One of the oldest sauces in the French canon — onions, white wine, and mustard in a brown base. Rabelais name-checked it in 1534; pork chops have been grateful since.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
4
Before you start
Mise en place
Yield: About 300 ml
Equipment
Small saucepan
Whisk
Prep checklist
Onion — finely diced
3 steps
Method
1
Sweat the onion in butter over medium-low until fully soft and translucent, 8 minutes — no color.
8 min — timer available in cooking mode
2
Add wine and reduce by two-thirds, 4–5 minutes. Add stock and simmer 8 minutes more.
13 min — timer available in cooking mode
3
Off the heat, whisk in mustard and sugar. Never boil after the mustard goes in — heat turns Dijon bitter.
Why this works
Mustard last, always. Its heat and perfume are volatile.
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.
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.