Sage Cream Sauce

This sage cream sauce is rich, silky, and designed to make simple dinners taste restaurant-level. It’s a cream sauce made with butter, a light roux, chicken stock, heavy cream, a splash of brandy, and plenty of fresh sage stirred in at the end.

This sauce pairs perfectly with pastas and is absolutely fantastic with my pork schnitzel, fried turkey nuggets, smoked turkey breast, and smoked duck breast.

Key Tips for the Best Sage Cream Sauce

• Blonde roux, not brown
  Cook the butter and flour just until smooth and lightly golden. That gives you a silky, creamy sage sauce without brown sauce vibes.
• Cream plus stock combo
  Heavy cream alone is too rich; stock alone is too thin. The mix hits that sweet spot where it coats a spoon once reduced.
• Brandy for depth (optional)
  A quarter cup cooks down, and leaves a deep layered flavor. You can skip it if you prefer an alcohol-free sauce.
• Whole peppercorns, not ground
  They gently infuse the sauce while it simmers; strain them out at the end for a smooth finish.
• Fresh Sage at the beginning and end
  Fresh sage is added to the sauce and then strained after the sauce has reduced. More freshly chopped sage is added at the end for vibrance.

Ingredients for Sage Cream Sauce

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 shallot, small dice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 ounces heavy cream (about 1 cup)
• 16 ounces chicken stock (about 2 cups)
• ¼ cup brandy
• 8 whole black peppercorns
• 10 fresh sage leaves (5 left whole, 5 minced)
• Kosher salt, to taste

How to Make Sage Cream Sauce

1. Make a blonde roux

1. Add the butter to a saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Once melted, whisk in the flour.
3. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking often, until smooth and just lightly golden. Do not let it brown.

2. Soften shallot and garlic

1. Add the shallot and garlic to the roux.
2. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often, until the shallot is soft and translucent.

3. Add cream and stock

1. Whisk in the heavy cream until smooth and lump-free.
2. Whisk in the chicken stock. The mixture will look thin at first; that is normal.

4. Add brandy, peppercorns and half of the sage

1. Stir in the brandy, whole peppercorns, and five sage leaves.
2. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, not a hard boil.

5. Reduce to sauce consistency

1. Let the sauce simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
2. When you run a finger down the coated spoon, it should leave a clean line. This usually takes around 20 to 30 minutes at a slow simmer.

6. Season, strain if desired, and finish with sage

1. Strain the sauce and discard the solids
2. Stir in the remaining finely chopped fresh sage right at the end.
3. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper if you like.

If you make this creamy sage sauce, drop a comment or leave a review. And if you have any cooking questions or want to share your latest creations from the kitchen, give me a shout on Instagram @larry__white.

Sage Cream Sauce

Author: Larry White

Rich, silky sage cream sauce made with butter, cream, chicken stock, brandy, and fresh sage, simmered until it coats the back of a spoon. Perfect spooned over pork schnitzel, pork chops, chicken, pasta, gnocchi, or ravioli.

5 from 8 votes

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Servings: 2 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: American,French

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 shallot or red onion, small dice
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 2 cups chicken stock
• ▢ ¼ cup brandy
• ▢ 8 whole black peppercorns
• ▢ 10 fresh sage leaves, divided
• ▢ Kosher salt to taste

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Instructions

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
• Whisk in flour and cook 2 to 3 minutes to form a smooth blonde roux, without browning.
• Add shallot and garlic. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring often, until softened and translucent.
• Whisk in heavy cream until smooth.
• Whisk in chicken stock, then add brandy, whole peppercorns, and 5 of the sage leaves.
• Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Strain the sauce and season to taste with kosher salt.
• Finely chop the remaining 5 sage leaves and stir them into the sauce. Serve warm.

NOTES

• This makes an excellent sage cream sauce for pork schnitzel, pork chops, chicken, pasta, ravioli, or gnocchi.
• Keep the roux light. Cook the butter and flour just until smooth and lightly golden, not brown, or the sauce will lose its clean, creamy flavor.
• Simmer, do not boil. Once the cream, stock, brandy, peppercorns, and sage go in, keep the sauce at a gentle simmer until it coats the back of a spoon, usually about 20 to 30 minutes.
• Use fresh sage twice. Simmer part of the sage in the sauce for depth, then stir in the finely chopped sage at the end so the flavor stays bright.
• Strain for the smoothest finish. Strain out the peppercorns, cooked sage, and aromatics before serving if you want a silky sauce.
• Skip the brandy if needed. For an alcohol-free version, leave it out and replace it with a little extra stock.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 689kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 35g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 172mg | Sodium: 468mg | Potassium: 433mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2109IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.

Keywords: creamy, rich, sauce

Make this recipe?Mention @Larry__White or tag #WildGameGourmet!