Espagnole Sauce

Also known as a brown sauce or demiglace, it is a basic sauce that serves as a base for use in making other variations of the original sauce. It has been simmered and reduced to half of its original volume, resulting in a very thick, intensely flavored mixture. Typically, espagnole sauce is made by mixing roux as a thickener into the espagnole and then adding other ingredients such as vegetables, spices, herbs, wine, and vinegar to enhance the flavor and aroma. This sauce is then used as a topping for meats and other foods or is used as a base to make other types of sauces. A traditional French sauce, espagnole is one of the Grand or Mother sauces used as a base or foundation sauce for making smaller versions that are seasoned and flavored separately. Common sauces in this group that use espagnole as a base include Bordelaise, Chasseur, Chateaubriand, Diable, Diane, Estragon, Lyonnaise, Madère, Madeira, Moscovite, Mushroom, Piquante, Porto, Robert, Romaine, Tarragon, and Zingara.