Balsamic reduction

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4meandthem

Half Baked
Joined
Aug 21, 2010
Messages
2,018
Location
Bay Area California
I have heard about this a few times but never tried it. I grilled some pork tenderloins and glazed them near the end with this sauce. It was great.
I will try some on chicken next time. The leftover pork sliced thin made an excellent pizza topping.


I bottle of decent Balsamic vinegar (I didn't use long aged)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 big sprig fresh rosemary (whole)

Stir everything together and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally until reduced and it coats the back of a spoon. Strain and store untill ready to use.

Caution! The smell will permiate the house and you may want to caremelize some onions when your'e done to eliminate the vinegar odor.
 
I did that with straight Balsamic, it was sweet enough to not need the added sugar and honey. The cats thought I was cruel, glad I did it on a night with a nice breeze. We use it on strawberries and melon.
 
I'm surprised that more amateur chefs don't know about reductions. Of course every professional chef knows.

You could go anywhere from your balsamic+sugar+honey+rosemary reduction.
 
Do it in the summer on the grill from leftover hot coals when you are done cooking. The smell is left outside and your house animal will continue to love you. :)
 
Well now you tell me!:ROFLMAO:

And I will tell you another trick with those BBQ hot coals. Take your cast iron pans with all that crud that has been baked on the outside, place it in the hot coals at the end of cooking. That crud will burn off. Just close the lid and lit the pan there. Retrieve it the next morning. Place the pan right on the coals. :)
 
I find that balsamic on it's own is inherantly sweet, when reduced it gets sweeter so the addition of honey AND sugar may be a bit too much, unless it is going on fruit or other dessert. For more savory foods, a pat of butter, grind of pepper and a dash of salt is juuuuuust right.:yum:
 
greg, how do you know how many amatuer "chefs" know about reductions?

lol.

addie beat me to it. do this outside. it's a perfect thing to do on the side burner of a gas grill.
 
Not overly sweet at all. more of a tang to it. it really got good mixed with the meat juices. I did not use an aged sweet vinegar but one more appropriate of a sald dressing.
 
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