Classic French Bordelaise Sauce
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Elevate your steak night with a touch of French elegance! This classic Bordelaise sauce is the perfect companion for your favorite ribeye or grilled steak. Made from scratch with rich red wine, robust beef stock, and aromatic herbs, it brings a depth of flavor that’s hard to resist. Perfect for impressing dinner guests or treating yourself to a gourmet experience at home!
Indulge in the timeless elegance of Bordelaise sauce, a classic French delight crafted from rich Bordeaux red wine. Dating back to the 18th century, this iconic sauce beautifully complements grilled beef and steak, elevating your dish with its deep, wine-forward flavor. Perfect for those moments when you want to impress at the dinner table!
Ingredients
For the ingredient measurements and the entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.
- Butter: We prefer to use unsalted butter so we can control the amount of salt in the sauce.
- Shallots: Shallots are more delicate and slightly sweeter than onions. They are the best choice for Bordelaise sauce.
- Salt
- Red wine: Bordeaux wine is the classic variety to use, but something like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot is also a great option.
- Beef stock: Make sure to use stock and not broth. Stock is made from the bones and vegetables, while broth is made from bones, flesh, and vegetables. They are not interchangeable for this recipe.
- Ground black pepper
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.
- Saute the shallot with butter and salt until caramelized and brown.
- Add the red wine and cook until reduced to a thick syrupy consistency.
- Add the beef stock and simmer until reduced by half and the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve and stir in the black pepper.
- Serve over steak or roast beef.
Tips For Success
- If you want to create the ultimate Bordelaise sauce, don’t skip the deglazing step—it’s a total game-changer! This essential technique captures the rich, caramelized flavors from the browned bits in the pan, infusing your sauce with incredible depth and richness. Trust me, those little bits make all the difference!
- When using just beef stock, I love to let it simmer down to about 1 cup. This natural reduction not only intensifies the flavor of my sauce but also thickens it beautifully—no extra thickeners needed!
- You can make this sauce up to 3 days ahead. Keep cool until it’s ready to use.
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Classic French Bordelaise Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 large shallots, minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cups beef stock
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add shallots and salt; cook and stir the shallots until caramelized and browned, about 20 minutes.
- Add red wine and bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook until wine is nearly evaporated and pan juices are thick and slightly syrupy, about 10 minutes
- Add beef stock, return to a simmer, and cook until reduced by half and sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Pour sauce through a fine-mesh sieve set over a heat-proof bowl. Stir in the black pepper. Serve over steak or roast beef.
Notes
- Makes about 1 cup.
- Make-Ahead: You can make this sauce up to 3 days ahead.
- How to Store: Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- How to Reheat: Add the sauce to a small saucepan and heat over low heat until hot. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of stock or water to thin it out.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.