Grilled Veal with Blackberry Vanilla Sauce

Before you all start freaking out over the thought of cooking veal, I think this recipe would work just as well with steak. Done with a filet it could be more upscale, or with a sirloin it would be ore rustic. Either way, I would consider swapping out the pasta for some sort of potato.

This recipe was a really fun experiment in combining and layering flavors, and for the most part it came out really well. The blackberry complimented the veal perfectly, and a healthy dose of pepper kept it from being too sweet. The vanilla was subtle, but added a warm background note.Really the only complaint that I had was that the sauce was very thin. Next time, I’ll thicken it with a little arrowroot and maybe finish it with a small pat of butter.

It didn’t photograph very well at all, so I’ll spare you the second picture….

Veal with Blackberry Vanilla Sauce

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs black pepper
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb veal
• 6 oz  blackberries
• 5 oz pinot noir
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1 rib celery, cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 vanilla bean, split
• 1 pt. baby bella mushrooms
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 T butter
• Pasta to serve (I used Trader Joe’s Lemon-Pepper Papperdelle)

Combine garlic, black pepper, and thyme. Rub this mixture into the veal.

Puree the blackberries and wine. Pour into a small simmer until reduced by half. Strain to remove seeds.

In a sauce pan, simmer stock, leek, garlic clove, and celery until slightly reduced and flavorful. Remove leek, garlic, and celery and discard. Remove from heat and add vanilla bean. let steep for 10 minutes.

Remove vanilla bean and add pureed berries and mushrooms. Return to heat and simmer until heated through.

In a large sautee pan, sautee mushroom until cooked and tender. Add to the sauce. In same sautee pan, heat butter. Add onion, and cook over medium heat until carmelized.

Grill veal until thoroughly cooked. Serve on top of pasta with blackberry-vanilla sauce. Top with carmelized mushrooms.

Serves 4.