French · Sauce · All year
Sauce Bordelaise
4.6 · community
10m
Prep
35m
Cook
Med
Level
150
Energy
Bordeaux's gift to steak: red wine reduced with shallots and thyme, mounted with butter over a demi-glace heart. The reference red-wine sauce.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
4
Before you start
Mise en place
Yield: About 300 ml
Equipment
Small saucepan
Whisk
Prep checklist
Red Wine — dry, mid-weight
Shallot — minced
Beef Stock — rich, or demi-glace thinned
Butter — cold, cubed
Whole Black Peppercorns — cracked
3 steps
Method
1
Simmer wine, shallots, peppercorns, thyme, and bay over medium heat until reduced by three-quarters — 12–15 minutes, syrupy at the edges.
14 min — timer available in cooking mode
Why this works
The first hard minutes boil off raw alcohol; the rest concentrates fruit and acid. Taste as you go — reduction amplifies everything, including mistakes.
2
Add the stock and reduce again by half, 10–12 minutes, to a loose glaze.
11 min — timer available in cooking mode
3
Strain, return to the pan off the heat, and whisk in cold butter cube by cube until glossy. Season last.
From the pass
Chef's notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
When it goes sideways
Common mistakes
The sauce broke into oily puddles
Too much fat too fast, or too much heat. Whisk a tablespoon of warm water in a clean bowl and beat the broken sauce into it a spoonful at a time — you're starting a new emulsion and feeding it the old one.
It's too thick
Thickness means crowded, not broken — loosen with warm water a teaspoon at a time.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Airtight jar in the fridge, 3–5 days. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of starch-thickened sauces to stop a skin forming.
Freezing
Most sauces freeze 2–3 months; freeze in ice-cube trays for single portions. Emulsified butter/egg sauces don't freeze — they break on thawing.
Reheating
Reheat gently over low heat, whisking; butter- and egg-based sauces split when boiled. Loosen with a spoonful of warm water or stock.
Make ahead
Most sauces keep 3–5 days refrigerated and freeze in ice-cube trays for instant single portions. Emulsified butter sauces are best made within the hour.
Wine pairing
Follows the dish it dresses.
Beer pairing
Follows the dish it dresses.
On the plate
Serve it with
Sides
Any pan-seared steak in this app
Roast beef
Even a humble burger patty, elevated beyond reason
Garnish
A final swirl of butter or oil
Fresh herbs
Taste map
Flavour profile
Sweet
1
Salty
3
Sour
2
Bitter
0
Umami
4
Heat
0
Per serving
Nutrition
150
kcal
3g
protein
7g
carbs
9g
fat
3g
fiber
520mg
sodium
Asked and answered
Questions
Does the alcohol really cook off?
Mostly. A hard 2–3 minute boil drives off the harsh raw alcohol; long simmering removes more. A splash of flavor compounds carried by the wine stays behind — that's the point.
Which wine should I use?
One you would drink, but nothing precious. For reds: dry, mid-weight, low-oak (Côtes du Rhône energy). For whites: dry and crisp (Sauvignon Blanc, unoaked Chardonnay). Sweet or heavily oaked wines concentrate into syrup or bitterness.
How do I know when it's reduced enough?
Drag a spoon across the pan: the sauce should hold a brief trail. Nappe — coating the back of a spoon — is the classic test. It thickens further as it cools, so stop a shade early.
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