The Kamogawa Food Detectives (Kamogawa Food Detectives, #1)

by Hisashi Kashiwai

famous food writer once said the beef stew at Furuta Grill tastes almost like pot-au-feu, but I actually think it’s a little different. I imagine they were referring to that delicateness you just mentioned, which comes from using a light tomato-based demi-glace rather than the usual thicker kind. The meat is precooked in stock and quickly simmered with port wine. Put it in a pot with the vegetables, add the demi-glace and cook everything down, and this is the result. If you just chuck the vegetables in with the beef from the start, they lose their shape and all the flavours get confused. But do it Furuta-style and the sauce will simply coat the meat. That way, the umami from the beef and the flavour of the demi-glace only come together once they’re in your mouth.’