Burgundy Shallot Sauce

This is the sauce that separates a home-cooked steak from a restaurant-quality one.

Sliced shallots and garlic get a quick saute, then hit with balsamic vinegar that reduces to almost nothing, concentrating into pure savory sweetness.

Two cups of Burgundy wine go in next with fresh thyme, simmering down until the shallots have absorbed every drop. Then veal or beef stock joins the pot and reduces by two-thirds into a glossy, intensely flavored sauce.

Finish with a whisper of cold unsalted butter swirled in at the end for that silky, restaurant-quality sheen.

Chef Tips

• Use a good-quality Burgundy or Pinot Noir. The sauce is essentially concentrated wine, so the flavor of the bottle matters.
• Reduce the balsamic vinegar until it nearly disappears before adding the wine. This builds layers of flavor rather than a one-note acidity.
• Skim any scum that rises during the stock reduction. That’s impurities from the stock, and leaving them in muddies the flavor.
• Whisk the cold butter in off the heat, right before serving. This is called monter au beurre, and it gives the sauce body and gloss without making it greasy.