Making Pan Sauces
This is the difference between a dry piece of meat and a meal. Once you learn to pull the caramelized proteins off the steel, you never have to serve anything naked again.
Use the right pan.
Avoid non-stick surfaces; you need a stainless steel or cast iron skillet to develop the fond, which is the brown crust that gives the sauce its depth.
- Stainless steel or cast iron skillet
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon
What goes in.
- 1/2 cupdry white wine or chicken stock
- 1 tbspshallot, minced
- 2 tbspunsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 tspfresh herbs, chopped
Mounting with butter
Add the cold butter to the pan off the heat and whisk it into the reduced liquid. This creates an emulsion that thickens the sauce and gives it a satin texture rather than a thin, watery consistency.
The method.
Remove the protein
Take your cooked meat out of the skillet and let it rest on a board. Leave the brown bits in the bottom of the pan.
Sweat the aromatics
If there is excessive fat, drain all but a thin film. Add your shallots and cook over medium heat until they turn translucent and smell sweet.
Deglaze
Pour in your wine or stock while the pan is hot. Use a wooden spoon to scrape every bit of brown crust off the metal—these are your flavor base.
Reduce
Let the liquid simmer until it has reduced by at least half. It should look syrupy and coat the back of a spoon.
Finish
Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the cold butter one cube at a time until the sauce is creamy. Stir in herbs and serve immediately.
Other turns to take.
Balsamic Reduction
Swap the wine for balsamic vinegar and add a teaspoon of honey.
Creamy Mustard
Add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the stock before reducing and stir in a splash of heavy cream at the end.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If the pan is too hot, the liquid will evaporate instantly; pull it off the heat for a few seconds before pouring the deglazing liquid.
Do not salt the sauce until the very end; since the liquid reduces, the salt concentration increases significantly.
Use a light-colored pan if possible; it makes it much easier to see the color of the fond so you know when it is browned but not burnt.
The ones that keep coming up.
What if my sauce breaks or looks greasy?
The butter likely melted too fast or the heat was too high. Add a teaspoon of cold water or stock and whisk vigorously off the heat to bring it back together.
Can I use water to deglaze?
You can, but it lacks the acidity and sugars of wine or stock, meaning you will need to rely more heavily on herbs or citrus to balance the flavor.
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