Friday, August 14, 2009

Make Sauce Meurette







If you enjoy savory red wine sauces, try some sauce meurette. Deep mahogany in color, this reduced wine sauce is buttery and smooth. Originating in Burgundy, France, this sauce is eaten in bistros as an accompaniment to cooked eggs or meat.


Instructions


1. Combine the red wine and stock in a large saucepan and bring to a boil on medium high heat. Pierce each onion half with 1 whole clove and add to the wine mixture along with the chopped carrots, onions and garlic.


2. Place the bay leaf, parsley, thyme and rosemary in the cheesecloth bag. Tie the bag with a piece of string, and place the cheese clothbag into the wine mixture.


3. Lower the heat to medium after the wine mixture has come to a boil. Allow the mixture to simmer until the vegetables have softened and the liquid has reduced to half of its original volume (approximately 45 minutes).


4. Place a strainer over a large bowl, and strain the wine mixture. Using the back of a large spoon, press the vegetables against the strainer, and extract as much liquid as possible from the cooked vegetables. Reserve the liquids and discard the vegetable solids.








5. Heat a large saucepan over low heat, and melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and stir continuously, cooking until the mixture has turned into a light golden color.


6. Add the strained wine mixture, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar. Stir continuously, and cook until the sauce has become smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tags: wine mixture, large saucepan