Even here in The Little Snowball it’s finally warm enough for outdoor cooking. For most people I know, that means steaks on the grill and their uniquely wonderful taste. Still, for many beef lovers a steak is only perfect with steak sauce and why not? Who wouldn’t want a filet topped with high fructose corn syrup, salt, maltodextrin, xanthan gum and so on? That’s what the label of one bottled sauce shows me.
I’ve been intrigued by a steak sauce recipe at allrecipes which is both tantalizing and wasteful, at least for my pantry habits. It uses tomato sauce, which I never cook with – I can always taste the tin — and only two tablespoons to boot. The rest of the can would go down the drain. And even though I keep an array of vinegars, malt is not among them. I don’t need it. I’ve also been curious about the method: first bringing it to a boil even though there is no thickening agent that needs to boil to reach its full power.
So I tinkered, replacing the tomato sauce with a lesser amount of concentrated tomato paste in a tube and using cider vinegar instead of malt. I streamlined the method and eliminated the potential for scorching by not boiling it. The result is a tangy sauce with a lot of depth, and just as Julia taught us to taste salad dressing on a bit of greens, this will taste different on steak. Just try some of that corn syrup and maltodextrin on your finger if you don’t believe it.
Streamlined Steak Sauce
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam (that’s 40 g)
2 tablespoons brown sugar (I used light brown, the granulated, pourable kind)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon concentrated tomato paste from a tube
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
5 – 6 drops Tabasco sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Put all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking from time to time to help the jam melt. Bring to a slow simmer…a few large bubbles popping, then gradually turn heat to low. Stir and let sauce barely simmer for ten minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. It will thicken a bit as it stands. Enough for 4-6 steaks.
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…wow, that sounds great! I love the simplicity. And, who needs all those chems, anyways?
Yes, who indeed? Not me! I have to tell you, it was the raspberry that initially piqued my curiosity…and it’s just the thing. I served this to guests and everyone wanted the recipe. Let me know if you try it!
Definitely! And pretty soon it will be good weather for outdoor grilling too, can’t wait ; )