Merlot Sauce

By Greg Flores
Greg Flores studied culinary arts at The California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Upon graduation, Greg worked his way up from Extern to Sous Chef at Cate Marcella, a four star restaurant in Los Gatos, California. After a brief time as Executive Chef at Bethany College, Greg is now back in Los Gatos as one of the chefs at Three Degrees in The Toll House Hotel.

This is a simple sauce that can be served with filet, new york steak, ribeye, pork chops and lamb chops. The acid from the Merlot and the tomato paste balance nicely with the cream.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup BARGETTO Merlot
2 tsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. chopped Italian parsley
pinch cayenne
pinch salt
1/8 cup combined green and pink peppercorn & cracked black pepper
1 cup heavy cream

Procedure:
1. Reduce Merlot by half in 3 qt. pot.
2. Add tomato paste, dijon mustard, chopped parsley, cayenne, salt and combined pepper.
3. Whisk and simmer for 1 minute.
4. Add cream and reduce by half or until thick.
5. Serve over suggested protein. Enjoy.

Serves 4