Balsamic Beef Stroganoff

By Kent Mills

https://ckentmills.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/balsamic-beef-stroganoff/

This photo is off the website.

I was so impressed by the tastiness of this recipe and also how easy it is to prepare, granted you have to shop ahead of time and have your ingredients on hand. I think this is delicious! -Annette

Beef Stroganoff is one of those meals that is easy to prepare, and for some odd reason, most people seem to appreciate. If you think about it, beef,onions,mushrooms and sour cream (!) would not, at first glance, seem to be very harmonious. But it does work.

In this preparation, however, I am not using sour cream. Instead I use heavy cream, which has been ‘soured’ by the addition of balsamic vinegar. It accomplishes the same general effect, but adds a depth of flavor that you do not get by using sour cream alone.

Ingredients

1 pound of steak

8 ounces of white button mushrooms, sliced

8 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced (cremini mushrooms are sometimes called "baby bella" mushrooms. If you can't find them, you can use white mushrooms instead in most cases.)

8 ounces shallots, coarsely chopped

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup beef broth

2 tablespoons of butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

balsamic vinegar

Let me say first that I use more mushrooms than is typically called for in most stroganoff recipes, as 1) I like mushrooms, 2) They cook down to almost nothing anyway, and 3) they add umami. Feel fee to lower the amount of mushrooms as you see fit.

Directions

Start by preparing the steak for cooking. Thinly slice the steak into 1/8 inch thick strips. For mine, I used a strip steak, which slices up perfectly across the width of the steak. I also partially froze the steak, to make it easier to slice into thin strips.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter and begin cooking the shallots over medium heat until they begin to turn translucent. Then add the sliced mushrooms and begin to cook them down as well. When the mushrooms have cooked down by half, add the beef broth and turn up the heat. The object is to reduce the liquid in the pan by about 2/3rds.

Now reduce the heat back to medium and add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and the sliced steak. Cook for about 7 minutes until the steak is fully cooked.

Add the cup of heavy cream, and mix throughly. You want to cook long enough to allow the mix to reach a smooth consistency. When this is down, begin adding the balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon at a time. After each tablespoon, mix throughly and sample the sauce. How sour it is will be a matter of personal preference. For me, I used 3 tablespoons, you may use more or less according to your tastes.

When done, serve over, what else, wide egg noodles.