BOURBON STEAK |
Washington, D.C. |
Making a sauce in the pan you just used to cook whatever the sauce will cover—in this case, a beautiful steak—is all about perception. It looks (and tastes) like it takes more time and training than it actually does. That’s because the ingredients do a lot of the work for you—the meat, in a way, becomes part of the sauce. The fundamental technique here is called “deglazing,” and it’s one of those essential principles of cooking that chefs hesitate to give away because it’s so easy. Truth is it’s simple to master, and it will catapult your confidence as a cook in just a few minutes.
The first thing to understand is that it’s a blessing to have little bits of meat stick to the pan when you’re cooking proteins like beef, pork, or chicken because those bits become the foundation of the sauce. The technical term for these little caramelized jewels is “fond,” and their flavor is everything here. Be careful not to burn them when you incorporate them into your sauce, because then the final product will taste . . . burned. So keep your heat moderate. Beyond that, it’s hard to mess this up. And the real beauty of deglazing lies in its speedy efficiency. By the time your steak has rested after cooking, everything’s ready to eat.
SERVES
1
(multiply for as many steaks as you are willing to make)
LEVEL of DIFFICULTY
WORTH THE EFFORT |
REASONABLE |
EASY |
1 shallot
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup/55 g brushed clean and sliced mushrooms*
About 6 tbsp/90 ml cabernet sauvignon
About 6 tbsp/90 ml beef or chicken stock
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful of chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, or tarragon or a mixture
1. In a hot, heavy-bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron and what you just cooked your steak in) over medium heat, add the shallot and 1 tbsp of the butter. When the butter has melted, add the mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms for a few minutes, then stir in the wine and deglaze the pan by using your spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
2. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the same amount of stock and cook to reduce that by half, too. Add a pinch of salt, some grinds of pepper, and the herbs. Finish by swirling in the remaining 1 tbsp butter.
* You can use button, shiitake, cremini, oyster, or pretty much whichever mushrooms look good at the supermarket.
