This Bordelaise sauce recipe is one of the true French classics, and for me, one of the best sauces to serve with steak. At its heart, it’s a red wine sauce for steak, the wine reduced almost to a glaze before rich beef stock is added and simmered to a glossy finish. What makes it Bordelaise is the shallots and the all-important bone marrow, which give it unrivalled depth and richness. A final whisk of cold butter brings the sauce together with a silky sheen. Pour it generously over a perfectly cooked steak, with triple-cooked chips ready to mop up every last drop.
Ingredients
Method
- Soak the marrow bone rounds in cold water with a good pinch of salt for 4 hours, or overnight.
- Set a heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat. Add a cube of butter and the diced shallots with a pinch of salt. Cook gently for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly to soften without colouring.
- Add the red wine and reduce until almost syrupy. Pour in the beef stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until reduced to a glossy, sauce-like consistency.
- While the sauce is reducing, push the marrow out of the bones. The soaking should make this easy, but if needed, use a small, sharp knife to help release it. Dice the marrow into roughly 1cm pieces. Once the sauce is ready, add the marrow and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the remaining cubed butter to emulsify into the sauce.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. A splash of raw wine or red wine vinegar can add brightness if needed.
