Pan Sauce 101

• 1–2 tbsp fat from the pan (or butter if needed)
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup wine (white or red, depending on what you’re cooking)
• ½ cup stock (chicken, beef, or vegetable)
• 1–2 tbsp cold butter
Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

After cooking your protein, leave the pan on medium heat with the browned bits still in it.

Add the shallots and cook until softened, then add the garlic and cook briefly.

Pour in the wine to deglaze, scraping up all the flavor from the bottom of the pan. Let it reduce by about half.

Add the stock and let it simmer until slightly thickened.

Turn off the heat and stir in the cold butter to finish the sauce.

Season with salt and pepper, then spoon it over your protein.

This is where you chef it up.

You can add Dijon and stone ground mustard for a sharper, more structured sauce, or a splash of cream to make it richer. Fresh herbs like thyme, tarragon, or parsley bring it to life.

Mushrooms add depth, capers or green peppercorns give it a little bite, and a squeeze of lemon can brighten everything up.

You can swap the wine depending on what you’re cooking, white for chicken or fish, red for steak. Even a splash of cognac or brandy takes it in a deeper, more classic direction.

Once you get this down, you can make a sauce out of almost anything in your pan.