Steak with Balsamic Butter Sauce is an elevated meal for two and takes only a few quality ingredients and less than 30 minutes to prepare.
Beef tenderloin steaks can be a bit pricy, even for us here in beef country. But what I really like about beef tenderloin is that it’s a relatively lean cut of beef, it’s super tender and flavourful. It deserves a good sear to hold in the moisture and a generous drizzle of balsamic butter sauce.
Butter sauce comes in many forms, like Beurre Blanc-French butter sauce, Piccata sauce and the sauce on my Tarragon Chicken Cutlets
A butter sauce is quite simple and uber quick to pull off with a little know-how. In any butter sauce, it’s very important to use cold butter cut into small chunks. Cold butter melts more slowly, allowing the fat particles to breakdown and be dispersed throughout other liquids like wine, lemon juice, stock or in this case, balsamic vinegar. Adding butter gradually is equally as important. It allows all the fat particles to become completely emulsified but at a slower rate. This process creates a thicker and more stable sauce. Scientifically it’s a little more involved, but this gives you the idea behind it. Enjoy!
Pat steaks dry with a paper towel and season generously with salt and pepper on both sides.
Add oil to a medium stainless steel skillet and heat on high. When the oil is hot add steaks and cook 4 to 4 1/2 minutes per side for medium-rare, flipping only once and getting a good sear on both sides.
Remove steaks to a plate and cover with foil.
Add balsamic vinegar, beef broth and rosemary to the same pan whisking to pick up any beefy bits left behind by the steak. Continue to cook over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes until sauce is reduced by at least half and can coat the back of a spoon. Remove rosemary sprig.
Turn heat to low and whisk in butter one chunk at a time, allowing the butter to be incorporated before adding more. Once all the butter is incorporated remove from heat and adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over steak or on the side as a dipping sauce. Makes about 1/3 cup of sauce.
Recipe Notes
Cooking time for steaks will be dependant on size. The steaks I used were approximately 8 ounces each and 1 1/2 " thick.
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This isn’t just any blueberry French toast! It’s a gorgeous make ahead Blueberry French Toast Bake that’s laced with cream cheese, blueberries and topped with a balsamic blueberry sauce that will have you licking your plate. It’s delicious to say the least and absolutely perfect for your Family Day long weekend. For me living in Alberta, Family Day falls on February 19th, and as luck would have it, I have the day off.
I foresee a family day starting with a little extra sleep, not too much though! Just enough to make it feel indulgent but not enough to take away too much time of the day. Next comes the coffee, in large supply, sipped lazily on the sofa with idle chit chat and the odd flick of the cat toy. Soon after is breakfast, not our usual go to bacon and eggs but an indulgent make ahead Blueberry French Toast Bake. Crispy and eggy with speckles of cream cheese and blueberries. It’s pretty great at that, but wait, it’s topped with a bold, sweet and tangy balsamic blueberry sauce. The combination is exceptional, so if you’re lucky enough to spend the day with your family, treat everyone with a make ahead breakfast that they’ll be asking for time and again. Enjoy!
In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Generously butter an 8"x8" pan. Spread half the bread cubes evenly in pan and dot with half of the cream cheese chunks. Sprinkle with 1/2 the blueberries. Repeat with remaining bread, cream cheese and blueberries. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375℉. Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes until golden and set in the centre. Remove from oven and serve with balsamic blueberry sauce.
Balsamic Blueberry Sauce
In a medium sauce pan combine blueberries, sugar, and 4 tbsp of water. Cook over medium heat until simmering and sugar has dissolved, approximately 10 minutes. Stir together cornstarch and remaining 2 tbsp of water. Stir into blueberries and heat to a full simmer. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and blueberry balsamic vinegar. Serve warm with french toast.
Recipe Notes
Balsamic Blueberry Sauce can be made a day ahead with the french toast and rewarmed for serving, or cooked while the Blueberry French Toast is baking. I made the french toast in muffin tins for presentation, however they were fussy to assemble and difficult to remove from tins. A single 8"x8" pan is recommended.
So for those of you who know me or those that have read a few of my posts know that one of my biggest frustrations with cooking in general is finding ingredients in my small community. I’m not talking about off the wall items here either! Today’s annoyance AND joy doesn’t come from what I can’t find, but what I can. I’m hard pressed to find fresh bean sprouts in this town, but have no problem plucking a Gravenstein apple white balsamic vinegar off the shelf. So while the whole situation has me rolling my eyes, I delight in my newly acquired treasure. One that gives way to spectacular Smoky Apple Ribs.
Sweet, tart and fruity, the Gravenstein apply balsamic vinegar makes for an amazing smoky bbq sauce. It’s even better when you slather that sauce on meaty pork ribs. Juicy, fall off the bone pork ribs, sticky with smoky sauce that has a mild, yet distinctive apple undertone is what little treasures become. Enjoy!
Preheat oven to 275℉. In a small bowl whisk together sugar and spices. Remove the thin membrane on the back side of ribs if not already done by butcher. Liberally coat the rib rack on all sides with spice rub.
Wrap ribs tightly in aluminum foil with meat side up. Place on large baking tray and bake for approximately 3 hours until meat is tender. Make sauce while ribs are cooking.
Preheat oven to broil and position rack to 6-8" from broiler. Remove ribs from foil and place back on baking tray lined with fresh foil. Brush liberally with sauce on both sides and broil for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from oven and cut between bones. Serve immediately with extra sauce on the side.
Sauce
Whisk together all ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a full simmer. Reduce heat and allow to simmer uncovered for at least an hour, stirring occasionally. Sauce should be reduced slightly and flavours melded. Yielding approximately 2 cups of sauce.
Recipe Notes
I had approximately 1/2 cup of sauce left over without serving any on the side. Can freeze for another use. Also great with grilled pork tenderloin.
No ice cream maker? No problem! This lovely Balsamic Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream is no churn, yet creamy and sweet with tart raspberry veins running through it. It’s a no fuss way to enjoy a scoop of cool indulgence this summer.
I myself do not own an ice cream maker! I know, how is this possible? I won’t say I don’t want one, it’s just not at the top of my Christmas list sorta speak. Hence the no churn ice cream makes its first appearance on Compelled To Cook. You might also want to try my Cherry and Chocolate Semifreddo, that is a frozen custard like dessert and no churn as well.
I love the tart raspberry sauce rippling throughout creamy mounds of cool sweetness and what really makes this raspberry sauce pop is the raspberry balsamic vinegar. It’s bursting with flavour and adds a glorious and balancing acidity that is subdued by an overload of cream. And this is why I will at some point purchase and ice cream maker, because as delicious as this is, I do believe a traditional ice cream made with the same sauce would be fabulous. In the meantime I’m happy to indulge in a scoop or two of this no churn delight. You will love it too!
Recipe source for Balsamic Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream: Compelled To Cook
In a small sauce pan add balsamic vinegar and heat over medium until it begins to boil. Allow to reduce for 1 minute, stirring often. Set aside.
In a medium sauce pan stir together raspberries, sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until raspberries are mashed down and mixture is bubbling. Continue to cook until thick and syrupy, stirring often, approximately 10 minutes. Strain using a fine mesh sieve, pressing solids against the sides to expel as much juice as possible. Discard solids and stir reduced balsamic vinegar and 1/2tsp vanilla into raspberry juice. Cool until chilled.
Whip cream and 1tsp vanilla until stiff peaks form. Fold sweetened condensed milk into whipped cream. Pour half into a 9"x5" loaf pan. Drizzle half the raspberry sauce over the cream mixture. Pour remaining cream mixture over to cover completely. Top with remaining raspberry sauce and swirl using a bread knife. Cover and freeze for at least 8 hours.
Don’t let your sides be secondary! Great sides like these Pomegranate Balsamic Beets can shine up against a fabulous entree and elevate the whole meal when the main is just a little less than perfect. Sides are those dishes you want everyone to be thinking “maybe I’ll have just a little more of that” when contemplating seconds. It’s hard not to want just a little more of this or that, even though you know you’re getting full but the sensation hasn’t hit quite yet. We’ve all been there indeed.
These beautiful Pomegranate Balsamic Beets are stunning on the table with their vibrant glossy colour. They also provide a little zing to your meal almost helping to clear the palette some. In this recipe I have used Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar which was given to me by a friend and co-worker. It was not my birthday or any other special occasion, just a lovely lady who thought of me when she was out and about. I was touched at the gesture and thrilled with the gift…….because I’m a foodie of course. With this little bottle of vinegar also came an orange olive oil……creation yet to come!!
I love this recipe because it’s slightly sweet, tangy and has just a hint of rosemary which adds in a subtle earthy note. A lovely side to adorn your table. Enjoy!
Recipe Source: Compelled To Cook
Pomegranate Balsamic Beets
Print Recipe
Beets roasted with rosemary and adorned with a tangy and sweet glaze of reduced pomegranate juice and balsamic vinegar.
Servings
Prep Time
8people
10minutes
Cook Time
Passive Time
60minutes
20minutes
Servings
Prep Time
8people
10minutes
Cook Time
Passive Time
60minutes
20minutes
Pomegranate Balsamic Beets
Print Recipe
Beets roasted with rosemary and adorned with a tangy and sweet glaze of reduced pomegranate juice and balsamic vinegar.
Servings
Prep Time
8people
10minutes
Cook Time
Passive Time
60minutes
20minutes
Servings
Prep Time
8people
10minutes
Cook Time
Passive Time
60minutes
20minutes
Ingredients
2 1/2 poundsbeetswashed and trimmed of any long stems
Preheat oven to 400℉. Place clean and trimmed whole beets on a large sheet of tin foil, enough to wrap over beets. Rub beets with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Break apart a rosemary sprig into 3-4 pieces and scatter throughout beets. Wrap foil over beets and seal ends. Place packet on a rimmed baking sheet or shallow roasting pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes or when beets are just tender when pierced.
While the beets are roasting make the glaze by combining pomegranate juice, balsamic vinegar, honey and rosemary sprig in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until bubbling, stirring often to keep glaze off the sides of the pan. Let reduce for approximately 10-12 minutes until quite thick and glaze coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Take out rosemary sprig, scrape the sides of the pan with a spatula and set aside.
When beets are tender, open foil pack and allow beets to cool enough to handle. Peel beets and cut into large bite size pieces approximately 1"-1 1/2" chunks. Rewarm glaze over low heat and pour over beets. Heat beets and glaze together over low heat until warm if beets have cooled too much. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
In this recipe I used 1/3 cup pomegranate balsamic vinegar topped up with regular balsamic vinegar to equal the 1/2 cup required. If you do not have pomegranate balsamic vinegar, regular balsamic vinegar will work nicely. To get fresh pomegranate juice, cut 1/4" or so off the top and bottom, quarter the pomegranate and cut each quarter in half. Place chunks in a bowl of cold water. Push out the seeds and they will sink to the bottom, leaving any pith floating on the water, making it easy to scoop away. Pulse the seeds in a blender or food processor and strain through a fine mesh sieve.
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