This thread inspired my sauce-making efforts tonight - my mother was in charge of dinner and informed me filet mignon was on the menu, no sauce planned. I find filet somewhat flavorless on its own, so I told her I’d make a sauce. Improvised a sherry-cognac-shallot reduction that I then nearly ruined by adding half and half that promptly curdled. Ugh. Strained it to salvage, made a roux and added the salvaged reduction back in with a bit of stock and plenty of pepper. It ended up being delicious, if somewhat different than intended. Thanks to HOs far and wide for the inspo and a Merry Christmas to all!
7 Likes
That sounds absolutely wonderful. If you have any leftover Espagnole, I found this list of other Espagnole based sauces on, of all places, Wikipedia!
| Sauce | Ingredients | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| africaine | Cayenne pepper, madeira, onion rings, diced truffles | [13] |
| bigarade | juice and zest of orange and lemon; duck stock, sugar | [14] |
| bordelaise | thyme, mignonette pepper, bay leaves, red wine | [15] |
| bourguignonne | shallots, parsley, thyme, bay, mushroom trimmings, butter and red wine | [16] |
| aux champignons | mushroom stock and small mushroom caps | [17] |
| charcutière | onions, white wine, vinegar, pepper, mustard, gherkins | [18] |
| chasseur | sliced mushrooms, chopped sautéed shallots, white wine, butter, parsley | [15] |
| chevreuil | mirepoix of vegetables, game trimmings, red wine, pepper sauce, Cayenne pepper | [19] |
| à la diable anglaise | shallots, white pepper, vinegar, tomato purée | [20] |
| financière | madeira, truffle essence | [21] |
| aux pignoles à l’italienne | pine kernels (pignoles), sugar, vinegar, nutmeg, pepper, red wine | [22] |
| Robert | onions, white wine, vinegar, pepper, mustard | [23] |
| Saint-Malo | white wine, shallots, mustard, anchovy paste | [24] |
| venaison | game essence, pepper sauce, redcurrant jelly, sugar | [19] |
And then, of course, there are several common variations of Espagnole, mainly with or without tomato.
6 Likes
I ended up making a steak and shallot pot pie for Boxing Day, and the Merchand du Vin was every bit as good the second time around.
3 Likes
