Sometimes you don’t want to cover up the flavor of a beautifully cooked piece of beef with gravy. Instead, you should try this simple recipe for a natural beef jus, which in French means “juice”
The jus in this recipe is made from beef stock, porcini mushrooms and infused with fresh thyme sprigs. For the final, delicious touch, the roast beef’s cooking juices are whisked in. This recipe is especially wonderful with Prime rib roast.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large shallots, minced
- 1 bottle of rich red wine, like Merlot
- 5 cups beef stock, homemadeor packaged (not canned)
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Yield: 3 cups of jus
PREPARATION
- Bring 2 cups of water to the boil. Pour the boiling water over the dried porcini mushrooms in a small bowl. Soak the porcin mushroomis for 1 hour. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and chop them fine and reserve. Line a strainer with double cheesecloth, and strain the mushroom liquid into a pot or bowl, and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots, and saute 3 minutes until softened. Stir in the chopped porcini and the red wine, and increase the heat so it comes to a boil. Let the red wine reduce for 15 minutes until it is about 1 cup.
- Whisk in the porcini soaking liquid and the beef stock, and bring to a boil for 30 minutes. Use a spoon to skim any fat off the surface. Add the fresh thyme sprigs, cover the saucepan and remove from the heat.
- While the Prime rib roast (or other roast beef) rests, put the roasting pan on top of two stove-top burners over medium heat. Stir in the sauce from the saucepan and bring it to the boil. Deglaze the roasting pan by scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Transfer the sauce back to the saucepan, and bring to a boil again, and let it reduce again, until the sauce is starting to thicken to the consistency of a light syrup. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper if desired.
- Keep the sauce warm, and just before serving, whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep whisking the butter to fully incorporate and takes on a glossy sheen. Serve at once, either by ladling the jus over the carved beef or on the side in a gravy boat.
***Grabbed From: http://meatandwildgame.about.com/od/Spices_Sauces/r/Porcini-Thyme-Jus.htm