Yatta Would Sing About Balsamic-Berry Steaks....

For those not in the know, Yatta was one of those viral videos from the early days of the Internet.  They were a Japanese group from the height of the economic depression over there who sang about positive things - like puppies (no really, I'm not making that up).  You can check them out on You Tube, but I warn you... you'll either be greatly disturbed or be strangely entertained.  Regardless, those diaper-leaf-wearing-happy-go-lucky-Japanese would have dedicated at least an entire verse to this Balsamic Berry Sauce if they had ever tried it.  It's just so happy!  Even my berry-hating husband soaked up all of the sauce on his plate.  P.S.  Should you decide to record you own Yatta tape serenading this beautiful recipe, do the world a favor and keep it to yourself.

This recipe works good for those days of the month where you're craving red meat in a hurry, or for fancy get togethers.  For those who don't like Balsamic Vinegar, this recipe comes out VERY mild.  There's no vinegary taste to it.

Balsamic-Berry Steaks
Difficulty: Another easy one!
Time: Hmm... about 12 minutes for the steaks, and between 5-10 for the sauce.
Serves: Enough sauce for four steaks, five if you stretch it (but why would you want to?).
Requires: Nothing fancy

Steaks

• 4 eye-of-round steaks, about 1 1/2 - 2 inches thick
• Olive Oil

Sauce

• 1/2 c water
• 1/4 c seedless blackberry preserves (I forget who, but someone has a version with no added sugar [Splenda] and extra fiber that works nicely)
• 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1. Mix together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside for the time being.
2. Heat you pan over medium-high heat and use the wipe-on method with the olive oil.  Make sure you wait for your pan to heat; don't get impatient!
3. Sear the steaks on each side, about two minutes, until you get a nice brown. 
   
4. Reduce heat to medium.  As you reduce your heat to medium, flip your steaks over (so that the newly seared side is now face up to avoid burning it) and cook on each side for about another 4 minutes each.  This should put your steaks at about medium to medium well, depending upon the heat of your pan and thickness of your steaks.  Adjust the time according to your tastes.  When the steaks are done, put them aside and keep warm.
   
5. Carefully pour the sauce's ingredients into the pan, scrapping up any brown bits leftover from the steaks.  Cook until the sauce is reduced by half.  You can raise the heat a little to speed this step up if you like.  The sauce will need to be periodically stirred, or it forms a film on top (which will go away if you just stir it, but it can be kind of disturbing).
   
6. Pour over your steaks and enjoy!