I was holding on to my last little bit of Blood Orange Honey from Honey Ridge Farms as if it were a friend I would not see again for a long time. OK, that might be just a little more dramatic than I intended it to be, so let’s just say that I really wanted my last few tablespoons of this very special honey to be just that — extra special.
I can’t believe that Memorial Day is already upon us, which means that summer is just around the corner. What better way to usher in the new season than to pull out the grill and throw on a few steaks for good measure.
This time around, I didn’t want just any steak. I wanted to make a marinade that could double as a glaze with a reduction of honey balsamic vinegar cooked down with my leftover blood orange honey. I planned to combine this with some garlic and onion infused grapeseed oil and freshly squeezed blood orange juice.
I began to see a little play of Beef l‘Orange coming together in my mind…
The little trick of slowly infusing garlic and onion flavor in oil is something I picked up years ago from Rick Bayless. I don’t only use this oil for marinades but also for just about anything, including my homemade vinaigrette —it adds that extra flavor to liven up what might otherwise be a boring salad.
I picked up a nice piece of skirt steak which is perfect for marinating and grilling in this sweet and savory marinade that will also be used as a glaze for the perfectly cooked meat. If you are not a fan of skirt steak, you can use whatever cut of meat you prefer.
The flavors were so appropriate—fresh, fragrant with a light citrus undertone. A delicate sweetness from the blood orange honey and balsamic reduction that was complemented by the garlic/onion infused oil and not overwhelmed by it. I also tossed in some extra onions and garlic with the meat to marinate overnight and it made a world of difference.
This little marinade/glaze is not only great for your grilled steaks but use it also for your indoor skillet cooking on those nights when you might not be up to revving up the grill. Either way, the result is something that your guests will soon not forget. Their clean plates will let you know that this recipe was a grand success.
Memorial Day Steaks
1 large strip steak
½ bottle (about 4 oz) of Honey Ridge Farms Honey Balsamic Vinegar
2 tablespoons Honey Ridge Farms Blood Orange Honey
8 large cloves of garlic
1 small onion, sliced in thin wedges
½ cup grapeseed oil
Juice (and rind if you like) of 1 blood orange
2 bay leaves
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Peel 6 cloves of the garlic and cut the onion in half. Slice half of the onion into thin wedges and add them to a small pot with the grapeseed oil. Allow the garlic and onions to poach in the oil over a very low heat for a few hours until both the garlic and onions have wilted. The oil should be so low that it should barely sizzle. In the end, the wilted garlic and onions will have taken on very little color. Once this is ready, set this aside remove the wilted onions and garlic and put the oil into a jar. You will use ¼ cup of this in this recipe, and you can use the rest in salad dressings or with the rest of your cooking.
In another small pot add the honey balsamic vinegar and the blood orange honey and reduce this on medium heat until it becomes thick, then set it aside to cool.
Once it has cooled, add ¼ cup of the garlic/onion oil to this reduction along with the juice of 1 blood orange.
If you would like more of a citrusy fragrance and flavor, add some thin strips of the orange rind (NOT ZEST). If you add zest, the small pieces will burn during the grilling of the meat. If you would like to add some orange rind, remove thick strands of the rind without the white pith before you juice the orange. Slice the other half of the onion into thin slices and peel another 2 cloves of garlic. Cut the garlic in half lengthwise to release more flavor. Add all of these along with the bay leaves to the marinade and then set this aside.
Rinse your skirt steak well under cold water and pat dry. Liberally salt and pepper both sides and then place the skirt steak into a Ziploc bag. Pour half of the marinade into the bag and reserve the rest to baste the meat if you plan to cook this on the grill. Place the Ziploc bag in the refrigerator and allow this to marinate overnight.
You can further reduce the amount of marinade you have reserved for basting by gently heating this in a small pan, but you can also use it as is. If you plan to grill the meat indoors in a skillet or grill, cook the meat and then remove it to a platter to rest. Add the reserved marinade into the skillet and allow it to reduce. Once it has thickened, add the meat back into the skillet and use a pair of tongs to turn the meat in the skillet from one side to the other until the glaze coats both sides completely. At this point, you do not want to further cook the meat, you are just glazing it so make sure to do this quickly. ***Make sure that you pull out the pieces of onion, garlic and orange rind before you begin reducing the reserved marinade in the skillet.
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