Classic French Red Wine Shallot Sauce

Classic French red wine shallot sauce is the easiest way to add a deep rich velvety smooth sauce to add to your dish, pairs well with steak or one of my favorites Beef Wellington.

What makes this red wine shallot sauce special?

One of the ingredients is Demi-Glace. Demi-Glace is a French reduction of stock, in this case veal or beef stock. It is reduced to a very thick consistency making it a very concentrated beef flavor that marries the shallot and red wine together. Essentially it makes the pan sauce irresistible. 

Demi-Glace can be hard to find or expensive. My favorite is from William Sonoma but it’s about $30 a jar so if you’re not ready to make that investment, you can use this veal Demi-Glace (affiliate amazon link) or you can reduce your own store bought beef stock. 

To reduce your own beef stock, bring 1 cup of stock to a boil and reduce until it’s about a tablespoon, then substitute that for the Demi-Glace in the recipe. 

Tips for Success

• For a more smooth sauce, strain out the shallots before serving.
• If the pan sauce gets too thick, you can easily add water to bring it back to the sauce consistency you want without affecting the taste or flavor. Start with 1 TBSP at a time. 

Classic French Red Wine Shallot Sauce

Classic French red wine shallot sauce is the easiest way to add a deep rich velvety smooth sauce to add to your dish. Make it in just minutes, as your beef rests. The recipe makes 2 servings. Use the calculator for more servings.

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 servings

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Ingredients

• 1 Shallot - thinly sliced
• 1 cup Dry Red Wine
• 1 TBSP Demi-Glace/Beef Stock Reduction see blog notes
• Splash of Red Wine Vinegar
• ¼ TBSP Butter
• Salt

Instructions

• In a pan, over medium heat, add your shallot and a pinch of salt. Let the shallot sweat and become soft and translucent, about 3-5 minutes.

  Try not the brown the shallot, if it starts to color, turn down the temperature.
• Pour in the red wine.

  If using a stainless steel pan, with a wooden spoon, scrape up any brown bits so that the flavor is reincorporated into the sauce.
• Whisk in the Demi-Glace.
• Let the sauce reduce until it becomes a thick enough to coat a spoon, down to about ½ cup. It should be velvety smooth.
• Add in a pinch of salt and a splash (about ½ tablespoon) of red wine vinegar.

  Taste. If the sauce is bland add another pinch of salt. If your sauce is lacking definition, add another splash of red wine vinegar.
• Remove from heat and swirl in butter until melted and sauce is shiny.
• Serve immediately.