Bordelaise Sauce

Bordelaise sauce is a classic French sauce that hails from the region of Bordeaux in France. The name ‘bordelaise’ literally means “from Bordeaux” and the sauce is known for its rich, wine-forward flavour and is traditionally served with red meat steaks. The classic Bordelaise sauce recipe calls for a reduction of Bordeaux dry red wine and brown veal stock which is flavoured with shallots, thyme and bay leaf. When the reduction reaches the desired consistency, it is then enriched with pieces of beef bone marrow.

The history of Bordelaise Sauce

The history of Bordelaise sauce can be traced back to the 18th century, when it was first mentioned in French cookbooks. It is interesting to note that originally the sauce was made with white wine, but over time, red wine became the more popular choice. I have not read any theories around why red wine bordelaise became more popular, but I have formed my own :). Firstly Bordeaux is more famous for red wines these days, specifically Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot and so it’s easier to automatically associate red wine with a sauce “from Bordeaux”. The second reason, in my opinion, is that the dark deep colour given to the sauce by a red wine is more visually appealing than that of a pale sauce which you get when using white wine.

Bordelaise sauce is not a very difficult sauce to make. The most important thing, as with all cooking, is to choose ingredients of good quality. The two main components of the sauce are the wine and the stock. It will be difficult to get a good sauce, unless both these ingredients are of good quality.

Choosing the wine for Bordelaise Sauce

As explained earlier, the classic recipe calls for a Bordeaux red wine but a good sauce can of course be made with any type of good quality red wine. If you want to keep as close as possible to the classic recipe, but you can’t get hold of a Bordeaux wine, try to use a good quality Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Also, it does not have to be an expensive wine; as a matter of fact, I think it’s not very smart to use expensive wines for cooking. Keep that stuff for drinking with your meal! Choose a wine that is drinkable and ideally something that is full-bodied, dry and mildly astringent. Later one I’ll explain a technique that can be used to reduce the astringency in the sauce (if that is your preference).

What stock should you use for Bordelaise Sauce?

The classic recipe uses brown veal stock. Ideally, it’s best if you make the stock yourself, so that you can ensure it’s made with good ingredients and you can tailor the flavour profile to your preference. The main things to look for in the stock is that the flavour is good; it should have a strong veal flavour which is not over powered by other flavours from the aromatics. The stock should not be salted, otherwise the sauce might end up too salty when the stock is reduced. Also, it is important to use a gelatinous stock, so that the sauce thickens up when reduced and is able to coat the mouth when consumed. A gelatinous stock should solidify slightly when left in the fridge for a few hours; if it doesn’t, then it’s probably not gelatinous enough. If using a non-gelatinous stock, you will need to use a thickening agent such as a beurre manié or cornstarch slurry.
Instead of a stock, you can also use a reduced stock such as a glace or demi-glace to make a Bordelaise sauce. Of course, if doing this you will need to vary the amounts accordingly, but the end result should be the same.

Important tips for an excellent Bordelaise

Apart from choosing the right, high quality ingredients, there are a few other non-obvious details that are important to get an excellent Bordelaise sauce.

• Tannins and acidity from the dry red wine might make the sauce too astringent or acidic. This should be less of a problem if a good wine is used, but it is also a question of taste. One way to reduce the tannins affect from the sauce is to boil the wine with some protein. When boiling wine with protein, the tannins and pigments from the wine combine with the protein and their affect is significantly reduced. If you are using a tannic wine and you prefer the sauce to not be astringent, you have two options:
  1. You can brown some meat pieces in a pan before adding in the shallots and then let the red wine boil gently with the meat for about 30 minutes
  2. You use a non-reduced stock and then reduce the stock with the wine. Stock will contain proteins which can help with taming the tannins in the wine
• When using bone marrow, it is important to let it soak for at least an hour in salted water. Fresh bone marrow tends to have blood in it, especially when you buy it still inside the bone. If left this way, the bone marrow will turn grey as soon as it’s added to the sauce which makes it less visually appealing. By soaking the bone marrow in salted water, the blood is drawn out, making the bone marrow whiter which results in a better end result.
• A sauce Bordelaise needs to have a slightly thick consistency, enough to cover the back of a spoon and hold to it. This ensures that when poured over the meat (or whatever you’re serving it with), it holds on to it and when eaten, it covers the mouth providing a good mouthfeel. The sauce will thicken because of the gelatin in the stock; when reduced, the gelatin becomes more concentrated and makes the sauce syrupy. However, if the stock is not gelatinous enough, the sauce might not thicken and you’ll need have to use a thickening agent. The best thickening agent to use for a Bordelaise sauce is a ‘beurre manié‘, which is basically a paste made out of equal parts butter and all-purpose flour. Add small pieces to the sauce gradually until it reaches the right consistency. Be careful not to add too much; beurre manié will thicken after it’s cooked slightly, not instantly.
  You can also use other thickening agents such as a corn starch slurry. The reason I prefer a beurre manié is because corn starch can change the colour of the sauce making it slightly pale. From a taste and texture perspective, both thickening agents should achieve the same result.

What is Bordelaise sauce good with?

Bordelaise sauce is traditionally often served with beef steaks, especially tender cuts like beef tenderloin. This sauce is great for adding flavor to less flavorful cuts of meat without introducing very contrasting flavours (such as an au poivre sauce for example). Needless to say, it also goes well with other types of red meats like venison, duck, and pigeon. In addition to meats, Bordelaise sauce can also be used to add flavor to other dishes. For example, it can be spooned over mashed potatoes to give them a rich, meaty taste or on top of meat-filled pasta dishes such as wild boar or venison stuffed tortellacci.

Interesting variations to the classic recipe

There are various variations that can be done to the classic recipe. You can use different types of aromatics instead of the classic thyme and bayleaf. Rosemary would go very well with a beef dish; mint might go well with a strong flavoured cut of lamb.

Another variation can be done by using different brown stocks, to enhance the flavour of the meat that the sauce is going to be served with. For example, a venison brown stock can be used if the sauce is going to be served with a venison steak.

Finally, you can also use butter to enrich the sauce instead of bone marrow. This is simply a case of preference or practicality, in case you cannot get hold of good bone marrow. The end result will be similar, although if using butter, the sauce will be completely smooth, whereas bone marrow will not melt completely and thus gives the sauce some additional texture. Some modern Bordelaise sauce recipes use both butter and bone marrow. If doing this, it is important to poach the bone marrow slightly before adding to the sauce. This is to remove some of the fat in the bone marrow, otherwise the sauce will become too rich and fatty.