Cooking with Wine
By St. Supéry winery chef, Ron Barber

My favorite quote on this subject is “I love cooking with wine; sometimes I even put it in the food!”

When cooking with wine, there are a few things to keep in mind.  Always simmer the wine to evaporate the alcohol before using it as a marinade ingredient. A fast simmer for about ten minutes should do the trick. Alcohol does not do anything good to protein.  Never use “cooking” wine. (St. Supéry wines are the preferred choice)  Use only wines to cook with that you would want to drink.

The following recipe is a rendition of the classic red wine reduction sauce Bordelaise.  I have omitted the poached bone marrow in order to lighten the sauce, and to keep your cholesterol levels down!  This sauce is delicious with beef, lamb, and even meaty fish varieties.

BORDELAISE SAUCE
1 cup St. Supéry Cabernet Sauvignon
1 cup veal stock or brown chicken stock
1/2 cup shallots –finely chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms – finely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic – sliced
3 thyme sprigs
5 parsley stems – 3” long
3 black peppercorns
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley - chopped

Bring the wine, shallots, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, parsley stems and peppercorns to simmer in a medium saucepan.  Simmer until about 3 tablespoons of liquid remain.  Add the veal stock and continue to simmer until the sauce is reduced by one third.  Strain through a fine strainer and return to a clean saucepan.  Whisk in the butter and parsley. 

Serves 4