Learn to make a tremendous Bordelaise Sauce

We hope Valentine’s Day went well for you all and that the pink fizz was well received. It’s still chilly at present and so we’ve been thinking of all of the times we’ve been away in the vineyards searching for wines when it has been bitterly cold. One time in particular came to mind when we were in Bordeaux and it was incredibly cold and in the evenings, just a short walk from our hotel to a small restaurant became a real trial thanks to the wind blowing off the river. 

When we finally got settled in the restaurant, we just wanted some hearty fare to bring us round and so we both ordered an Entrecote Bordelaise – basically a steak with a red wine and marrow sauce that was simply served with chips. It was tremendous and when washed down with a decent bottle of claret it really brought us back to life. And of course, a couple of Cognacs afterwards helped us back to the hotel! 

Here's a recipe to make a Bordelaise Sauce although it would more usually contain marrow, we feel this is a little easier and just as tasty:

Ingredients

175 ml dry red wine, preferably claret

2 medium shallots, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

½ ltr of good beef stock

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Place the red wine in a small pan with the shallots, thyme and bay leaf and bring the liquid to a gently rolling boil. Reduce by half. Then add the beef stock (this would originally have been a demi-glace) and return to the boil. Continue to reduce this by 50% or until it will coat the back of a spoon then sieve it and season it to your taste. Pour over your steak or even roast beef if you wish.