Red Wine Reduction

Knowing how to make the basic sauce recipes is very important if you want to jazz up a simple dinner. Many people are a bit intimidated at making sauces and reductions from scratch and usually resort to buying store bought ones. But making a simple sauce like a red wine reduction or a white wine sauce is much easier than a hollandaise or a bchamel sauce. A red wine reduction sauce goes well with all kinds of meat and poultry dishes particularly steaks and lamb chops. To make a good red wine reduction, you need to get hold of good red wine. Don't use a cheap bottle of wine as the sauce will not taste good. There are many variations of this simple sauce and here we are going to discuss some recipes for making red wine reduction sauce.

Red Wine Sauce Recipe 1
Ingredients

• 2 cups red wine
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 1 cup sodium less chicken stock
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 small carrot, cubed
• 1 bay leaf
• teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon grape seed oil

Method

In a medium saucepan, heat the grape seed oil and add the diced onions. Cook them over a low flame until the onions are translucent. Add the diced celery and carrots and cook them until they are soft and cooked through. Then add the thyme sprigs, minced garlic, bay leaf, salt and black pepper. Next add the red wine and the chicken stock and simmer over a low flame for about 30-40 minutes until the liquid is reduced. Strain the liquid through a cheesecloth and discard all solids. Add small cubes of butter one at a time, stirring all the while until the sauce becomes glossy. After adding all the butter, the sauce should be smooth and have a good consistency and glaze. Check seasonings and add more salt and pepper if required. This is a good red wine reduction sauce for steak.

Red Wine Reduction Recipe 2
Ingredients

• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Method

In a small saucepan heat the chicken stock until the stock reduces to half its original volume. Transfer stock to a bowl and keep warm. Place the saucepan back on the flame and add the dry red wine, minced garlic, diced onion, thyme and tomato paste. Stir this mixture every 5 minutes and simmer on a low flame until the mixture reduces to 1/3 of its original quantity. Add the warm and reduced chicken stock to this mixture and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Strain the mixture and discard all solids. Whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until you get a shiny and thick sauce. This goes very well with pork tenderloin or lamb chops.

Red Wine Sauce Recipe 3
Ingredients

• 1 cup dry red wine
• cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 red onions, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon veal demiglaze
• 2 tablespoons butter

Method

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the chopped onions. Cook the onions until they are translucent but not golden brown in color. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for 2-3 minutes. Next add the dry red wine and allow the wine to simmer over a low flame. When the sauce is reduced to half, add the veal demiglaze and stir until the sauce is a little shiny.

These were three red wine reduction recipes that you can use to make great accompaniment to your dishes. Is red wine good for you? Well the calories in red wine is about 125 so use this sauce sparingly. The secret to making a good red wine reduction is to reduce the wine to at least half of its original volume. This makes the reduction taste smooth and flavorsome.