Professor Bainbridge...on law, politics, religion, culture & food

Filet mignon with too much going on

This is an everything but the kitchen sink recipe, but trust me.

Ingredients:

• 2@ 8 -10 oz. beef filet mignon steaks (preferably from the thick end of the tenderloin)
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1 shallot
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons Cognac
• 1 tablespoon green peppercorns (preferably brined rather than freeze-dried)
• 1/4 cup Port wine
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 cup veal demi-glace or rich beef stock
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• unsalted organic butter
• olive oil
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°. Heat a heavy 10" skillet over high heat (I love Le Creuset enameled cast iron pans for this sort of cooking). Lube the pan with olive oil (don't use EVOO, because its smoke point is too low). Using a paring knife, cut a slit in the side of each filet to form a pocket. Season the filets with salt and pepper. I'm a little embarrassed to admit I own 5 pepper mills of varying fineness. I like to use a very fine grind to season the inside of the filets and my coarsest mill to season the outside (as though I were making steak au poivre).

Stuff the pockets with as much blue cheese as they can take. When the oil is hot, sear the filets for 2 minutes per side. Press a layer of blue cheese onto the top of each filet. Move the skillet to the oven and roast for 7 minutes (I'm assuming you want the meat medium-rare, like any sensible person would).

Transfer the filets to a plate and loosely cover with foil. If a significant amount of cheese has stuck to the bottom of the pan, it is best to clean the pan before proceeding.

Melt a pat of butter with olive oil in the pan. Add the shallots and stir until soft. Add the garlic. Stir briefly. Season with salt and coarse black pepper. Add the Cognac. Touch a long match (or better yet a lighter wand) to the pan to flame the Cognac. While the Cognac is still flaming, add the port wine. Be careful! When the flames die down, add the green peppercorns. Allow the wine/Cognac mixture to reduce to a glaze. Add the demi-glace and Worcestershire Sauce. Allow to reduce by about a third. Add the cream and Dijon mustard and allow to reduce by another third. Stir in a pat of butter. Spoon over the filets and serve.

I like to serve this with boiled new potatoes to help soak up the sauce and a plain salad.