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Black peppercorn and red wine sauce served
Elegant red wine reduction sauce speckled with cracked black peppercorn

Black peppercorn & red wine sauce

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses Sauces and Gravies
This sauce is a cornerstone of French bistro cuisine, where the technique of 'reduction' dominates. The essence is concentrating flavours: by evaporating the water content of red wine and stock, we get an intense essence. The result is perfect when the sauce is mirror-smooth and coats the back of a spoon. The cold butter at the end not only adds flavour but also emulsifies the sauce, lending it a silky sheen.
🕒 Prep Time 10 mins
🍳 Cook Time 25 mins
⌛ Total Time 35 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 125 kcal
🌍 Cuisine French

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Frying pan (preferably stainless steel)
  • Whisk
  • Fine sieve
  • Chopping board and knife

Allergen Information

⚠️ Milk

Instructions

1 ✓

Dice the onion very finely. Crush the black peppercorns coarsely in a mortar or with the flat of a knife.

Tip: The essential oils of freshly crushed pepper are much more intense than pre-ground versions. (Volatility of aroma compounds).
2 ✓

In a pan, melt 10 g of butter and sweat the onion until translucent and soft.

Tip: Do not brown, as it takes away the flavour. We only want to coax out the natural sugar content of the onion. (Beginning of caramelisation).
3 ✓

Sprinkle with the crushed pepper and fry for half a minute until you smell the aroma.

Tip: Heating the pepper activates the flavour compounds. (Fat-soluble aroma compounds).
4 ✓

Pour in the red wine and boil on high heat until reduced by half (approx. 5-7 minutes).

Tip: During boiling, the alcohol and water evaporate, and the flavours concentrate. (Reduction).
5 ✓

Add the stock and honey, then continue boiling until the sauce begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon.

Tip: Gelatine-rich stock helps give body to the sauce. (Colloidal solution).
6 ✓

Remove from the heat and, while stirring continuously, add the remaining 20 g of cold butter cube by cube. Strain the sauce before serving.

Tip: Mixing in cold butter makes the sauce silky and glossy. Do not boil again! (Emulsion stabilisation).

Recipe FAQ

The sauce remained too runny.
Cook longer on a higher heat to evaporate more water, or mix a pinch of cornflour with cold water and add it (although the original recipe thickens by reduction only).
The sauce became bitter.
The onion or pepper probably burnt. Fry them on a lower heat next time.
The sauce split (the butter separated).
You added the butter to sauce that was too hot, or boiled it after mixing in the butter. Always remove from heat before mixing in the butter.

Ingredients

  • 200 ml Dry red wine (e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon)
  • 1 pc Shallot or red onion
  • 1 tbsp Whole black peppercorns (freshly crushed)
  • 30 g Cold butter (cubed)
  • 100 ml Good quality chicken or beef stock
  • 10 g Honey
  • 0.5 tsp Salt