Chili Chocolate Sauce with Rump Steak
A savory chocolate sauce with a dash of chili powder to spice up rump or T-bone steak. Idea borrowed from Madam Zingara Restaurant in Cape Town. Not the same recipe though, kind of made up on my own. I adapted this from a recipe I saw a long time ago for venison and it works for beef too.
A savory chocolate sauce with a dash of chili powder to spice up rump or T-bone steak. Idea borrowed from Madam Zingara Restaurant in Cape Town. Not the same recipe though, kind of made up on my own. I adapted this from a recipe I saw a long time ago for venison and it works for beef too.
- Carbohydrate 21.98739 g
- Cholesterol 49.3937352045993 mg
- Fat 54.2980538992222 g
- Fiber 1.84229996204376 g
- Protein 2.20564 g
- Saturated Fat 25.5544314783565 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (119g)
- Sodium 310.181746951278 mg
- Sugar 20.1450900379562 g
- Trans Fat 2.57648162242138 g
- Calories 584 calories
Step-by-step
- Once you have grilled your steak to your liking, put it aside to rest.
- Add the dripping from the steak to a saucepan and heat. Add the flour and stir in till a loose paste forms. The flour will darken, then add 100ml of the water and whisk it up till it forms a smooth paste. Allow to simmer and add the rest of the water and the port to the sauce. Allow to simmer for a bit.
- Then add the chilli powder, cook on a gentle heat so as not to burn for 15 min.
- Add the chocolate and stir in till melted.
- Serve this immediatly over the steak.
Most cooks treat cocoa exclusively as a confectioner's medium, abandoning it the moment savory proteins hit the pan. Historically, Mesoamerican kitchens paired bitter cacao with game and fowl long before European palates added sugar to the bean. Modern adaptations utilize this ancient pairing by leveraging fat and warmth to temper the bitterness of dark chocolate into a rich glaze. Understanding this interplay transforms basic pan drippings into a complex sauce.
Building the Foundation
Utilizing rendered steak fat provides the necessary animal lipids to carry fat-soluble flavor compounds from the chili powder. Whisking cornstarch directly into warm dripping at a standard roux ratio binds the mixture before liquids are introduced. Adding water and fortified wine gradually prevents the formation of intractable lumps during the initial starch gelatinization. Maintaining a gentle simmer for 15 minutes cooks out the raw starch taste while concentrating the liquids. Incorporating high-percentage dark chocolate strictly off direct high heat prevents the cocoa solids from scorching and seizing.Managing the Pairing
Balancing pungent chili heat against sweet port wine requires precise seasoning adjustments based on the salt content of the starting steak drippings. Serving this robust preparation over lean cuts like rump steak provides the heavy fat coating needed to balance the astringency of dark chocolate. Pair the finished dish with roasted root vegetables to complement the earthy notes of the sauce.
