Five-Minute Pan Sauce

Name: Five-Minute Pan Sauce
Prep time: 8 min
Total time: 8 min
Ingredients: 1 shallot, finely chopped, about 30 g; 1 tbsp fat from the pan or oil; 120 ml (½ cup) dry white or red wine, or 1 tbsp vinegar plus water; 250 ml (1 cup) chicken or brown stock, Chicken Stock or Brown Stock, or low-sodium store-bought; 1 tsp Dijon mustard, optional; 40 g (3 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cut in cubes; 1 tbsp chopped parsley, tarragon or thyme; 1 pinch fine sea salt and black pepper, to taste; 1 tsp lemon juice, optional

Turn the browned bits in the pan into a glossy sauce

Makes: about 150 ml (⅔ cup)
Hands-on: 8 min
Total: 8 min
Level: Easy

Every time you sear a steak, chop or chicken breast, the pan holds the beginnings of a sauce. Shallot, wine, stock and a knob of cold butter turn it into a glossy sauce while the meat rests.

Ingredients

1shallotfinely chopped, about 30 g
1 tbspfat from the pan or oil
120 mldry white or red wine (½ cup)or 1 tbsp vinegar plus water
250 mlchicken or brown stock (1 cup)Chicken Stock or Brown Stock, or low-sodium store-bought
1 tspDijon mustardoptional
40 gcold unsalted butter (3 tbsp)cut in cubes
1 tbspchopped parsley, tarragon or thyme
1 pinchfine sea salt and black pepperto taste
1 tsplemon juiceoptional

Diet: Gluten-free
Allergens: milk, sulphites, celery, mustard

Method

After searing the meat, move it to a plate to rest. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of fat from the pan. If anything in the pan is black, wipe it out and start with fresh oil.
Set the pan over medium heat, add the shallot and stir for 1 minute until soft.
Pour in the wine; it will hiss. Scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to dissolve the browned bits, and boil until reduced by about two-thirds, 1–2 minutes.
Add the stock and boil hard until reduced to about 100 ml and slightly syrupy, 3–4 minutes. Stir in the mustard.
Take the pan off the heat. Add any juices from the resting meat, then swirl in the cold butter a few cubes at a time until the sauce is glossy and lightly thickened.
Stir in the herbs, season with salt, pepper and a few drops of lemon, and spoon over the meat right away.

Why it works

The browned residue in the pan, called fond, is concentrated Maillard flavor that dissolves readily in liquid. Reducing the wine and stock concentrates flavor and the gelatin from the stock, which gives body. Cold butter swirled in off the heat melts slowly and emulsifies into the sauce, thickening it and making it shine; if it boils afterward the butter separates.

Common mistakes

Deglazing a burnt pan: black fond tastes bitter. If it's darker than mahogany, start fresh.
Boiling after adding the butter: the sauce turns greasy. Keep it off the heat.
Seasoning before reducing: the salt concentrates. Season at the end.

Variations

Peppercorn sauce: Add 1 tbsp crushed green or black peppercorns with the shallot, deglaze with 2 tbsp brandy and wine, and finish with 60 ml heavy cream instead of half the butter.
Mushroom sauce: Brown 150 g sliced mushrooms in the pan before the shallot.

Notes

Nonstick pans don't form much fond; stainless steel or cast iron give far better pan sauces. Mustard only if you add the Dijon. Use it for quick-cooked steaks, chops and chicken pieces; for a large roast and its pan juices, make Gravy, which is thickened with flour and makes enough for a table.