Valentine's Day

Raspberries and steak

by:
July  3, 2011
4.7
3 Ratings
  • Serves 2 to 3
Author Notes

Somehow this worked. If you don't have a wonderful balsamic vinegar, then you should use a ruby port instead. —Sagegreen

Test Kitchen Notes

It's definitely an unusual combination, but as Sagegreen succinctly put it, "somehow this worked." So, maybe we should just embrace that and not question it. But, you know what, I'm going to take a minute to try to figure out why. Red onions brown and sweeten off to the side while you cook your steak, leaving delicious crispy browned bits in the pan. Then you meld together the flavors already in the pan with raspberries and a generous dose of balsamic vinegar. The resulting sauce is intense, tart and sweet, but also remarkably meaty and savory, which allows it to pair well with the steak. It almost reminded me of a gastrique. If you're sensitive to strong acidity, you might want to try Sagegreen's suggestion to use port instead, but I loved the mouth coating bold flavors of the sauce. I’d recommend serving this with very mildly flavored, even creamy sides, not a salad with vinaigrette as that would be just too much vinegar. - fiveandspice —fiveandspice

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 generous pinch of pink Himalayan salt, divided
  • 1 pound grassfed fillet sirloin, cut vertically into 4 strips
  • spray of grapeseed oil
  • 1 red onion, sliced into rings
  • 1/2 cup aged balsamic artisan vinegar (I used Ariston's 'very best' from Modena)
  • 4 ounces raspberries
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed pink, white and green peppercorns or more, divided
  • Thai basil leaves for garnish
  • (optional enhancements-roasted garlic and fresh grated ginger)
Directions
  1. Pound the steak a bit with the smooth side of a meat mallet. Add a generous pinch of salt to both sides of the steak. Let this rest for about 40 minutes, room temperature. If you do refrigerate, then make sure your return the steak to room temperature before cooking. The steak should be dry.
  2. When ready to cook, heat the grapeseed oil in a heavy braising pan to a high heat. Add and begin to cook the onions. Move the onions to the sides of the pan. Then add the steak. If you want, you can include a little grated ginger and garlic you have already roasted for flavor enhancements. Sear the steak on one side for about 4 minutes, so it has turned crusty brown on the outside, then turn over and sear on the other side the same way. Check by inserting a knife sparingly (so you don't release a deluge of juice) in to the steak, to see if the it is cooked enough for you. If it is done to your liking, remove the steak to a plate to let rest. Add the peppercorns right away. Keep the onions in the pan.
  3. Add the raspberries, pinch of salt, and vinegar. Stir and cook until the vinegar has reduced by almost 1/2.
  4. Drizzle the reduced vinegar over the steak. Spoon the onions and raspberries on top. Garnish with Thai basil leaves or a comparable herb. Add a pinch more of the crushed peppercorns and Himalayan salt. Hope you enjoy!
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  • Ziggy
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  • BoulderGalinTokyo
    BoulderGalinTokyo
  • Sagegreen
    Sagegreen
  • checker
    checker

28 Reviews

Ziggy July 5, 2014
Well this was entirely delicious! I made it with duck breast and it was everything I could want in a sauce
 
Sagegreen July 5, 2014
Thanks, Ziggy. Duck would go well with this sauce.
 
carswell July 5, 2013
This sounds like an utterly decadent way to enjoy steak.
 
Sagegreen July 5, 2013
Thanks, carswell. What a nice way to anticipate this recipe. I hope you will enjoy it!
 
Chef T. March 29, 2013
I made this the other night and served it with risotto. It was fantastic! My boyfriend actually requested that this be his last meal:)
 
ChefFace January 29, 2013
yummm... I have made blueberry sauce for steak, but rasbperries sound even better! I am feeling like this is a sunday dinner winner for this weekend, thank you!!!! mmm roasted garlic and berriessssss
 
BoulderGalinTokyo March 21, 2012
This is a very wonderful combination of steak and raspberries. Just now and then a pepper pop, we really loved it. Thank you for this recipe.
 
Sagegreen March 21, 2012
Thanks so much BGT! I am so glad you enjoyed it. Love that photo of you btw.
 
BoulderGalinTokyo March 23, 2012
Thank you. LOL But I've got my eye on your 313 recipes!
 
Sagegreen July 8, 2011
Thanks, everyone. Just back from camping. So much happens on this site is just a few days! Hope to catch up a bit.
 
checker July 7, 2011
Very original! Well done!
 
Wow! This is a perfect combination of sweet, tart and savory! Save this one to make very soon!!
 
wssmom July 4, 2011
hmmmm wanna do this on the grill ... love the concept!
 
lorigoldsby July 4, 2011
Beautiful!
 
Sagegreen July 4, 2011
Thanks, lori!
 
gingerroot July 4, 2011
What a beautiful steak! A knock-out savory use for raspberries. Hope to try this soon!
 
Sagegreen July 4, 2011
Thanks, gingerroot. Let me know if you try this what you think!
 
This L. July 3, 2011
Great picture and lovely flavors. Wish I'd done this with our steak yesterday.
 
Sagegreen July 3, 2011
Thanks, Lisa. I would never have thought to do my steak this way if it weren't for the theme of this week! But I will do this again.
 
inpatskitchen July 3, 2011
This one's calling out to me...just beautiful!
 
Sagegreen July 3, 2011
Thanks, inpatskitchen!
 
lapadia July 3, 2011
Fabulous, and in my opinion the photo is "magazine worthy"!
 
Sagegreen July 3, 2011
Wow, thanks, lapadia!! That means a lot to me!
 
boulangere July 3, 2011
Seriously!
 
Jalapenocheese July 3, 2011
Hi i was just wondering if you can use frozen raspberries with this recipe?
 
Sagegreen July 3, 2011
Thanks, Japapenocheese. I don't think frozen raspberries would work out for this. They can work great in a frozen drink, wonderfully well in a pancake, but here I just think they would just get too mushy and watery. If you happen to try it anyway, please let me know if they can work. I could be wrong!
 
boulangere July 3, 2011
Wow! Wow, wow, wow, wow, WOW!
 
Sagegreen July 3, 2011
Thanks, b! The sweetness of the raspberries with the balsamic is surprisingly amazing. Just when I thought I was done with recipes for the week, this popped into my head. It is so easy to make, too!