Madeira sauce is a rich wine sauce that is made by adding wine to a basic pepper sauce. The sauce is usually served with meats like roast beef and chicken.
History of the Madeira Sauce Recipe
The history of the wine used for this sauce is very interesting. Madeira wines were created as they had a distinct taste and flavor. To make them easier to transport over longer distance, the young vintage was heated with fires or under the island sun. This considerably improved the taste of the wine. To prevent the wine from spoiling, small quantities of cane sugar and distilled alcohol were added and this contributed to the taste of the wine and the eventual sauce that was made form it. The French used large quantities of this wine in their daily diet and it was considered to be a cooking wine. No one knows who invented the original recipe but Madeira sauce is considered one of the traditional French sauces that have been created with a brown sauce base. Over the years many different versions have evolved.
Ingredient Used and Madeira Sauce Recipe Overview
The Madeira sauce recipe suggests initially making a roux or a brown butter and flour mixture. This is then added to vegetables like scallions, celery and carrots. The entire mix is then added to veal or beef stock and simmered for as long as two hours to three days. The mixture has to be skimmed regularly to remove the scum and fat that arises to the surface. Once the sauce has been reduced, it is sieved and all solid ingredients are discarded. Madeira wine is added and the contents simmered again. The resulting reduction is sieved again. And more Madeira wine is added. A few cooks like to add butter, pureed tomatoes and even chopped tomatoes at this stage. If tomatoes are added, the sauce is sieved again. Seasonings in the form of salt, pepper, and even mushrooms are added if required to make it richer. The same sauce can have additional ingredients where it is given other names: Antin sauce, Broglie sauce, Camrani sauce, Castellan sauce, Richelieu sauce,
Serving and Eating Madeira Sauce
The sauce is usually served with roasted meats like chicken, duck, ham, or on top of mutton. But the taste of the sauce is very rich and it can be served with any dish.
Trivia about Madeira Sauce
The traditional method of making the sauce was very time intensive and British chef Gordon Ramsay is credited with making a simpler version.