Pears Bordelaise Recipes

BORDELAISE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make a bouquet garni: Tie parsley, thyme, and bay leaf in a small square of cheesecloth. Season meat with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, just until beginning to smoke. Add meat and sear until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Add shallots, garlic, and bouquet garni, and cook until shallots are translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Add red wine, and bring to a boil, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until liquid is dark and syrupy and reduced by one-third, about 10 minutes.
• Add veal stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook, skimming as necessary, until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds, about 40 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Store, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.

QUICK & EASY CARAMELIZED PEARS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add pears, one cut side down, and cook until browned, then reduce heat to medium and cook 3 minutes. Turn pears to other cut side and cook 4 minutes. Add sugar and 1 tablespoon water, swirling pan to combine. Turn pears skin side down and cook until sauce is thickened slightly, 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla and pinch of salt. Serve warm with ice cream.

COD BORDELAISE

Steps:

• Make the Bordelaise Garnish: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook 5 minutes longer. Add the wine and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Discard the thyme.
• Make the Seared Cod: Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the fillets with salt and pepper and slip them into the pan, skin side down, along with the garlic and thyme. Sear the fillets for 3 minutes, turn them over and cook for 3 minutes more. Reduce the heat to medium, add the butter and cook another 3 minutes, or until the fish is opaque, moist and lightly firm when pressed.
• Spoon the Bordelaise Garnish onto a serving platter, top with the seared cod, and sprinkle with parsley.

PEARS BORDELAISE

Steps:

• Put wine and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil. When sugar has melted and syrup is well blended, add pears and poach them gently, spooning the liquid over them. Turn pears to cook evenly. When fruit is tender and well colored, remove to a bowl to cool. Add jelly to syrup and cook and blend for several minutes. Pour syrup over pears. Let them stand and become thoroughly chilled in the liquid before serving.

A CHEAT'S BORDELAISE SAUCE

Steps:

• Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan, place over medium-high heat and add the shallot and garlic and then the thyme and bay leaf. Cook until the shallots are light brown, then add the wine, lower the heat and simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup.
• Add the pan drippings from the chops or the demi-glace if you have it. Simmer for an additional 5 to 10 minutes and then strain into a clean saucepan. Return to medium heat until warm and whisk in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately drizzled over the pork chops.