Pomegranate Merlot Reduction

I cooked a big fancy dinner for New Years Eve. While the cilantro pesto veggies, twice bakes potatoes and prime rib were all fantastic, the highlight of the night was definitely the Pomegranate Merlot Reduction that I made. Sweet but tangy - a great accompaniment to the savoury prime rib.


Pomegranate Merlot Reduction

1 cup Pomegranate Juice (2 juiced pomegranates)
1/2 cup Merlot
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp of rosemary
1/2 tsp pepper
salt to taste
cornstarch if necessary

If you're ambitious (like me) you can even juice your own pomegranates!  I took the seeds from my pomegranates (click HERE if you need help with doing that) and put them in a bag, then roller pinned the crap out of them! I then dumped the contents of a bag in a small strainer and squeezed the last bit of juice out of the seeds.


Place all the ingredients, except cornstarch, in a saucepan and stir. Bring it to a boil, then let it reduce by about half. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

At this stage you're welcome to serve it, or if you prefer a slightly thicker sauce, you can whisk in a bit of cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed in warm water)  to thicken it to your preference.