hours as you can afford: at least 8 and up to 12. Skim the top
every so often.
Strain the stock into 2 pots or large bowls. Discard the solids.
Reserve one quarter of the stock for making the demi-glace (see the
next step) and the rest for the French onion soup, if making. Any
stock that you don’t use now, you can freeze; it will keep for up
to 6 months.
Pour the stock reserved for the demi-glace into a pot. Turn up
the heat to medium and bring the stock to an active simmer. Let it
reduce (this will take a few hours) until it coats a spoon fully but
not to the point that it’s sticky. If it gets too thick, you can fix it
with a little water. Season with the aged balsamic and truffle salt
until it tastes mind-blowingly wonderful. Use immediately or
reserve for later. It will keep for up to a week, covered, in the
refrigerator and for up to 3 months in the freezer.
* If you can, substitute 3 pounds duck bones for 3 pounds of the
veal bones (though duck bones may be hard to come by). You’ll
get a more complex flavor.* Of course, if you don’t want to spend the money on thirty-
year-aged balsamic vinegar or truffle salt, this is still worth
making. Use any balsamic and use regular salt. The end result
will still amaze you; it just won’t be quite the same as
Pomeroy’s.* Pomeroy uses a hotel pan (a wide, deep pan that looks like a