wine for a steak sauce

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tsi88kid

Senior Cook
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
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everett, ma
What would be the best white wine to use for a sauce that I'm getting from deglazing a pan that I seared marinated steak in? The steak would br marinated in oil,garlic,onion, and parsely
 
Does it have to be white wine? Personally, I would use red. If it has to be white I would make sure it isn't sweet or oaked, nor do I think I would use a sauvignon blanc. I would probably go for a chablis or an unoaked chardonnay. Chenin Blanc or Semillon may also be an option, possibly.

That's my 1 1/2 cents. :chef:
 
I have a question about that, too. We aren't fond of red wine, but we really like Marsala. Would that make a good sauce for the steak?
 
Since when I marinate steak I nearly always use dry sherry in the marinade, that's what I'd use to deglaze the pan. However, if I didn't use any wine in the marinade, I'd probably go with a dry red or a strong white to deglaze the pan (the dry red - like a burgundy or merlot - being my preference).

Oh - Marsala would work just fine as well. I've used that too with great results. Marsala isn't that much different from sherry - just a bit sweeter.
 
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When I make steak sauce usually use a red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. I use Marsala for Veal or Chicken Saltimbocca and it makes a wonderful sauce. Your sauce will be a little on the sweet side with Marsala but it will still be good. Or try a drier wine as I mentioned C.S or Merlot.
 
I ended up getting golden sherry its not to dark but not white amnd its good with dessert to sooo I win. i decided to make steak au poivre
 
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tsi - I know you are also in school. Let us know if you have to follow some sort of guideline or if this is just your own question for your own personal use. We can help you either way. The sherry is a GREAT way to make a sauce...and it makes a great marinade too...and a slightly different version of chicken marsala, I guess it would be chicken golden marsala?

I never know if you are cooking according to instructions or cooking for fun :blush:
 
what do you guys think of this ginger steak au poivre?

i would marinate the steaks in a ginger, paresly, lime, and lemon juice marinate. then i would sear the steaks and broil them. after the steaks are done I would deglaze the pan with the sherry. and serve over garlic mash potatos. What do you guys think of that? I'm worried about the flavors conflicting with each other.
 
tsi88kid said:
what do you guys think of this ginger steak au poivre?

i would marinate the steaks in a ginger, paresly, lime, and lemon juice marinate. then i would sear the steaks and broil them. after the steaks are done I would deglaze the pan with the sherry. and serve over garlic mash potatos. What do you guys think of that? I'm worried about the flavors conflicting with each other.

You probably won't taste the ginger with the poivre sauce. But then your poivre sauce will be lighter anyway since you're not using a red wine. With that being said, I would incorporate the ginger into the sauce rather than in the marinade for the steak if you really want to taste the ginger. I would also incorporate the citrus into the sauce itself rather than in the marinade. Sauce Colbert and Sauce Marchand di Vin are two demi glace style sauces that incorporate citrus into them so don't worry about the citrus clashing or not working. With a powerful sauce, the only point in marinating the meat would be to tenderize it because most of the subtle flavors in the marinade will be lost. If your steak is already tender, then concentrate the other flavors into your sauce instead.
 
Kitchenelf - I didn't even notice yur post sorry I didn't answer. Yea this is just for my personal use. However my teachers would let me use alcohols in the food I cook. Thanks for taking that into consideration though.

Iron chef - I actually ended up marinating the steaks in roughly 4 tablespoons lime juice, 4 tables spoons lime juice, 2 table spoons ginger juice, paresly, some olive oil, and salt and pepper. I am also using golden sherry so I might use a little ginger with the golden poivre sauce. I had a little taste of the sherry and I believe the flavors should work real well. I also think I will add some more lemon and lime juice to the poivre sauce and thought I would serve some poivre sauce on the side in a hollowed out lime half for garnish.

Let me know your thoughts
 
I do not marinate beef in lime/lemon juice--or at least not for very long. it denatures the proteins and will tend to make them tough. It does work on fajita style meats however.
I don't agree that the ginger in a marinade will be lost. My default marinade for London Broil, for example, is ginger, garlic, soy, sugar. It is VERY flavorful on the grilled meat.
I do agree that if your steak/beef is a tender cut, don't marinate. Let it be itself and have a sauce.
Also, I think a red wine is just more suitable for beef. Port makes a lovely deep rich sauce. Whites are just a bit "light", although the fortified wines like marsala, madeira, or sherry do have more flavor to stand up to the more assertive meats.
Also, when marinating meat in wine, it is better to boil off some of the alcohol and concentrate the wine. Simmer with some shallots or garlic and other flavor enhancements for the marinade.
 
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well the steaks have already been marinating so I will cook them up take some pictures and let everyone know how it turns out i dont think it should be that bad.
 
Candocook said:
I don't agree that the ginger in a marinade will be lost. My default marinade for London Broil, for example, is ginger, garlic, soy, sugar. It is VERY flavorful on the grilled meat.

However, that's a teriyaki style marinade which is very different from what tsi88kid is making in both flavor and the context in which the ginger is being used in. With teriyaki, you're supposed to taste the ginger whereas in his recipe, I think the ginger was meant to be more of a subtle flavor especially when paired with a rich sauce.
 
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