I have some chicken stock that I've made, that I want to use as a base for a sauce for some duck. I am roasting the duck bones at the moment and will simmer them in the chicken stock for a while.
If I want to add red wine to this should I reduce the red wine first then add the duck/chicken broth and reduce further, add red wine to the broth and reduce at the same time or reduce the broth and add red wine then reduce that. Or not reduce at all? What would be the consequences of each?
Best Answer
Your question makes me think of demi-glace. From your question, I would say that you're trying to get a nice shiny thick sauce for your duck, one that tastes of red wine.
If that's your goal, I would recommend you
Reduce your stock down until it's about the total volume of liquid that you're going to want. The stock reduction should be roughly the consistency you want your final sauce to be.
Add an equal volume of wine
Reduce down to desired consistency (so about by half).
This will give you a lovely sauce, with lots of that sticky goodness that reduced stocks deliver so nicely.
You might do this with all of your stock, then freeze cubes of unused sauce for later; they make a great addition to other bases.
Left-over alcohol is not going to be an issue here, by the way, you'll have long since boiled/simmered it off.