Friday, September 7, 2012

Reduction Seduction

                                                             Reduction Seduction

A few years ago, for Valentine’s Day, I attempted to impress my girlfriend with a three course culinary tour de force. Beginning with goat cheese, tapenade, and tomato tartines and concluding with a chocolate, cherry cheesecake, I knew she would be at least impressed. (Prior to this endeavor, my most noteworthy creation was garlic-bacon, which I discovered at age twelve; I would not recommend it.) However, my pièce de résistance was a veal roast stuffed with figs, covered in a balsamic reduction, and sprinkled with parsley. After a day of prepping, cooking, forgetting ingredients, running to the store, and continuing to cook, everything miraculously came out unscathed. The tartines were moist, the cheesecake was fluffy, and the veal was pink. Whew! I expected to be left holding a smoking pan and suggesting pizza.

While I’ve never made veal again, I have tried several recipes with a balsamic reduction—my favorite was a sweetened reduction with vanilla ice cream—which were all a fiasco. Unlike a lot of cooking, which can be improved by improvisation and intuition, the reduction is all about accuracy and timing. If you remove it from heat too soon, the syrup will be bitter and runny, and if you leave it on too long, it’s like glue. (If it’s on far too long, you’ll end up with a balsamic caramelized pan.) My recommendation is 3-5 minutes, depending on the amount. You want it thick enough to retain heat, and remain a liquid, but not so much as to become caramel-like after it’s drizzled. This typically means the amount in the pan is reduced to a little less than half of the original.

~Zac
Image via  here.

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