QUICK BROWN SAUCE
About 3 ¼ cups
Prepared in about 30 minutes, this sauce makes the wonders of brown sauce much more accessible. If made with mushroom stock, it is vegetarian.
Melt in a large wide saucepan over medium-high heat:
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
Add and cook, stirring, until well browned, about 10 minutes:
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
Reduce the heat to medium and add:
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- (2 tablespoons tomato paste)
Cook, stirring, until the sugar and tomato paste, if using, are deeply browned (do not burn them). Carefully whisk in:
- ½ cup dry red or white wine
Bring to a boil and boil until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in:
- 6 ½ cups Brown Beef Stock, Brown Poultry Stock, or Mushroom Stock I
- ¼ cup porcini mushroom powder or 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, finely ground
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
Bring to a rolling boil over high heat and boil for 4 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl and set aside. Melt in the same saucepan over medium heat:
- 3 tablespoons butter
Whisk in and cook, stirring, until the roux is walnut brown, 5 to 8 minutes:
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Whisk in the strained stock along with:
- 2 tablespoons port
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Bring to a boil, whisking, and simmer briskly until it is the consistency of heavy cream, 15 to 20 minutes. Strain again, if desired, and if using as is, blend in:
- (Salt to taste)
- (1 tablespoon butter)