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1
Melt half the butter in a heavy med-sized saucepan over med-high heat.
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2
Add the shallots & cook for 2-3 min till just softened, stirring freq.
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3
Sprinkle over the flour & cook for 3-4 min till well-browned, stirring constantly.
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4
Whisk in the stock + tomato puree & season to taste w/salt & pepper.
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5
Simmer over low heat till the sauce is reduced by nearly half, stirring occ.
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6
Taste the sauce & adjust seasoning as desired.
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7
Add the Madeira wine & cook for 2-3 minutes.
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8
(The sauce can be made up to 3 dys in advance, chilled & then rewarmed to serve.
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9
).
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10
Snip the edges of the ham steaks to prevent curling.
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11
Melt the remaining butter in a lrg fry pan over med-high heat.
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12
Add the ham steaks & cook 4-5 min (turning once) till the meat feels firm to the touch.
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13
Serve immediately w/the sauce.
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14
*Notes* ~ This is where I often go astray w/a recipe - a point where I begin to think about a better (or easier) way to do something or a way I pers prefer.
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15
*For example* ~ 1) The recipe said to strain the sauce at the end of Prep Step 3, but I deleted that as I rarely see it as beneficial & certainly not w/this recipe as the sauce has no food solids other than finely minced shallots -- 2) I esp like that this sauce can be made ahead & rewarmed to serve, but I'd be more than reluctant to walk away from the lovely pan drippings from cooking the ham steaks -- so I'd be inclined to rewarm the sauce in that same pan to add to the rich flavor of the sauce b4 serving.
