Technique of the Week: Pan Sauces

One of our many kitchen offerings is red wine demi-glace, which is heavily reduced veal stock flavoured with red wine.  It is great to use in a pan sauce, and now I want to give you two options for how to best use it with a steak (maybe a striploin that’s on sale this weekend?). These recipes are to be made in a pan which a steak had just been cooked (which will have all the delicious bits of beef remnants (aka “fond” from the steak), and are meant for approximately 2 steaks.

Peppercorn Sauce

Ingredients:

1 tbsp                   unsalted butter
1 tbsp                   shallots, minced
2 branches          fresh thyme
2 tsp                     cracked black peppercorns
3 tbsp                   brandy
1 tbsp                   green peppercorns (optional)
3 tbsp                   demi-glace
1 tbsp                   35% cream
to taste                salt

Method:

1. Drain any excess fat from the pan you had just used to cook a steak.
2. Return the pan to a medium heat and add the butter. When melted, add the shallots, thyme, and cracked pepper. Use a wooden spoon to stir well for a couple of minutes, picking up any bits of the fond as you stir.
3. When the shallots are translucent, add the brandy. Reduce by half.
4. Add the green peppercorns (if using) and the demi-glace. Reduce by a quarter.
5. Add the cream, bring to a simmer, then take off the heat. Remove the thyme branch, taste for seasoning, and serve, poured over your recently cooked steak.

Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups                  red wine (preferably something juicy that you would drink yourself, but also cheap and cheerful)
½ cup                   port wine
1 tbsp                   unsalted butter
1 tbsp                   shallots, minced
2 branches          fresh thyme
1                            bay leaf (dry or fresh)
4 tbsp                   demi-glace

Method

1. Pour the red wine and port into a small sauce pot, then place over medium high heat. Reduce the wine until a quarter cup remains.
2. While the wine is reducing, drain any excess fat from the pan you had just used to cook a steak.
3. Return the pan to a medium heat and add the butter. When melted, add the shallots, thyme, and bay leaf. Use a wooden spoon to stir well for a couple of minutes, picking up any bits of the fond as you stir.
4. When the shallots are translucent, add the wine reduction and bring to a simmer.
5. Add the demi-glace and reduce by a quarter and the sauce is glossy and coats the back of a spoon.
6. Remove the thyme and bay leaf and serve alongside your steak. If you want a totally smooth sauce, strain the shallots out as well using a fine mesh strainer.