Please help me making this bordelaise sauce!

I've never added veal stock. Red wine, demi-glace, aromatics. That's it.

 

As a matter of classic French sauce preparation making, a bordelaise is made from an espagnole, plus stock, wine, shallots and either marrow or butter. In other words, it was made instead of demi-glace rather than with demi-glace.

As a practical matter in an era when demi-glace and glace de viande are pre-made pantry items (and not a drawn out process), most cooks make bordelaise with demi-glace, plus wine, shallots and whatever.

So, you may swing it how you like it.

Hope this helps,
BDL
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Ex owner/operator Predominantly French catering; ex cook at a coupl of good joints

 

I'd listen to BDL. I mean, Boar D Laze, bordelaise... He probably knows what he's talking about. And yeah, I know that traditionally it's made from espagnole, but no one I know has made that since culinary school. I'd love to make it that way, but most chefs I've worked for say "sweat shallots and garlic, deglaze with red wine, reduce, throw in some demi, reduce, salt to taste, finish with butter." Traditionally correct? Not at all. Tasty? Yeah, it's not bad.

 

Hey BDL you are giving away your age when you say Glace de viande. Most places when you say this look at you like your crazy. Ah yes a 10 gallon stockpot reduced to 2 cups of it. the original soup base, and marrow???? surely your joking.

 

I would steer clear of a restaurant that had Bordelaise on the menu (unless it had a few stars hanging by the door)- it's very old school.

I make veal jus with veal bones and calves feet, we simmer for 6 hours with mirepoix and tomatoes-strain and reserve the bones. Day 2 we simmer the bones again for six hours, then combine with the stock from day one and reduce. We don't add any wine/port etc until the day 3 reduction is finished. This works well as we usually have funny dietary requirements like no pork, no alcohol. We use our day 3 stock and combine with game stock, lamb stock etc to make our sauces. This method is time consumming but results in wonderful sauces free of gluton/flour.

I remember making Bordelaise when I worked in the US back in the 80's, in Europe you just don't see it any more, techniques have moved on..