Quote:
Originally Posted by kuan  Roast it with mirepoix, deglaze the pan, add veal stock and puree the whole thing. That's good gravy man.  |
I like Kuan's basic idea, but want to suggest a few tweaks.
MADEIRA MUSHROOM SAUCE
For every beef round, use 2 cups of rough cut mirepoix. And add to it the stems of 1 pound of ordinary white (button) or brown (crimini) mushrooms. While the meat is roasting, cut the mushroom caps into thin slices.
After the roast is cooked, remove from the pan and drain off all but a little fat. Transfer the pan to the top of the stove, and over a medium flame push the vegetables to one side, and add 2 tbs of tomato paste in the empty space. Push the paste around with a spoon until it darkens and the raw is cooked off, then mix the vegetables in it.
Deglaze the pan with a cup of inexpensive Madeira (San Antonio Winery, for instance) or off-dry sherry like an Amontillado (Tesoro, for instance). This will give the "sauce" a hint of sophistication that should tickle the girls' nascent maturity, but these wines are neither winey nor boozey enough to taste objectionable to young palates.
When the pan is fully deglazed, allow the wine to reduce by about 20%.
If you don't have veal stock, you can use a good beef base like "Better than Bullion," but increase the concentration by about 25%. Use about 2 cups of stock to each cup of wine. Add the stock to the wine, bring to the boil, lower the heat to a fast simmer, and reduce by a quarter.
While the sauce is reducing, saute the sliced mushrooms in butter until browned in the following way: Heat the pan, and add a little oil, then off the flame melt the butter. Return the pan to the flame and add the mushrooms. Do not turn or stir until the mushrooms have browned (slightly) on one side. Then turn (or toss if possible) and saute until the mushrooms are just cooked. Reserve. Chop 1/2 cup of parsley. Reserve.
Puree the sauce, then pass it through a sieve after pureeing. The sauce MUST be sieved. Sieving gives gloss and texture.
The sauce should be barely nappe. If the sauce is not thick enough, thicken very slightly with a corn-starch slurry, and sieve again. Add a few splashes of Maggi if you have it. Add the mushrooms. Taste and adjust for salt and white pepper. Add as much parsley as you think appropriate immediately before service.
BDL
Help with a sauce pls! 
Thank you! 
......NICE! 
