2tablespoonsbutteror oil or some combination. If there is leftover fat from what you just cooked, use that.
1shallotminced
¼cupwinered, white or port depending on what you are cooking
1cupchicken stockbeef stock or vegetable stock (again depending on what you are cooking)
salt and pepperto taste
1tablespoonfinely chopped fresh herbsagain depending on what you are cooking
Instructions
Remove the meat from the sauté pan; pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat (add fat if you need to).
Remove the pan from the heat; add wine to deglaze the pan while scraping any bits stuck to the pan when cooking the meat.
Place the pan back on the heat and immediately add the shallots letting them cook while the wine reduces to an essence. Be sure to keep stirring so the shallots don’t burn and the bottom of the pan is clean.
Once the wine is almost completely cooked off, add the stock. Reduce the stock by at least half and more if you want the sauce thicker.
Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Many professional chefs will add pats of butter at this point to give the sauce more flavor and that velvety shine and smooth texture. This is great but it sort of defeats the purpose of making a reduction to reduce fat and calories.
Add the finely chopped herbs and serve. Serve with your favorite protein.