Easy Cabernet Sauce for Beef or Lamb

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 12/3/21
Kentucky Cabernet
Diana Rattray
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 16 mins
Total: 26 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Yield: 2 cups

Use a good quality cabernet to make this rich and flavorful red wine sauce. It's is an excellent choice for roast beef, steaks, or lamb, and it makes a fabulous sauce for venison as well.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, or meat drippings

  • 3 green onions, finely sliced

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

  • 1 dash freshly ground black pepper, or seasoned pepper

  • 3/4 cup cabernet sauvignon, good quality

  • 1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef stock

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 dash salt, or to taste

  • Gravy Master or similar browning sauce, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan or saucier over medium heat; add onions, and cook for 1 minute. Blend in flour and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

  3. Gradually stir in cabernet and beef stock. Let the mixture simmer briskly until reduced by about half, stirring occasionally.

  4. Add heavy cream and butter; continue simmering until reduced down to a nicely thickened sauce. Taste, and add a little salt, if needed.

  5. Stir in Gravy Master or other browning sauce, a few drops at a time, until you have the sauce as dark in color as you like. 

  6. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, if desired. Serve with roast beef, steak, venison, or lamb.

  7. Serve and enjoy.

Tips

  • If you have drippings from a roast or steak, use a few tablespoons of the drippings in place of olive oil or remove the roast to a warm platter, and prepare the sauce in the same roasting pan.
  • Browning sauce is basically a blend of seasonings and caramel coloring. It is used to add a rich brown color to gravies, sauces, soups, and stews. It has very few calories and very little sodium, and it takes very little to add color. In grocery stores, browning sauce is usually located near canned gravy and gravy mixes. Gravy Master and Kitchen Bouquet are two popular brands.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
165 Calories
15g Fat
3g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 165
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 20%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 41mg 14%
Sodium 144mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 3g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 1mg 6%
Calcium 26mg 2%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 54mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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