Time
- Preparation: 5 min
- Cooking: 15 min
- Ready in: 20 min
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Dry red wine ((we like to use a full-bodied Shiraz))
- 2 Shallots (medium-sized)
- 1/4 teaspoon Thyme (dried)
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 cups Beef stock
- Kosher salt (to taste)
- Black pepper (freshly ground, to taste)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, place the red wine, shallots, thyme and bay leaf and set over medium heat.
- Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and continue to cook until the contents has reduced to half of the original volume.
- Add the beef stock to the pan and bring the mixture up to a boil again.
- Using a tablespoon, skim and discard any foam that appears on top of the sauce.
- Continue cooking the Bordelaise by another 50% or until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, otherwise known as having a nappe consistency. In total, the Bordelaise should have reduced by 75% of its original volume by now.
- Pour the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve.
- Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Use on grilled steak or slow-roasted beef and enjoy!
Notes
If you want to thicken the Bordelaise sauce, prepare a beurre manie (translated to kneaded butter in English) with about 1 tablespoon of softened butter and 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour. Use your fingers or a fork to make a smooth paste. Place the strained sauce over medium-low heat. Add about 1 teaspoon of this mixture to the sauce and whisk for about 1 minute. Repeat until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
If you are holding the sauce for later, lightly rub about 1 teaspoon of cold butter across the hot surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming. Alternatively, lay a piece of greaseproof paper cut to the size of the pan onto the surface of the sauce. When ready to use, reheat it gently in a small saucepan.
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