Hard Apple Cider Sauce

Nice sauce for serving with a crown roast of pork or other pork roast.

1 1/2 cups homemade beef stock or canned low-sodium beef broth
1 cup hard apple cider
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons applejack or Calvados
salt and pepper

Pour off any drippings from the roasting pan into a glass measuring cup. Skim off and discard any clear fat the rises to the surface. Reserve the dark juices in the cup.

Place the roasting pan over two burners on high heat. Add the beef stock, cider, and reserved juices, and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the applejack. Whisk into the pan and cook until the sauce is lightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Strain through a wire sieve into a small bowl. Pour the sauce into a warmed sauceboat.