Bordelaise Sauce for Game
Submitted by Eyvon
A classic French bordelaise sauce built from scratch in three stages: matignon, espagnole, and a red wine reduction finished with poached bone marrow. The ultimate companion for game, beef steaks, and roasts.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minThis is serious French cookery, and it earns every minute of your time.
Bordelaise sauce is built in three deliberate stages. First, a matignon of parsnip, celery, onion, bacon, and herbs simmers gently in drippings, then gets deglazed with Madeira.
That aromatic base feeds into a proper Sauce Espagnole: flour browned in caribou or beef drippings, enriched with tomatoes, parsley, cracked peppercorns, and eight cups of clarified stock, then reduced by half over a couple of hours.
Finally, dry red wine reduces with crushed peppercorns, meets a cup of that espagnole, and finishes with the reserved Madeira and cubes of bone marrow poached until silky.
The result is a deeply savory, wine-dark sauce with an almost velvety richness from the marrow. It belongs on venison chops, grilled beef tenderloin, charbroiled steaks, or sweetbreads.
Chef Tips
- Skim the fat from the espagnole as it simmers. Patience here is what separates a great sauce from a greasy one.
- Use parsnip instead of the traditional carrot when serving with game. It adds an earthy sweetness that complements wild flavors.
- The espagnole yields about 6 cups. Freeze the extra 5 cups in portions for quick brown sauces later.
- Poach the bone marrow gently. High heat will melt it into nothing.
Ingredients
Directions
This is a three step process (four if you count making the stock in advance) but well worth it as it makes a superb accompliment to the finest game or beef steaks and roasts.
The Matignon is similar to Mirepoix.
Carrot is traditional in the classic French recipe but parsnip is more appropriate for game.
Melt the bacon fat, mince the vegetables and add to the pan with the herbs.
Cook slowly for 15 minutes until vegetables are soft.
Set aside and deglaze pan with the madeira.
Reserve the liquid. Melt in a heavy saucepan the drippings.
Add the Matignon and reheat it.
Add the flour, heat and stir until browned.
Then add the pepper, tomatoes, parsley and stir.
Add the stock and simmer gently until liquid reduced by half, about 2 to 2½ hrs.
Stir occasionally and skim fat off the top as it accumulates.
Strain the sauce and stir occasionally as it cools to avoid skimming.
There should be about 6 cups. Set aside 5 cups for other brown sauces later and take one cup for the last step.
In a saucepan, gently simmer red wine with pepper until reduced to ¾.
Add one cup of Espagnole and simmer 5 min.
Add reserved madeira de-glazing liquid from step one and the diced marrow and poach it 5 min.
Serve with game or beef chops, steaks, roasted Fillet Mignon, char boiled cuts and sweetbreads.
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