Q: Wine Reduction Sauce

Am making a Charlie Trotter recipe and like many of his recipes some things seem a little strange. It calls for a wine reduction sauce reduced to 1/4 cup. He starts with THREE bottles of wine, one is a port, reduces and then adds 1/2 cup chicken stock. It all reduces to 1/4 cup. This seems ridiculous; a reduction of something like 36 to one. Nothing in the thing to make it thicken and don't see the need to use more than one bottle to get 1/4 cup. Any chefs out there to give me some comments?
Walt

Well, with a reduction like that you wouldn't NEED a thickening agent, that's for sure...Is that a printed recipe for home cooks? Not for nothing, but I'd never reduce three bottles of vino to 1/4 c....waste of good wine..I'd sacrifice one (or a blend of wine and port..

My two cents...

Sounds to me like he's trying for something a bit syrupy. It's extreme but I'd be inclined to give it a try.

Please report back if you do it. I'd be interested in knowing how long it takes to get that reduction as well as how it tastes.

Mike

Well, with a reduction like that you wouldn't NEED a thickening agent, that's for sure...Is that a printed recipe for home cooks? Not for nothing, but I'd never reduce three bottles of vino to 1/4 c....waste of good wine..I'd sacrifice one (or a blend of wine and port..

My two cents...

It is in one of his books, not something I made up. Think I am going to go with one bottle of a "goopy" wine, something like Yellow Tail Shiraz. It is used to drizzle around the plate and certainly will be tasted but not a major part of the main dish which is a celery root ravioli with a mushroom stuffing.
Walt

Walt, that sounds fair to me. There is a red wine reduction sauce on the Grill menu, will look it up when I visit tomorrow.

[Jenise]

I can't picture a 36:1 reduction either: I smell a kitchen test coming on. Now what do I have around here I'd be willing to sacrifice?

Celebrity cookbooks can often contain editing errors. You might want to get in touch with the publisher and see if they have recieved any other comments on this.

Walt, the recipe for Trotter's Red Wine Reduction in Charlie Trotter's Seafood -- a reduction that is used in several recipes -- has less wine and port:

Yield: 1/2 cup

1 Spanish Onion, coarsely chopped
1 Carrot, coarsely chopped
1 stalk Celery, coarsely chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 750 ml bottle Burgundy
2 cups Port
1 cup Chicken Stock (see separate recipe)

METHOD: In a medium saucepan, caramelize the onion, carrot, celery, apple and garlic in the grapeseed oil.

Add the Burgundy and the Port and simmer over medium heat for two hours.

Strain and place in a small saucepan with the Chicken Stock.

Continue to simmer over medium heat for one hour or until reduced to one half cup.
***

The basic Chicken Stock recipe:

Yield about 6 cups.

10 pounds chicken bones
2 Spanish onions, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
4 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 bulb garlic cut in half
1 bulb celery root, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon black pepper corns

METHOD

Put all ingredients in a large saucepan and cover with cold water, about two gallons. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for four hours, skimming any impurities that rise to the surface. Strain and reduce for another 45 minutes, or to about six cups.
***

I agree with Robert J. -- your version looks like a typo to me.

Regards, Bob

you think it reasonable to sacrifice even one bottle of wine for decoration? this is modern cuisine gone goofy.

Walt, the recipe for Trotter's Red Wine Reduction in Charlie Trotter's Seafood -- a reduction that is used in several recipes -- has less wine and port:

Yield: 1/2 cup

1 Spanish Onion, coarsely chopped
1 Carrot, coarsely chopped
1 stalk Celery, coarsely chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 750 ml bottle Burgundy
2 cups Port
1 cup Chicken Stock (see separate recipe)

METHOD: In a medium saucepan, caramelize the onion, carrot, celery, apple and garlic in the grapeseed oil.

Add the Burgundy and the Port and simmer over medium heat for two hours.

Strain and place in a small saucepan with the Chicken Stock.

Continue to simmer over medium heat for one hour or until reduced to one half cup.
***

The basic Chicken Stock recipe:

Yield about 6 cups.

10 pounds chicken bones
2 Spanish onions, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
4 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 bulb garlic cut in half
1 bulb celery root, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon black pepper corns

METHOD

Put all ingredients in a large saucepan and cover with cold water, about two gallons. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for four hours, skimming any impurities that rise to the surface. Strain and reduce for another 45 minutes, or to about six cups.
***

I agree with Robert J. -- your version looks like a typo to me.

Regards, Bob

That is pretty much the recipe I was going to use. He seems to like port but I am going to substitute a very fruity wine for the Burgundy and reduce to about 3/8 cup. It is more than just decoration, you will taste it, but his recipe seems silly. If it is a typo he has two of them, he uses three bottles of wine and reduces to 1/4 cup. I think he spends little time on the exact quantities, just on the ingredients, flavors and presentation. Had it over Thanksgiving and it was really god but the person who made the recipe only used 1 bottle of wine and nobody complained.
Walt