Food Wine Magazine: June Cover Recipe

Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak
Rating: 5 out of 5. Summertime BBQ perfection in a dish. Enough said.

THE TEST

It was refreshing to see a cover recipe that didn’t have a list of ingredients that was 8 feet long. Not that I mind that sort of experimentation – in fact, I love it – but given how the general hubub of summer is beginning and that we’d had a less than a perfect week, it was nice to be able to relax a little with this recipe. Given how pricey the cut of meat was, too, it was a welcome reprieve to realize I already had most of the other ingredients on hand. 

Looking over the recipe, I realized right away that it was a beauty, and was sure it would be a hit with F. Given that the recipe called for 3 whole pounds of flank steak, however, I also knew this would be a great excuse for a dinner party. By now, you can probably guess who we ended up inviting over, if you’ve read the past few posts here.

When I went to get my steak the night before, I was praised by the butcher for choosing such a great cut, and he outright swooned when I told him what I’d be doing with it, especially when I said I’d be marinating it for nearly 24 hours. Ha! I couldn’t exactly take any credit for the choice of recipe, but it did affirm my suspicion that we were in for a great night of dining in.

To give you an idea, the flank steak I ended up purchasing was just under 2.2 lbs, and it was too big to fit in a 9×13 casserole dish to marinate. I had to get out my largest serving platter, and even then it was a tight squeeze!

Whole grain mustard.

A tablespoon each of fresh Rosemary and dried Oregano.

While this probably doesn’t look very appetizing, I wanted to give you an idea of just how far this marinade went!

THE RESULTS

Jasmine warned me it would be delicious, and delicious it certainly was! Our flank was ever-so-slightly overcooked – more medium-well and not the medium-rare we prefer – but it was still wonderful. The meat was tender and flavourful, and when added to the bread and roasted veggies, made for an almost gourmet steak sandwich. We also opted for an additional side of broiled, tri-coloured baby potatoes.

The darling of the evening was definitely the marinade-turned-sauce, though I’d have to say the 1/4 cup reserved (as called for by the recipe) wasn’t nearly enough. If I were to make this again, I’d probably reserve more for drizzling, using a little less for the overnight marinade, as clearly from the photo above there was more than enough.

The recipe called for pairing with a juicy, spicy Portugese red, so we opted for this Duque de Viseu which claimed to be exactly that. It didn’t stand out in any way, but certainly did blend smoothly with the dish and flavours in front of us.

We served the flank steak and sides family-style, with everyone assembling their own meals from dishes set around the table. It was the perfect way to end an imperfect week, with full bellies and plenty of laughs along the way. It was also a refreshing and interesting way to use steak in a recipe for dinner, and the novelty and depth of flavour was appreciated by everyone around the table.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a bonfire to attend!

Cover Recipe

Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak by Grace Parisi.

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NOTE: If any of you would like to follow along with Jasmine and I and join in on the fun, we’d love to compare notes! So pick-up a copy of the latest issue of Food & Wine and get cooking. Be sure to send your comments and photos to info@cookthatbook.com.

The mission of Food & Wine Magazine is to find the most exciting places, new experiences, emerging trends and sensations in the culinary and wine industries. From travel and entertaining to luxury and design, this magazine brings an energetic and stylish take on food and wine. For more information on Food & Wine Magazine, please visit www.foodandwine.com