remains.