Looking for a replacement for a balsamic vinegar reduction

#1

Hello Y’all. I have a recipe for balsamic skirt steak with polenta and roasted tomatoes that was a family favorite prior to keto. I’d love to make it again but it calls for deglazing the steak pan with a cup of balsamic vinegar and then reducing it to 1/2 cup. Thats a lot of carbs (like 112)!!! Any suggestions from you brilliant chefs out there?

#2

Oh, I forgot to mention, I was going to use Richards recipe for almond meal polenta to replace the corn meal. Hehe. Y’all were saying “the vinegar is only part of the problem!”

(Joey) #3

Another possibility to consider… use (1) regular plain old vinegar for that sour acidity flavor, and then (2) well-aerated dry red wine for that vineyard flavor.

Between the two, you will have introduced minimal carbs - but you will achieve a very similar combined taste.

Food for thought. Bon appetit!

(Full Metal KETO AF) #4

If I use balsamic vinegar it’s like a teaspoon or two. There isn’t going to be any KETO replacement for balsamic vinegar that you would find to resemble what you want. If you really miss it make it for a holiday or birthday and get back to KETO afterwards. :cowboy_hat_face:

(Windmill Tilter) #5

You could try adding some stevia to apple cider vinegar and see how it tastes. Maybe experiment a bit to see how to bring in some subtle fig/raisin notes. I think a dash of prune juice would go a long way without adding too many carbs, and would add a bit of color as well. Personally, everything tastes so much sweeter to me after being on keto for so long. Even ACV alone tastes sweet to me!

I’ve not tried this, I’m just brainstorming. Please do get back to us if you find a good solution. Homemade balsamic vinaigrette was always a favorite for me, and I haven’t had any since going keto. :slight_smile:

(Jane) #6

I plugged it into chronometer and came up with 43.3 g carbs for 1 cup. I know that is still a lot, but how much of the reduced 1/2 cup would you have in one serving? 1/4 of it? (2 Tbl)

(Ken) #7

You might try Tarragon or Raspberry vinegar. Vinegar is so easy to make and flavor yourself it’s crazy to not do it. You always cut the alcohol down to around 6% when you make it, so a $3 bottle of wine makes two bottles of 6% vinegar, four bottles if you then dilute to 3% before using. Pretty reasonable considering what a bottle of wine vinegar costs in the store, and much healthier and better tasting.

(Ken) #8

The Wikipedia page on Balsamic Vinegar is very informative. It seems that it is highly unlikely that any of us has ever used the actual stuff, rather a cheap imitation made to taste somewhat similar to the actual product.

(Bob M) #9

Sometimes, I’ll pay quite a bit for aged balsamic, not near the $60/bottle amount, though. I find the more expensive stuff has more flavor so you can use less of it. I always found this to be good:

https://home.woot.com/offers/cavedoni-botte-piccola-balsamic-vinegar

#10

I like the sound of this @SomeGuy. Maybe after I could add some butter to thicken. Thank you. I’ll let you know.

#11

Thanks for the calculation @Janie. I got my carb count by asking Siri cuz I was too lazy to got to my basement to look at the nutrition label. This recipe feeds my family of 4 twice so even if we divided the vinegar evenly that would come to about 5 carbs per serving. Not too bad. Sometimes its helpful to have our community ground me when I get all up in my head.

#12

Oooo @240lbfatloss! I’ve never tried making my own vinegar! Sounds amazing!

#13

I’ve made this before using the brown sugar Lakanto instead of sugar and it worked pretty good.

#14

Thanks @gatita!