You can barely taste the chocolate in this Red Wine Chocolate Sauce and really only as an afterthought, but this sauce is heavenly. I made this Red Wine Chocolate Sauce to compliment a dinner of seared Venison loin, Gratin Dauphinoise and Red Cabbage and Apples. A New Year’s Eve favorite for sure!

Red Wine Chocolate Sauce

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Course: Sides
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Degree of Difficulty : Moderately difficult
Servings: 1 cup

Ingredients 

  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 3 oz bacon cut into lardons, I used slab bacon
  • 1 whole shallot finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic smashed
  • 10-12 whole pepper corns smashed
  • 2-3 sprigs thyme
  • 2 whole bay leaves
  • 1/2 bottle good red wine about 12 fl oz, or 350 ml
  • 1/2 cup Demi Glace
  • 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate
  • 1 tspn red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions

  • Gather all ingredients before starting the recipe.
  • Heat 1 tbsp canola oil in a medium skillet and 3 oz bacon cut into lardon, add 1 whole shallot, chopped, 2 cloves garlic,smashed, 10-12 whole pepper corns, 2-3 sprigs thyme, and 2 whole bay leaves. Stir to combine and cook for 4-5 minutes.
  • Add 1/2 bottle good red wine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until reduced by half and the vegetables are soft. About 40 minutes.
  • Strain the liquid, pushing the solids through a fine sieve. Add 1/2 cup Demi Glace and stir to combine. Finely grate1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate into the sauce, and add 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar. Taste for seasoning and adjust to taste.
  • Just before serving, add 1 tablespoon of butter and swirl until fully dissolved.

Author Notes

Many complex sauces are made with demi-glace. I have made it, and mine was pretty good, but it takes a very long time and a lot of hunting to find just the right kind of bones to roast as a base for the sauce.
So, I am continually on the look out for prepared demi-glace and I look for this delectable base sauce at every butcher shop that I find.
My latest demi-glace find was at the Butcher's Block in Sarasota, our home away from home in the winter.
Not only does the Butcher's Block have demi-glace, but also have venison loin, and as we are usually down here for New Year, it was a most exciting find.
I have also been lucky enough to find a source at a butcher, Olliffe, in Toronto. I have also found demi-glace on line and of course and I have made my own.
They are all delicious, but they are all different so taste as you go along, more with using this product than others. I still have to try the powdered variety from Knorr, but as long as I can get fresh frozen, I will always fall back to the butcher shop variety.

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