For Ultra-Flavorful Wine Braises, Vanilla Is Key

Braising meat with wine is one of the best ways to ensure a delicious, tender meal. According to Randy Feltis, chef for The Farmhouse Restaurant in Ontario and co-author of "Katherine Wants: The Ultimate Date Night Cookbook," adding vanilla to your braise is a twist that can boost your dish's flavor in subtle but tangible ways.

Adding vanilla to a meat braise brings a touch of lightness and mystery to your already aromatic meal. Guests will be delighted and will struggle to figure out exactly what is lifting the dish's flavors so beautifully. However, Chef Feltis cautions to be careful when using this potent spice. "Make sure it's just a subtle touch so that it does not overpower the meat," he says. "You don't want to taste vanilla when you bite into it."

If you do end up with too much vanilla in your dish, there are ways to fix it. The simplest solution is to add more of your other ingredients to keep the ratio intact, but having extra of everything on hand isn't always realistic. Try balancing the vanilla with a contrasting flavor. Citrus is a nice counter to the sweetness of vanilla, and vinegar or soy sauce can offset the bitterness while adding an acidic component to help tenderize the meat.

Since adding vanilla will change some of the dish's taste profile, you may wonder what wine to use. Chef Randy Feltis has words of guidance. "You want to add something along the lines of a California Cabernet or an Amarone," he says. "They are both rich in flavor with deep notes of dark cherry, which is great for a braise." Vanilla and cherry are a classic combination — just ask Coca-Cola. If you want to keep looking, consider other flavors that are natural complements to vanilla: chocolate, caramel, toffee, almonds, and even strawberries.

Once you've selected the wine, Feltis says the basic rule is to reduce it by half to three-quarters of the volume. "It takes the rawness out of the dish and intensifies all of the flavors to help it balance overall," he says. Add the vanilla extract to the wine during the reduction stage to temper the vanilla's bitterness.