And pair it with a cherry and blackberry Red Wine Granita with sweetened black pepper sour cream for dessert! Pretty much every day of the month so far has been wildly different weather. This past Sunday however we struck gold with glorious weather. The kind of weather that finally convinces you that dreary winter days are firmly behind you. The kind of weather where a picnic date was inevitable. Mr K has been straining under a mountain of work these last few weeks, so I really wanted to make something special of whatever free time he had on the weekend, which wasn’t much to start with. Sometimes, having a good time is going back in time, so that’s just what we did. No TV, no laptops, no cellphones, no cables, basically nothing that beeps or could be remotely controlled. Just our backyard and some amazing food. I wanted it to be a little more special than an average weekend lunch, filling but not too heavy, and easy to take outside with us. And my idea of a picnic date is also food that can be prepared ahead of time and can be put together easily on that day. So what was my menu?
Red wine marinated steak
How does a Red Wine Marinated Steak Sandwich with grilled onions, cheddar cheese and arugula (rocket salad), and red wine granita with sweetened black pepper sour cream for dessert sound? It was every bit as delicious as it sounds.
Red wine and steak are a perfect pairing
Red wine and steak are a great match of course. I wanted something hearty and meaty to go with the wine. The steak is marinated in red wine, garlic, thyme and grilled to a perfect medium rare (135 F) and then sliced thin and piled generously on top of a slice of toasted French bread. I’ve also had this with my brioche bread and white bread before, and it was just as amazing. Then drizzled with a red wine reduction glaze, grilled onions, arugula and wonderfully sharp, creamy cheddar cheese. I was lucky enough to get my hands on two beautiful New York strip steaks. I marinated both steaks overnight with the Cabernet Sauvignon, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. The wine really goes inside, and it smelled amazing the following day. The marinade was then reduced to a buttery red wine glaze. I also served some perfectly ripened sweet tomatoes with the grilled steak sandwich. The flavors were truly incredible! Check out my archive of burger and sandwich recipes for more sandwich ideas to pair with red wine.
Red wine granita for dessert
And for dessert, I used the Black Box Wines Cabernet Sauvignon to make a cherry and blackberry Red Wine Granita and you can get the recipe for that right here. Refreshing, fruity wine granita topped with sweetened black pepper sour cream – so easy to make and perfect for summer entertaining! What are your favorite Summer entertaining tips and ideas? And how much wine is involved in those ideas? 🙂 I feel like wine marinated grilled steak is definitely something you guys should try soon! If you liked this recipe, don’t forget to subscribe for new (and free) recipes by entering your email address on the side bar (and get all these recipes delivered straight to your inbox), so you don’t miss out on a thing. You can find me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, YOU TUBE and GOOGLE-PLUS too.
