• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 1 cup red wine (use white wine if you’re making a sauce for chicken)
• 1 cup stock (chicken, beef or vegetable will all work)
• 2-3 tablespoons duck fat or non-dairy butter, cut into small pieces
• salt & pepper

 

This recipe begins after the steak has left the pan. If there is a lot of fat in the pan, you may wish to drain some and if it is very dry, add a tablespoon of fat so that it doesn’t burn. With the heat on medium-low, add the shallots and stir, scraping up the fond (browned bits on the pan) as you go. The shallots will release liquid as they cook, which will help to loosen everything.

Once shallots are tender (2-3 minutes), increase heat to medium-high and add wine. Continue to scrape up anything else that’s still stuck to the pan. Allow the wine to come to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until alcohol has burned off and liquid has reduced slightly.

Add stock and continue to cook until liquid has reduced by about half.

Remove from heat, and add duck fat or margarine a few pieces or scoops at a time, stirring vigorously to melt the fat and stabilize the emulsion. If the sauce separates, add a splash of stock or water and stir quickly to bring it back together. Season with salt & pepper.

 

From this basic formula, you can add herbs, mustard, other liquids and flavors to your sauce. We recommend checking out Sohla El-Waylly’s post on making pan sauces for more in depth food science and flavor suggestions.