Berry Balsamic Marinade and Sauce

Submitted by ncmysteryshopper

"I used this creation on cheap cuts of Round Steak and a 1.5 pound London Broil and was surprised how tender the steaks were and the sauce was delicious. I also used it on chicken and it was an equal success. The marinade doubles as a sauce when simmered with shallots. Try on different cuts of steak, chicken or even pork. You will even find yourself running your veggies through the sauce! Created for RSC #12."

 

• Ready In: 15mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1⁄3 cup marsala (I used marsala ) or 1/3 cup dry red wine (I used marsala )
• 1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons seedless no-sugar-added strawberry preserves
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon Splenda brown sugar blend
• 1 tablespoon coffee, brewed
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 12 fresh cherries (Pitted) or 12 frozen cherries (Pitted)
• 12 fresh blueberries or 12 frozen blueberries
• 3 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons butter

directions

1. In a blender or food processor add wine, vinegar, strawberry preserves, garlic, Splenda, coffee, salt, pepper, pitted cherries and blueberries. Puree.
2. Place meat in a large zip lock bag and pour in marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or over night for steak and for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours for chicken.
3. Remove meat and pour marinade into a small saucepan. Add finely chopped shallot and set aside.
4. Preheat broiler or prepare grill. Broil or grill meat until cooked to desired doneness.
5. While meat is grilling bring sauce to a boil and then simmer. Stir in butter.
6. If using London Broil, thinly slice crosswise, against the grain. Add any juices on the cutting board to the sauce. Serve with sauce. If using chicken or other steak cuts - serve with sauce.

Reviews

[Tinkerbell]

High praise from my family for this marinade. I used red wine, fresh cherries, regular brown sugar & marinated three ribeye steaks for 24 hours. It's hard to find a steak recipe that I don't see DH & DS still putting steak sauce or horseradish on, but this marinade was so full of flavor that they didn't need to. I agree with CraftScout's roommate that the flavor would be wonderful on pork as well. With ingredients that are usually on hand anyway, I'll be using this marinade again. Thanks for creating this, NCMS! It was deelish!

 

[CraftScout]

I served this yummy sauce over NY strip steak with broccoli and salad. It was highly praised from my roommate (who hates coffee) to my husband (who hates onions, but loved the shallots) to my 2 year old (who kept asking for more "thoss"). My other roommate says that while it is good on steak, and would be lovely on chicken, the sweetness of the sauce would be PERFECT for pork! Thank you for posting.

 

[justcallmetoni]

I prepared this with the red wine with London broil and left it to marinade a full 24 hours. The result was a terrific steak that had a thick rich sauce which was well balanced between sweet and tangy. I loved that one could not easily tell the ingredients as the harmonized nicely. I reduced the sauce as suggested and even made steak sandwiches au jus with the leftovers. My one thought after was that a little fresh rosemary or time to add a slight herbal note would have been sublime. Thank you for a great dinner and good luck with the contest.

 

[evelynathens]

Really interesting use of contest ingredients - I never would have thought of a marinade! This one works! I used it on chicken (drumsticks and thighs), which I then proceeded to bake in the oven and served with the marinade cooked to a buttery sauce. I would suggest boiling down the sauce to an almost syrupy consistency (what I did) before whisking in the butter. The marinade gave great flavour and tenderness to the chicken and the sauce was a great complement (and I would have just hated to toss the marinade ;-) ). Good luck, chef!

 

[katie in the UP]

This recipe is a winner!! I used red wine and marinated flat iron steaks several hours (tossed everything in a large ziploc baggie before leaving for work) We grilled the steaks and they were fabulous!! I will be using this marinade next for pork :) Good luck in the contest!!