Recipe: White wine-herb sauce

Total time: 15 minutes, plus 45 minutes reducing time

Servings: Makes 1 cup

Note: You’ll need to start with a pan in which you’ve just roasted a bird or meat. Butter should be European-style for best results. While the bird or meat is roasting, you can reduce the chicken broth.

4 cups (32 ounces) low-sodium or unsalted chicken broth or stock

2 large shallots, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, sage or rosemary, chopped

1 cup white wine

Sea salt

Freshly ground white pepper

1 tablespoon very cold unsalted butter, cut into small bits (optional)

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

1. Pour the chicken broth or stock into a saucepan over high heat, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 45 minutes.

2. Pour out all the fat in the roasting pan except for about 1 tablespoon. Place the pan on the stove (over 2 burners, if possible) over low heat. Add the shallots and the thyme, sage or rosemary to the pan and sweat the shallots until golden, about 5 minutes.

3. Turn heat to high, then add the wine. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine until it’s a little syrupy, about 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Add the reduced chicken broth and reduce until somewhat thickened. And salt and pepper to taste. If you want to give it a nice sheen and aren’t too concerned about fat, whisk in the optional butter. Stir in the parsley and serve immediately.

Each tablespoon (without butter): 19 calories; 1 gram protein; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 0 fat; 0 saturated fat; 1 mg. cholesterol; 28 mg. sodium.