Fiery Pomegranate Sauce

Case of POM Wonderful

I'll admit it. I'm a person who highly values the extra minutes of precious sleep acquired between the first smack of the "snooze" button on the alarm clock in the morning and the third. So, I was less than thrilled when I was ripped from sleep a couple of weeks ago by the incessant wailing of the buzzer to my apartment. And, sure, I cursed as I made my way over to the intercom and found out that the USPS had a delivery for me. When I found out what was inside the package, my annoyance morphed into elation, as I had just received an entire box of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice!

POM Wonderful

Then my elation turned into a queer sort of panic. I knew a sample of the juice would be arriving, but I didn't expect to receive eight bottles of it. What the heck was I going to do with that much pomegranate juice... besides drink it straight out the bottle? I took a bottle out of the box and sipped on the juice and thought about what I could make. (Never mind the fact that I still had to shower and get myself to work!) I mentally went over the contents of my cabinets, refrigerator, and freezer, and decided that I could grill up some steak and use the juice as the base for a delicious sauce. Done.

Fiery Pomegranate Sauce

Let me just tell you this: I tasted as I went from start to finish. Seeing as I had never cooked with pomegranate juice before, I had to make sure all of the ingredients worked with each other. After all, if the sauce didn't taste good at the beginning, it certainly wasn't going to taste good at the end since the flavors would be more concentrated after the liquid was allowed to reduce.

Fiery Pomegranate Sauce

At first I told myself I was tasting to ensure a high quality product. Then I admitted to myself that I was being impatient. The sauce tasted so damn good while it was reducing, and I couldn't wait until I had grilled the steak to try it. My impatience resulted in a burned tongue, but I considered the burn a small sacrifice. So good.

Grilled Steak with Fiery Pomegranate Sauce

Now, I used the sauce as an accompaniment to a simply seasoned (salt and pepper only) grilled steak, and the combination of flavors was fantastic. The leftover sauce went into the refrigerator and I used it later in the week as an accompaniment to grilled chicken for my boyfriend's dinner. Stephen and I are convinced that this sauce would go great with pretty much anything -- we dipped some seared scallops into it and were really glad we did.

Try this Fiery Pomegranate Sauce with the following dishes, and you'll be really glad you did!

- Honey Soy Flank Steak à la Jaden
- Orange Panko Chicken Strips
- Panko-Crusted Honey Ginger Shrimp

Fiery Pomegranate Sauce

Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan, combine all of the ingredients. Whisk to ensure the incorporation of the honey.


2. Bring the mixture to a boil.


3. Reduce the heat and simmer the liquid until it reduces in volume by half.


4. Continue reducing until the sauce reaches your preferred consistency. Serve warm.

Taste As You Go Disclaimer: I was provided with product samples at no cost to me. I did not accept monetary compensation for writing about these products or about my experiences while using them. All opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

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