Up next: how about a delicious marchand de vin sauce to serve with you next steak dinner… This is a traditional French steak sauce recipe that contains fresh shallots and red wine…
And it is absolutely to die for!
A French classic…
That is what this marchand de vin sauce really is!
It literally means wine merchant or wine vendor sauce in French.
Have you ever heard of it before?
30 Minute Steak Dinner
Don’t you think it looks too complicated to prepare!
Because this dish is ready in under 30 minutes, no joke.
The basic marchand de vin sauce ingredients are red wine and fresh shallots.
Easy peasy, so simple!
Believe me, you are in for a real treat here.
Easy Marchand de Vin (French Steak Sauce)
If you browse the internet and leaf through a couple of food blog, then you will see that several recipes use veal or beef stock for this sauce as well.
But to be honest, I think that there is already enough flavor coming from the brown butter in which the steaks have been pan fried in.
And that is also why I also don’t deglaze the pan.
What a pity to throw away a rich base for this French wine and steak sauce.
Room Temperature
Love a rare to medium rare steak
Keep them at room temperature at least 30 minutes before you want to cook them.
That will give them enough time to reach room temperature in the centre. This will make the steaks cook better and more evenly.
I just leave them wrapped up under a towel in a cool corner in my kitchen.
That should be enough.
Do you love steak sauces?
Then you should also check out my bearnaise sauce : another delicious classic steak sauce that contains butter, shallots, egg yolks, vinegar and fresh tarragon!
Yum.
Enjoy!
Easy French Marchand de Vin Sauce Recipe

Succulent marchand de vin wine sauce, a traditional French steak sauce recipe with fresh shallots and red wine... Delicious!
- 2 steaks at room temperature
- 3 large shallot minced
- 1 medium garlic clove mashed
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 cup red wine (240 ml)
- ½ tsp thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp worcester sauce
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- pepper
- salt
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Season the steaks with pepper and salt. Add the butter to a non-stick pan and place it over high heat until melted. Then add the steaks.
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Sear them quickly on all sides. Cook the steak the way you like it. Then transfer them to a clean plate. Cover with tinfoil and put aside.
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Add the minced shallot and mashed garlic to the same hot pan. Turn the heat down to medium. Stir for a minute. Then add the dried thyme and the bay leaves. Season with a pinch of pepper and salt.
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Gently cook the shallot for 5 minutes until a little soft. Pour in the red wine, the red wine vinegar and the worcester sauce.
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Bring this to a good boil for 3 minutes and then simmer the red wine sauce for another 4 minutes until the red wine sauce has reduced by half. It will start to thicken and become glossy in the end. Then check the seasoning before plating up and add extra pepper or salt to taste if necessary.
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Place the cooked steaks onto warm plates (you can slice them up if you like) and drizzle with the red wine sauce. Serve immediately.
Eggs Hussarde with Marchand de Vin Sauce
So I was doing a little research online about this Marchand de vin sauce.
And I kept reading about…
Brennan’s eggs hussarde with marchand de vin sauce!
Well that peaked my interest so I kept on reading.
Well first of all: what are eggs hussarde, œufs à la Hussarde in French.
It turns out that eggs hussarde are actually poached eggs! And to be more specific…
Poached tomatoes, halved and hollowed out and filled with a mixture of finely chopped shallots and ham cooked in butter and demi-glace sauce.
Put a poached egg on top, topped off with a creamy hollandaise sauce.
Brennan’s Eggs Hussarde with Marchand de Vin Sauce
Several versions apparently exist of this recipe.
And I particularly like Brennan’s eggs hussarde with marchand de vin recipe!
Brennan who?
Brennan’s is a restaurant in New Orleans. This place is famous for its eggs hussarde. You can still find this classic on their breakfast menu since 1946: “A Brennan’s Original – Housemade English Muffins, Coffee Cured Canadian Bacon, Hollandaise, Marchand De Vin Sauce”.
And it is all yours for
If you want to know how it looks like, you can find pictures of this classic on Tripadvisor!
Bordelaise vs. Marchand De Vin
You might have heard of a similar French sauce.
Bordelaise.
So what is the difference between marchand the vin sauce and that one?
Both contain stock, red wine and butter. But bordelaise also contains bone marrow.
Coq au vin
What do you immediately think of when you hear red wine stew?
Coq au vin of course!
It is a French dish by chef Auguste Escoffier that consists of chicken braised in a red wine sauce with mushrooms, bacon, onions and garlic.
This red wine chicken stew is typically served with boiled or mashed potatoes.
Bourguignon Stew
Beef bourguignon is a traditional French dish consisting of beef braised in red wine, traditionally Burgundy, and beef stock, generally flavoured with garlic, onions, and a bouquet garni (a bundle of herbs, typically thyme and parsley, tied together) and mushrooms.
This red wine beef stew is often served with boiled potatoes or steamed rice.
Risotto Rosso
An Italian side dish!
Risotto rosso is an Italian–style risotto dish, typically made with tomatoes, red onions and red wine. The tomato and onion give it a deep flavor. The red wine adds a subtle sweetness.
Ready?
Try my delicious marchand de vin sauce when you plan to make your next steak dinner.
It is absolutely to die for!
Yum!