Port Wine Sauce

This is another of Chef Anne’s mini masterpieces. Not long ago she made us filet mignon with this luscious sauce. I think wood chips would taste good as long as they had a little of Anne’s port wine sauce drizzled over the top. The only issue with making a sauce like this one is it does take a while for the reduction process to transpire. You can’t start 15 minutes before dinner and hope to serve this. You’ll need to boil/reduce the sauce for at least a half an hour or so. Get going early, or make it the day before you need it and reheat it at dinnertime. It will keep in the fridge for a couple of days if need be. It has a great color and lovely shimmer when served.

Port Wine Sauce (makes 1 cup)

2 tablespoons butter, divided, at room temperature
3 tablespoons finely minced shallots
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
1 cup ruby or tawny port
2 cups beef or chicken stock (I used chicken)
1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add shallots and sauté until soft, about three minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Add the port and cracked pepper. Simmer for 1 minute. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Boil until reduced to one cup. This took a bit more than 30 minutes for me. Remove the sprig of thyme. In a small bowl, blend the remaining tablespoon of butter with the flour. Take about 2 tablespoons of the warm sauce from your saucepan and add it to the butter/flour mixture. Whisk until it is completely smooth. Add this to the warm sauce on your stovetop. Simmer for 2 minutes whisking constantly. Taste. Add salt or pepper as desired. Serve over duck, chicken or steak.