A classic brown, piquant, tangy sauce built on a Spanish sauce base, with shallots, vinegar, tomato, Harvey sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper. It is traditionally served with grilled poultry, oxtail, and tripe.
Ingredients
- 500 ml brown espagnole sauce
- 80 g fresh French shallots
- 100 ml white wine vinegar
- 40 g plain tomato purée
- 20 ml Harvey sauce
- 20 ml English Worcestershire sauce
- 2 pinches ground cayenne pepper
- 20 g unsalted butter
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- to taste fine salt
Method
- Prepare the shallots: peel them, slice them very finely, and lightly crush the black pepper. The pieces should be even so they melt into the sauce without creating a coarse texture.
- Sweat the shallots in the unsalted butter over medium-low heat in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir often: they should become translucent and supple, without pronounced browning or a burnt smell.
- Add the white wine vinegar and crushed black pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce over medium heat until the vinegar's sharp aroma softens and the liquid becomes syrupy at the bottom of the saucepan.
- Stir in the tomato purée and cook, stirring. It should darken slightly, lose its raw smell, and begin to catch very lightly on the bottom without burning.
- Pour the hot brown espagnole sauce over the reduction while whisking. Scrape the bottom of the saucepan well to dissolve the shallot fond, then maintain a gentle simmer, never a vigorous boil.
- Cook slowly, skimming if foam rises. The sauce is ready to season when it coats the spoon, the bubbles break slowly at the surface, and the texture looks glossy and bound.
- Add the Harvey sauce, English Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper. Whisk, then let simmer briefly to bring the flavors together without erasing the condiments' piquant, fermented character.
- Taste and adjust the salt only after adding the sauces, since they are already salty. The sauce should be brown, lively, piquant, and slightly acidic, with a distinct but non-burning heat.
- Strain through a fine chinois for a classic restaurant finish, gently pressing the shallots to recover their flavor without forcing their fibers into the sauce.
- Return the strained sauce to low heat just before serving. It should flow in a thick ribbon, coat meat or tripe without separating, and remain glossy on the plate.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 198.3 kcal
- Protein
- 4.33 g
- Carbohydrate
- 15.29 g
- Fat
- 12.9 g
- Fibre
- 2.12 g
- Calcium
- 45.88 mg
- Iron
- 0.84 mg
- Magnesium
- 21.83 mg
