Ruby port reduced with shallot and thyme, built up with demi-glace and finished with butter. Velvety, dark and with a sweet undertone that perfectly complements duck, foie gras and game.
Port sauce
Sauce au porto
Port sauce
Sauce au porto
Method
01
Reduce
Bring 200 ml of the port to the boil with the shallot, thyme and peppercorns and reduce to a syrupy residue of about three tablespoons.
02
Build
Add the demi-glace and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Skim off any scum that rises.
03
Strain
Pass through a fine sieve and press the shallot out well.
04
Finish
Add the remaining port for the aroma and keep warm for another minute.
05
Mount with butter
Off the heat, whisk in the ice-cold butter. Season with salt, pepper and a few drops of red wine vinegar to balance the sweetness.
Tips & notes
Port is sweet and quickly turns syrupy-sweet in a reduction. Those few drops of vinegar at the end aren't a luxury but a necessity: without acidity, the sauce tastes like a dessert sauce. Keeps for 3–4 days in the fridge, and freezes very well (up to 3 months); the flavour often deepens further the next day.
Chef's tip
Choose a ruby or a young tawny; an old tawny or vintage port is wasted in a sauce because the delicate oxidative aromas cook away. A spoonful of melted shallot confit or dried fig in the reduction gives depth without extra sugar.
Variations
- With figs – Infuse two dried figs in the reduction and strain.
- With foie gras – Finish with 30 g of raw foie gras instead of butter.
- With green pepper – Add a spoonful of green peppercorns after straining.
Contains:
Milk
Sulphites
Serve with
- Duck breast
- Foie gras
- Venison steak
- Beef
- Blue cheese
- Figs
| Calories | 410 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 64 g |
| Fat | 11 g |
| Fibre | 19 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
