Pan sauces are made by deglazing (fancy word for “pouring liquid into the hot pan”) the pan, usually with wine or stock By rapidly reducing this liquid, then adding a couple of aromatics and finishing it off with a knob of butter, you’ve got yourself a quick and easy sauce that cooks in just about the same amount of time it takes for your steak to rest properly Built-in timer! Here are a couple of simple pan sauces The toughest part of a pan sauce comes at the very end, when typically a bit of cold butter is whisked into the sauce to thicken it, give it some richness and body, and mellow out its flavor The French call this step monter au beurre, which translates roughly to, “Please, Mrs Cow, make my sauce extra-smooth and delicious.” Or something like that It’s not a hard process, but if you aren’t careful, the sauce can break, with greasy pools of butterfat floating on the surface of a thin, watery sauce You don’t want this to happen The easiest way to prevent it? Add just a touch of flour to the skillet before adding the liquid The starch in the flour will absorb liquid, which will cause it to expand and thicken the sauce and then keep your butter well emulsified when you get around to adding it ... happen The easiest way to prevent it? Add just a touch of flour to the skillet before adding the liquid The starch in the flour will absorb liquid, which will cause it to expand and thicken the. .. The starch in the flour will absorb liquid, which will cause it to expand and thicken the sauce and then keep your butter well emulsified when you get around to adding it