Creole Meuniere Sauce

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup chopped peeled carrot
1/2 peeled lemon
1/4 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 cup dark chicken stock
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 sticks butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a medium saucepan heat vegetable oil and then sauté vegetables until soft. Add stock, Worcestershire and bay leaf and cook until volume is reduced by one-third, about 25 minutes. (Sauce should be thick and syrupy.) Strain sauce and return to heat. Whisk in heavy whipping cream. Reduce heat to low and slowly blend in butter one cube at a time, adding additional butter only after previously added butter has completely incorporated into the sauce. This process is called "mounting the butter." Remove from heat and continue to stir. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Yield: About 1 1/2 cups

NOTE: The Creole Meuniere Sauce breaks easily so you should either prepare it at the very last. Or if time prohibits then you can prepare it and reserve it covered, on a warm stovetop but off of the direct heat.