Since the creation of a pan sauce starts with the meat, choose a meat that requires searing, such as this rack of lamb. The browning process of searing makes "fond" -- or caramelized bits of meat and fat that stick to the pan.
Sear the meat to create a caramelized crust, remove from the pan and add some diced aromatic vegetables, such as onions, shallots or mirepoix. The vegetables will begin to release liquid as soon as they hit the heat, which will start to dissolve the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Adding in a sprig of thyme, rosemary or parsley at this point to add another layer of flavor.
Once the onions begin to soften, deglaze the pan with wine, water or another liquid to dissolve the remaining browned bits in the liquid and completely cook the aromatic vegetables.
Allow the wine to reduce and evaporate then add some stock to the pan and reduce again.
Once the stock has reduced, finish the sauce with a knob of butter and allow it to melt off the heat by swirling the pan -- this will help emulsify the sauce. Once you've added butter, the sauce cannot be brought back up to high heat or it will "break" and become greasy.
If you like a finer result, you can strain the sauce before using it to dress the meat.
What's the point of bringing meat to room temperature before cooking?
What's the point of bringing meat to room temperature before cooking?
When you're cooking meat that's been stored in the refrigerator, remember to bring it to room temperature (usually about 30 minutes) before subjecting it to the heat of the oven, stove or grill.
If you stick a cold dense piece of meat in a hot pan or oven, you risk drying out the exterior of the meat before you've given the inside a chance to cook through.
If you want your meat to cook evenly, do yourself a favor and let it come to room temperature first. If for some reason you can't, then as a last resort, reduce the heat to allow it to cook more slowly without drying out.
Deglazing is a fancy term for using the flavor-packed brown bits stuck to the bottom of a pan to make a pan sauce or gravy.
To deglaze, just skim excess fat from the pan you've just used to cook meat or poultry. Then add a small amount of liquid -- such as wine, stock or water -- to the cooking juices and boil quickly over high heat, stirring constantly to dislodge the brown bits and evaporate any added alcohol.
From here, you can reduce the liquid to a desired consistency, then maybe finish it off with a touch of cream, a knob of butter or a squeeze of citrus juice. After you take the pan off the heat, you can sprinkle in some chopped herbs and last-minute seasonings. Or if you want to be very French about it, you can finish by straining the imperfections from your sauce.
Vegetables can also be used to lightly "deglaze" a pan to which you have just browned a bit of meat. Water from the vegetables (especially onions) will have the same dislodging effect. And deglazing to make a flourless gravy for poultry can be as simple as removing a chicken from a roasting pan, straining excess fat, adding water and stirring vigorously until the liquid is uniform and slightly reduced.
Reference: What is a pan sauce? (Cookthink)
Recipe: Pan-Roasted Pork Chops With Mustard-Caper Sauce (Cookthink)
