Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup Onion, small dice (75g)
  • 1/4 cup Carrot, small dice (40g)
  • 1/4 cup Celery, small dice (40g)
  • 5 tbsp Unsalted Butter, divided (75g)
  • 1/4 cup All-purpose Flour (35g)
  • 4 cups High-quality Brown Beef Stock (950ml)
  • 2 tbsp Tomato Purée (30ml)
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 4 Fresh Thyme sprigs
  • 5 Black peppercorns, crushed
  • 3 Parsley stems

Instructions:

  1. Melt 2 tablespoons (30g) of the butter in your saucepan. Add the 75g onion, 40g carrot, and 40g celery. Cook 8 minutes until soft and starting to brown.
  2. Stir in the 30ml of tomato purée.
  3. In a separate small pan, or by pushing veg to the side, melt the remaining butter and whisk in the 35g flour.
  4. Cook the flour and butter on medium low, stirring constantly. Cook 12 minutes until it smells like toasted nuts and looks like dark chocolate.
  5. Slowly pour in 1 cup of the 950ml beef stock while whisking vigorously. Continue until the mixture is a smooth paste.
  6. Add the rest of the stock, the bay leaf, thyme sprigs, peppercorns, and parsley stems.
  7. Bring to a boil, then drop to a low simmer. Cook 40 minutes until reduced by nearly half.
  8. Pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Discard the solids.
  9. If the sauce isn't glossy enough, whisk in one last cold pat of butter.
  10. Taste and add salt only if your stock wasn't already salted.