beef and red wine jus

Ever wondered how to make that dark rick sauce that nearly every restaurant serves with their meat dishes, while it is best to make your own stock, there is nothing wrong with the good commercial ones you can by from the supermarket.

What you'll need
2 litre Veal or beef Stock
1 litre red wine
2 shallots (eschallots) peeled and halved
4 sprigs tyme
3 bay leaves

What to do
Place all the ingredients except for the veal stock in a sauce pan over a low flame and reduce by ½ (I usually make a little pen mark on the outside of the pot, so I know when it is half).

Add the veal stock and reduce that amount by half again.

Strain, portion and freeze and use as required for your next dinner party.

A little more than a tablespoon is all that is needed per serving of beef, lamb etc; so you should have enough here for a few dinner parties.