A Classic Sauce From Southern France
Like a French bordelaise sauce, a classic Provencal sauce is typically prepared with a wine from the region. In this case it would be a wine from southern Rhone wine region.
It would also include Herbes de Provence, a mixture consisting of bunch of dried herbs typically including rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory, and marjoram.
The name herbes de Provence is now generic so the herbs can come from anywhere, be packaged and sold under that name. They do not have to come from France.
Herbes de Provence is a great mixture to flavor grilled foods as well as stews and are added before cooking, not after.
Depending on what you are serving with a Provencal sauce with, you may be using a red or white wine and substituting some of the ingredients. The recipe below is typically used with chicken, duck or some other poultry meat.
Chicken Based Demi Glace
This recipe calls for using a chicken based demi glace or Jus de Poulet Lie in French. Similar to a classic demi glace, it is a chicken stock reduction that is bound with starch and used for preparing lighter colored chicken based sauces to be served with chicken, duck, turkey or light meats like pork or veal.
Provencal Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons shallots finely chopped
- ¼ cup white wine dry
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
- 1 cup chicken demi glace
- ½ cup tomatoes peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh chervil finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley finely chopped
- salt & white pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat up a saucepan over medium heat and when hot, add the olive oil, then sauté the shallots and garlic for 2 minutes until the shallots become translucent.
- Add the wine plus herbs de Provence and cook until the wine is reduced by half.
- Add the chicken based demi glace or meat based demi glace if you can’t find it. You can also use chicken stock that has been reduced by half. Bring this to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, chervil, parsley and some salt & white pepper. Cook for a couple more minutes, taste and adjust seasonings.
- When the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, it is ready to serve.
How to Purchase Restaurant Quality Chicken Based Demi Glace
Until now, classic chicken based demi-glace was unavailable to home cooks unless they prepared it themselves or settled for a commercial brand loaded with m.s.g. and other chemicals. Now you can purchase a real chicken based demi-glace product called Jus de Poulet Lie Gold.
Available at Amazon.com
For years we suggested you purchase these products from a favorite gourmet web site but now that Amazon is stocking this product at prices 35% less, we suggest you buy them here:
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