Seared Filet Mignon
January 22nd, 2008
Okay, after tonight’s dinner, I don’t think I could ever go vegetarian.
These days, I’m eating mostly fruits and vegetables, but OH MY! — Beef is just too good to be eliminated from my diet permanently.
As a Christmas gift, an associate sent my DH a box of Filet Mignons — top-notch, high-quality, thick-cut, and packed in dry ice. This was a few weeks ago, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them, so they went into the freezer for awhile. This morning we decided to make them.
Last year’s batch of Filet Mignons were good, but I wasn’t happy with the way I prepared them - on the grill. It had turned dark while I cooked them and in my inexperience they were way under-done. (I suppose some people would say that Filets cannot be underdone.) Anyway, we ate them, but they could have been better.
Tonight we learned exactly how much better they can be. I did a bit of research and decided to pan-sear the steaks with a cracked pepper crust. I also added a wine/broth mixture for dipping. (There were great without it, even greater with it.)
You can use the same method for other types of steaks - check the cut to make sure that pan-searing is appropriate. This is the single most important thing to learn about beef - different cuts are best prepared in different manners.
The steaks I was working with were cut 1 1/2 inches thick, 8 oz. of pure, delectable beef each. Cooking times have to be reduced if your steaks are not as thick. From what I have read (and the tasting tonight proved it) filet mignon should not be overcooked, rare or medium rare is what you are looking for. A couple of ours were more like medium and they were still delicious, but the redder ones were better.
I have to admit that our family eating these was a little scary. We all loved them except my 3-year old, who sat staring and sucking his thumb. When it was all over, he ate spaghettios. Who can figure out 3-year olds?
Pepper-Coated and Pan-Seared Filet Mignons
makes 6, easily adjustable
6 Filet Mignons - 1 1/2 inch thick / 8 oz. each
1 t. salt
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. sugar
dash cayenne pepper
3 t. cracked black pepper
3 T. olive oil
1/2 c. beef broth
1/2 c. red wine
1 t. parsley
The cooking of these goes pretty quickly, so be prepared. (You might want to read the steps through a time or two.) Have your side dishes ready, the table set, the candles lit, etc. Another note: use a cast-iron skillet if possible, not a non-stick skillet, certainly nothing with a plastic handle. Borrow a cast-iron skillet from Grandma if you need to. Also, be prepared to open the windows in case of a little smoke.
Start by heating the oven (yes, I said the oven) to 375. This was easy for me because I was baking potatoes for a side dish.
Next, lay out the steaks on 3 or 4 thicknesses of paper towels and let them drain. Flip them and pat the tops dry. They should be nice and dry before moving on to the next step.
Combine the salt, peppers, garlic powder, and sugar in a small bowl. Consider this like a rub - sprinkle a bit on each steak and rub it in. Just do one side now and do the other once they are in the frying pan. In a larger bowl, combine the broth, wine, and parsley — set this aside for now.
Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until good and hot. The oil doesn’t have to be smoking but if you put your hand over the open skillet, it will feel rather uncomfortable.
Place the steaks (peppery side down) in the skillet and set a timer or watch the clock for 3 minutes. While they sear, top with the pepper seasoning. Using a tongs, flip them gently. The reason that filet mignons are traditionally wrapped in bacon is because they tend to fall apart. Sear the other side for 3 minutes also.
Move the skillet (steaks included) into the oven for 3 more minutes. Keeping things simple with the times — don’t you love it?! After three minutes, remove and gently move them to a shallow bowl — I used a pasta bowl. Put the skillet back on the stove and add the broth combination, stirring up and loosening any bits that were stuck to the pan. Then pour this over the filets and you are ready to serve.