Bordelaise Sauce
A proper Bordelaise is built on patience and the gradual concentration of flavor. It transforms thin wine into a syrupy, mahogany-colored glaze that defines a classic steak dinner.
Commit to the reduction.
The flavor is entirely dependent on how far you reduce the wine. If you pull it too early, the sauce will be acidic and loose; let it go until the liquid clings to the spoon.
- small stainless steel saucepan
- fine mesh chinois
- whisk
- heavy-bottomed skillet
What goes in.
- 1 cupdry red wine, such as Bordeaux or Cabernet
- 2shallots, minced
- 1 sprigfresh thyme
- 1bay leaf
- 1.5 cupsveal demi-glace
- 2 tbspcold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 tbsppoached bone marrow, cut into small cubes
Sec au vin
You are aiming for 'au sec', which means simmering the wine, shallots, and herbs until almost all the liquid has evaporated, leaving only a syrupy essence behind.
The method.
Combine the wine, minced shallots, thyme, and bay leaf in the saucepan.
Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.
Reduce the wine until it is nearly dry.
Watch for the liquid to thicken into a syrup that coats the bottom of the pan; it should look like dark, wet sand.
Incorporate the demi-glace.
Whisk in the demi-glace and return to a simmer. Allow it to reduce for about 10 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon.
Strain the sauce.
Pass the mixture through a chinois, pressing on the solids with the back of a ladle to extract every bit of concentrated flavor.
Finish with butter and marrow.
Return the strained sauce to the pan over very low heat. Whisk in the cold butter one cube at a time, followed by the marrow cubes, just until incorporated.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Use a high-quality, gelatin-rich veal stock for the demi-glace; otherwise, the sauce will lack the necessary body.
Ensure the butter is chilled when adding it at the end to help emulsify the sauce and create a glossy sheen.
Poach the bone marrow in salted water for 2-3 minutes before adding it to the sauce to remove excess blood and firm up the texture.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use a commercial beef broth?
It is not recommended. The texture of a true Bordelaise comes from the natural collagen in veal demi-glace. Without it, the sauce will be thin and watery.
How do I know if the reduction is 'dry' enough?
When you drag a spoon through the bottom of the pan, the wine should leave a clear path that does not immediately fill back in.
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