If you've read some of my more recent posts from this summer, you might know that I am sort of obsessed with Le Guide Culinaire by Auguste Escoffier. As you might expect, this recipe was adapted from his book. Adaptation is necessary because when it comes to compound sauces, fully replicating his recipes is near impossible. All of his recipes are designed for professional applications and usually require a great deal of preparation. For instance, he creates a base for the sauce Bordelaise with sauce Espagnole. Sauce Espagnole is made from a brown roux, brown stock, tomato purée, aromatics, and seasonings. The brown roux and stock must be made beforehand, and are quite expensive to make on your own because his roux requires clarified butter only, and because the stock recipe requires expensive beef shin bones. Needless to say, his method for sauce Bordelaise needs streamlining for the home kitchen. I attempt to do so in this recipe.
