You can't find an easier way than classic Bordelaise Sauce to enhance your Sunday roast or Saturday BBQ. There are only a few ingredients, so searching out the best of them is essential to ending up with a great sauce.
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Ingredients & Substitutions
- The ingredient that makes Bordelaise sauce Bordelaise is red wine. It is a dry, red Bordeaux (Bordelaise means 'from Bordeaux'). Use a quality of wine you would drink. As a matter of fact - use the same wine you intend to serve with your meal if possible.
- Having said that, any dry red wine will work - so go back to the 'use the wine you intend to serve with your dinner' approach if not using a Bordeaux.
- The second crucial thing is to use the best quality stock you can access. I make my own beef and veal stock and freeze or preserve it so I have this covered perfectly at short notice. Failing that, look for veal stock sold in gourmet shops or the best quality beef or veal stock you can find. I don't suggest trying this sauce with dissolving cubes - they are just too salty and not rich enough.
- Adding the pan juices from the beef you are cooking is not traditional, but I can't bear to not take advantage of that extra flavour! The good news though, is - if you are making steaks or tenderloin where there is little to no pan juices to be had, the sauce will still be rich and flavourful.
I served it on the Sirloin Tip Roast above, and it was delicious!
How To Make It
- First, you will reduce the red wine with the aromatics by half.
- Next, you add the broth and reduce again.
- Then you will strain the solids out.
The reduction time is in the 20-35 minute time frame, but it is not really active time. You just have to be nearby to stir occasionally and watch it doesn't boil away.
Wine Pairing for Bordelaise Sauce
Well - this is easy! The traditional wine is a red Bordeaux since this recipe is a signature Bordeaux recipe. Use good quality and plan to serve the rest of the bottle with your meal. (Or sip on it while you are cooking and open another the same at dinner!).
Next best- use a Bordeaux in the sauce and open another Bordeaux at dinner. You may choose to do this if you are serving a special and/or expensive dinner wine. You don't have to cook with 'the best' but it should be good quality.
Having said that, any dry full-bodied red wine will work. You could use a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Merlot or a Malbec. Just remember to match the wine in the sauce to what you are serving with the dinner.
Suggested Menu
Sirloin Top Roast
English Roasted Potatoes
Balsamic Roasted Beets
Thyme Roasted Carrots
Graham Cracker Pie
Related Recipes
Bordelaise Sauce
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Save Print Pin FacebookIngredients
- ¾ cup dry red wine Bordeaux is the traditional wine used. Try to use the same wine you intend to serve with the meal.
- 2 medium shallots
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups beef or veal stock
- pan juices optional - See Note 3
- ¼ teaspoon salt See Note 1
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Optional Thickener
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter See Note 2
- 1 tablespoon flour
Instructions
- Cominbe red wine, shallots, thyme and bay leaf in a small sauce pan. Boil over medium heat until reduced to about half. You should have between ⅓ and ½ cup.
- Add the beef or veal stock and return to a boil. Boil until reduced to about 1 ⅓ cups. This may take 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your saucepan and the level of heat. If you are cooking a roast and have pan juices you can add them in to the sauce as it is reducing. Avoid adding a lot of fat with the pan juices. The sauce should reduce to coat the back of a metal spoon.
- Pour the sauce through a seive to remove solids. If there is any visible fat on the surface skim it off.
- Return sauce to the pan, add salt and pepper and taste test. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Note this sauce is thinner than gravy. If you want it a bit thicker - cream the butter and flour together and melt one teaspoon at a time in to the sauce. Continue to simmer and add the remaining butter/flour mixture. The sauce will not (should not be as thick as a traditional gravy).
- Serve hot over beef.
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