Marchand de Vin Sauce

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Medium heavy-bottomed saucepan (2-3 quart)
• •Wooden spoon
• •Fine-mesh strainer (optional, for a smoother sauce)

Instructions

1. 1

   Caramelize the shallots

   Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the minced shallots and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes. You're not sautéing here. You're coaxing out sweetness. The shallots should turn golden and soft, almost jammy, with no harsh brown spots. This patience is where the sauce's depth begins.

   If shallots start browning too fast, add a splash of water and reduce the heat. Burned shallots will make the whole sauce bitter.
2. 2

   Add mushrooms and garlic

   Add the remaining tablespoon of cooking butter and the diced mushrooms. Increase heat to medium and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and it evaporates, about 5 minutes. The pan should sound quieter as the moisture cooks off. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Garlic burns in a heartbeat, so keep it moving.

3. 3

   Deglaze with wine

   Pour in the red wine all at once. It will sizzle and steam as it hits the hot pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. These fond bits are pure flavor. Add the thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and let the wine reduce by half, about 8 to 10 minutes. The raw alcohol smell will mellow into something rich and complex.

   Use a wine you'd actually drink. Cooking concentrates flavors, so bad wine makes bad sauce. That said, don't waste your finest bottle here.
4. 4

   Add demi-glace and reduce

   Stir in the demi-glace or beef stock along with the Worcestershire sauce. Bring back to a gentle simmer and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce reduces by about one-third and coats the back of a spoon. Taste here. Add salt and pepper gradually, keeping in mind that the butter finish will round everything out. Remove the bay leaf.

5. 5

   Mount with butter

   Remove the pan from the heat. Cut the cold finishing butter into small pieces and whisk them in, one piece at a time, until the sauce turns glossy and velvety. This is called mounting, and it transforms a good sauce into a great one. The butter emulsifies into the reduction, creating that restaurant-quality sheen. Don't put the pan back on direct heat after this step or the butter will break.

   The butter must be cold. Warm butter won't emulsify properly and you'll end up with a greasy sauce instead of a silky one.
6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Stir in the minced parsley. Taste one final time and adjust salt and pepper as needed. The sauce should be rich, slightly sweet from the shallots, with the wine's depth balanced by the savory demi-glace. Serve immediately, spooned generously over grilled steaks, roasted beef tenderloin, or pan-seared duck breast. This sauce waits for no one.

Chef Tips

• •If you can't find demi-glace, reduce 2 cups of good beef stock by half before starting. Add a teaspoon of tomato paste for body. It won't be quite the same, but it'll be close.
• •At Lagniappe, we make this sauce with the pan drippings from whatever steak we just seared. Pour off excess fat, deglaze with the wine, and proceed. The fond from the meat adds another layer of flavor.
• •This sauce pairs beautifully with a bold red wine. Pour the same wine you cooked with, and the flavors echo each other on the plate and in the glass.
• •For a slightly richer finish, swirl in an extra tablespoon of cold butter. The French would approve.

Advance Preparation

• •The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated without the final butter mounting. Reheat gently over low heat, then whisk in the cold butter just before serving.
• •For entertaining, prepare the sauce through the reduction step, hold it warm, and mount with butter right before plating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 35g)