Sauce Bordelaise
Red wine, shallots and marrow in demi-glace
Red wine and shallots reduced almost to nothing, demi-glace added, poached marrow at the end. The sauce for a grilled steak, and the marrow is not optional if you want the real thing.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry red wine (a Bordeaux, or anything tannic you would drink)
- 4 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 10 black peppercorns, cracked
- 2 cups Demi-Glace (see Demi-Glace)
- 3 ounces beef marrow, diced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine the wine, shallots, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns in a saucepan. Simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add the demi-glace and simmer gently for 15 minutes, skimming.
- Meanwhile, poach the diced marrow in barely simmering salted water for 2 minutes, until just translucent. Drain.
- Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids.
- Off the heat, whisk in the cold butter, then fold in the marrow. Season with salt and serve at once.
Notes
- Soak the marrow bones in cold salted water for a few hours first; it draws out the blood and keeps the marrow pale.
- Without marrow this is closer to a Sauce Marchand de Vin, which is no hardship.