I almost feel guilty making a post out of this sauce, because it barely takes any work at all. Heck, it’s barely even a recipe. With two ingredients, it’s more of a technique than a recipe, but I figured it might be helpful to some folks. Plus I’ve added a nice variation at the bottom of the post too.
Last night I was grilling up a nice piece of flat iron steak (my new favorite cut of beef — it’s so tender!) and wanted something to change it up a bit. I considered making a traditional mustard cream sauce, but the cream I had in my fridge was a little suspect, and I wanted something lighter. My other standby sauce rose to the forefront: a balsamic reduction.
As the name indicates, the sauce is simply made by reducing a saucepanful of balsamic vinegar over medium high heat. If you have a sensitive nose, make sure you have a good fan over your range, as the vinegar can be a bit strong as it cooks away. I like to the reduce the vinegar by at least half when making it into a sauce, but you can go even further, reducing it until it becomes thick and syrupy and sweet.
I prefer to keep it a little looser and a little sharper, but there is one other secret. After reducing by half, I take the vinegar off the heat and add in a few pats of butter, usually three or four, but this is really to taste. As my father says: “Add butter until it tastes good.” After whisking it in to the vinegar, the sauce becomes silky and rich. The butter mellows out the sharpness of the vinegar and creates a very nicely balanced sauce.
There is a particular variation that I’ve been making a lot lately. Instead of reducing just balsamic vinegar, I add an equal part of orange juice and let them reduce together. After adding the butter, I also sprinkle in some cumin. It’s delicious on just about anything, but the citrus lends itself nicely to a pairing with duck, or you can even just dress some quinoa with it.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on May 04, 2009 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
