Filet Mignon with Red Wine Sauce
Use wine you enjoy drinking. Sauce is a concentrated
version of the wine w/ butter and pan juices.
Ingredients 2 to 4 filet mignon 1-2" thick Ks/p Evo 3-4 tbl unsalted butter, divided 2 cups full bodied, dry red wine (can use Zinfandel)
Method Bring steaks to room temp 30-90 min depending onthickness of the steaks. Just before cooking, pat dry with paper towels, then coat with oil. Salt well. Sear the steaks on one side in 2 tablespoons oil in a cast iron pan on high heat for 1 minute. Put the steaks in the hot pan and immediately turn the heat down to medium to medium high (depending on stovetop. Sear untouched for 3 minutes, up to 6 minutes for 2-inch thick steak. Flip the steaks and cook for another 2-5 min, depending on how rare or well done you like your meat.
You can use the finger test to test the doneness of your steak. Or you can use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the steak (120°F to 125°F for rare, 130°F to 135°F for medium rare, 140°F to 145°F for medium).
Remove from the pan, loosely tent with foil and allow to rest while you make the sauce. Pour the wine into the pan and turn the heat to high. Boil furiously/reduce by 3/4, about 10 minutes. Add any juices the steaks have released while resting. Turn off the heat and wait until the wine has stopped bubbling. When it has, add the tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon at a time. Swirl each tablespoon into the sauce until it is completely incorporated before adding the next tablespoon of butter. Add salt to taste and serve the sauce with the steak. Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper over the meat when you serve it.
Tips If you have thicker steaks, you can butterfly them and cook on the stovetop as directed here, or you can sear them on the stovetop and finish them in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes or more, until the center of the steaks are done to your liking.