Sauce bourguignonne sos buʁɡiˈɲɔn, Bourguignonne sauce, is a French sauce with a base of red wine with onions or shallots, a bouquet garni

Bouquet garni

The bouquet garni is a bundle of herbs usually tied together with string and mainly used to prepare soup, stock, and various stews. The bouquet is cooked with the other ingredients, but is removed prior to consumption....

 (parsley, thyme and bay leaf), reduced, strained, and mixed with some Sauce espagnole. Just before serving it is mounted with butter and seasoned lightly with cayenne pepper

Cayenne pepper

The cayenne pepper—also known as the Guinea spice,cow-horn pepper, aleva, bird pepper,or, especially in its powdered form, red pepper—is a red, hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes and for medicinal purposes. Named for the city of Cayenne in French Guiana, it is a cultivar of Capsicum annuum...

. Like all red wine sauces, it may have some mushrooms added during cooking to enrich the flavour. When the sauce is used to accompany sautéed meat or poultry, it is made directly in the sauté pan in which these items were cooked. The onions or shallots are sautéed in the pan and the red wine is added which is used to dissolve and incorporate the residue from the cooking of the meat. The onions may also be cooked at the same time as the meat.