Marchand de vin sauce

A recipe from cooking-ez.com

For 4 people, you will need:

• 1 70 g shallot
• 2 20 g butter
• 3 1 beef stock cube
• 4 500 ml red wine
• 5 salt
• 6 pepper
• 7 125 g butter
• Total weight: 725 grams

Times:

Preparation	Cooking	Start to finish
10 min.	25 min.	35 min.

Step by step recipe

1	Prepare 70 g shallot and chop finely.
2	Melt 20 g butter in a pan, then add the chopped shallot, salt and pepper. Mix well. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes without colouring.
3	Add 1 beef stock cube and stir until it has dissolved.
4	Pour in 500 ml red wine, mix and leave to reduce by 3/4 on low heat.
5	Strain the contents of the pan through a small strainer to remove the shallot, which should be discarded. Pour the liquid back into the pan after wiping round it quickly with absorbant paper. Straining the sauce doesn't really affect the flavour but it improves the texture, making it smoother and glossier. However, it is not absolutely necessary. Note: if you wish to prepare the sauce a few days in advance of use, the liquid at this stage can be kept in the fridge in a sealed container.
6	Put the pan back on low heat and when the liquid is hot, incorporate 125 g butter (very cold) a piece at a time, while beating. This process is known as "finishing" the sauce ("monter au beurre" in French), and makes it smooth and glossy. Check seasoning.
7	Serve without delay, either in a sauce boat or on the plates.

Remarks

If you don't have shallots, use onion instead.

---