Filet Mignon with Warm Shallot Vinaigrette, Sautéed Mushrooms and Toasted Baguette

Filet Mignon with Warm Shallot Vinaigrette, Sautéed Mushrooms and Toasted Baguette

When my birthday occurred a couple of months ago, Mrs. Stuntman took me out to dinner the day prior because she had to work on the evening of my actual birthday. On my actual birthday, I posted a picture of the dish I ate for dinner on instagram. Call this an update but this could easily be served this weekend for Valentine's Day if you don't want to go out to eat.

Inspiration Behind the Dish

I was surfing the net recently and came across a dish that won a Top Chef challenge in a prior season. It paired halibut with a vinaigrette. Vinaigrettes are ubiquitous in dressing salads, but are more uncommonly used by home cooks as a sauce to complement a protein and I wanted to explore the idea. In addition, the supermarket I normally patronize had USDA Choice New York steaks on sale, however they were a little too large of a portion for my family so I purchased filets instead. A quick review of The Flavor Bible revealed that beef steaks pair well with shallots, mushrooms and Dijon mustard.

Dish Details

I would like to think that this dish would be served at any fine dining steakhouse. I adapted a vinaigrette from Food & Wine but the remaining components of this dish are original.

Ingredients

2 shallots, sliced thinly
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Italian parsley leaves
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 8-ounce beef tenderloin steaks, approximately 1-inch thick
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 baguette, cut into 1/2" slices on a bias
Basil leaves, cut into chiffonade (for garnish)

Method

1. Prepare the vinaigrette. Combine the shallots and 1/2 cup olive oil in a saucepan over medium low heat and sweat, stirring frequently until softened, approximately 10 minutes.

Transfer the contents of the saucepan to a blender and let it cool slightly. Add the vinegar and mustard into the blender and purée until smooth. Add in the parsley and pulse until finely chopped. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste, then keep warm over low heat.

2. Sear the steaks. Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and heat until the oil starts to smoke. While the oil is heating, season the filets with salt and pepper then add them to the skillet to sear, approximately 4 minutes. Flip the steaks to sear on the opposite side but reduce the heat to medium, until desired doneness is reached, approximately 6 minutes for medium rare.

3. Sauté mushrooms and finish the dish. If the skillet is dry once the steaks are removed, add the remaining teaspoon olive oil then the mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms until they shrink, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and stir until fragrant, approximately one minute, then deglaze with the white wine, scraping any fond from the pan. Season with salt and pepper and continue to simmer until the wine has evaporated.

While the wine is reducing, put the baguette slices on a aluminum foil lined sheet pan and season with salt and pepper. Place under the broiler, checking every 30 seconds until the desired color is reached.

To plate, follow the classic design of starch at 10 o'clock, protein at 2 o'clock with sauce under the protein and vegetables at 6 o'clock by spooning a tablespoon of vinaigrette onto a plate right of center, then placing the filet onto the vinaigrette at the center of the plate. Using a slotted spoon, drizzle some mushrooms off to the side of the filet then lean a baguette slice against the filet on the opposite side of the vinaigrette and garnish the dish with the chiffonade basil.

Final Thoughts

This dish is about as spontaneous as I'll get because I did not plan to publish it here when I went shopping for the ingredients in the morning I prepared it. In fact, I composed it while I was there in the supermarket based upon the ingredients I knew I had in my pantry. Still, it was well balanced with the baguette offering a texture contrast. In addition, the acidity of the vinaigrette balanced out the sweet flavors in the basil and the savory steak from the standpoint of the flavor profile. From an execution standpoint, I altered my method slightly in preparing a filet because I found that, by following my prior method, the center was too rare for my taste and, in many cases, blue in the center.

Filet Mignon with Red Wine Reduction and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes for a Copycat #SundaySupper

Filet Mignon with Red Wine Reduction and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes for a Copycat #SundaySupper

It's interesting how history repeats itself. I say that because there are several themes I have addressed in previous posts that are applicable to this dish I am publishing today.

Let me explain.

Earlier this spring, my mother called and insisted upon seeing her granddaughter over the summer. Either she and my father were going to travel up to Washington from California or my daughter would have to fly down there. So a couple of weeks ago, I flew my daughter to California and spent a few days catching up with friends and family and returned home on Independence Day, leaving my daughter behind. It was nice to see everyone and I made sure I made the most of my foodie opportunity but ultimately, I realized that where I grew up isn't home anymore and am happier at my current residence. I was also fortunate to attend this year's Food and Wine Conference and flew back from Orlando last Monday evening. Mrs. Stuntman flew out to California earlier that day to visit and also pick up our daughter to fly home, but they don't return until this evening so I have been by myself all week. Long time readers might remember the last time both my daughter and wife were away when I prepared this steak dish two years ago. The scenario is the same here as it was then: I was only cooking for myself so I figured I could splurge a little without breaking the bank, which is one of the reasons why I chose a filet.

Inspiration Behind the Dish

I couldn't let this week's #SundaySupper theme of Copycat Recipes go by without participating. Within the first six months I had started this site, I organized a group post called Food Unchained where I replicated a baby back ribs recipe inspired by a national restaurant chain. The idea of 'Food Unchained' was to prepare an improved version of a favorite chain restaurant dish with the idea that if the restaurant would replace the blogger's version of their dish it would help the chain's sales. I used the same approach here, however this time, I used a dish off of a different restaurant menu. This time, I was inspired by the Dallas Filet off of the Texas Roadhouse menu. (It's the other reason why I chose a filet.)

Dish Details

Their menu specifies that the filet includes two side dishes but let's assume the first side is a salad which will act as an appetizer course. For the second side, I was inspired by a baked potato. After all, my version is fundamentally prepared in the same way, but seasoned in a different manner. I will admit that this dish looks a lot like one I prepared about a year ago for the Conference, however I wanted to try something I saw during a cooking demonstration by Chef Michael Ollier of Certified Angus Beef® over this past weekend. Chef Ollier demonstrated a simple pan sauce for beef but he finished it off with tomato paste instead of butter. Would that one ingredient substitution make a huge difference in the sauce?

I adapted this dish from a few different sources. I used the cooking method (i.e. oven temperature and roasting time) from a Tyler Florence dish that can be found on foodnetwork.com. I recommend taking one extra step with the filet that I failed to do here that I will describe below. For the pan sauce, I used the basic sauce making technique found on page 75 of Think Like A Chef by Tom Colicchio with Catherine Young, Lori Silverbush and Sean Fri which was reinforced by a dish on Certified Angus Beef®'s blog, Go Rare. A YouTube video demonstrating the recipe can be found here.

Ingredients

1/4 pound fingerling potatoes, scrubbed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil plus more, if needed
1 8-ounce filet mignon, approximately 1-inch thick
1 shallot, chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup beef or veal stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Whole rosemary sprigs, for garnish

Method

1. Roast the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 500° Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and place on a middle rack while the oven is preheating. In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic, rosemary and olive oil. Once the oven has reached it's temperature, place the potatoes onto the warmed sheet pan, close the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 425° Fahrenheit. Roast in the oven until the potatoes have a crisp exterior but a soft interior, approximately 20 minutes.

2. While the potatoes roast, sear the steak. Heat the vegetable oil in a stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium high heat, then season the filet with salt and pepper. Put the filet into the skillet to sear, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm to allow for carryover cooking.

3. Prepare the pan sauce. Reduce the heat of the skillet to medium, then add more vegetable oil if necessary, up to an additional 1 tablespoon. Add the shallots to sweat, approximately 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon garlic to the shallots and cook until fragrant, an additional minute. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping up the fond, then simmer until it's reduced by half. Add in the beef stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the sauce until it has a syrup-like consistency, then stir in the tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. To plate, place the potatoes on one side of the plate, then the filet on another. Spoon some sauce over the filet, then garnish with a rosemary sprig or two.

Final Thoughts

From an execution standpoint, I was a bit off my game the evening I prepared this dish, in fact I made a couple of rookie mistakes. The filet was a little undercooked for my taste, so if I were to prepare this dish again, I would place the pan in the oven on a different rack than the potatoes immediately after turning the filet until the desired doneness is reached. Keep in mind that the steak still should be slightly under the desired doneness (i.e. cook to rare in order to achieve medium rare) to allow for carryover cooking. (The temperature of the meat will rise about 5° Fahrenheit as it rests).

In addition, I also slightly burned the shallots because the pan was a little too hot when I added them and I failed to reduce the oven temperature once I placed the potatoes on the hot sheet pan, so I had to scramble and hide the burned herbs and garnish the potatoes with thyme leaves for presentation. Speaking of the potatoes, I'd increase the amount of the potatoes, garlic and rosemary if more than 1 filet is to be prepared. Despite my issues, it was still the best thing I ate since I returned from the Food and Wine Conference.

If you look around the Texas Roadhouse website, they do demonstrate in a video the process of preparing their ribeye steaks, they pan sear before finishing them off on the grill but I can't imagine they would apply the same process to their filet because it would be overcooked. Furthermore, many steakhouses utilize an infrared broiler, so I'm unsure what this company is trying to achieve by this process.

I'd like to thank Coleen of The Redhead Baker for hosting this week's #SundaySupper event. Also, I plan on posting my review of the 2015 Food and Wine Conference later this week but until then, be sure to visit these other Copycat Recipes:

Drinks

• Copy Cat Orange Julius Recipe (sugar free) by Simply Healthy Family
• Hard Rock Cafe's Twist & Shout Shake by The Crumby Cupcake

Appetizers

• Bang Bang Cauliflower Bites by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Copy Cat: Outback Bloomin' Sauce with Onion Petals by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Nopal Dip by Cookin' Mimi

Condiments

• Copycat Hershey's Syrup: Homemade Chocolate Syrup by Brunch with Joy
• Copycat Sriracha Sauce by Nosh My Way
• The Village Cafe's Avocado Dressing by Jane's Adventures in Dinner

Main Courses

• Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad Copycat by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Applebee's Shrimp and Cavatappi by Grumpy's Honeybunch
• B.good's West Side burger with chipotle salsa and avocado by Caroline's Cooking
• Brie and Asparagus Pasta by Life Tastes Good
• Cheesecake Factory Cashew Chicken by Feeding Big
• Chicken Kitchen Chop Chop and Curry Mustard Sauce by Love and Confections
• Chicken Tikka Poutine by Sustainable Dad
• Chili's Margarita Grilled Chicken by Lifestyle Food Artistry
• Filet Mignon with Red Wine Reduction and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes by Crazy Foodie Stunts
• IHOP's Ham, Egg & Cheese Melt by Food Done Light

Side Dishes

• Chevy's Sweet Corn Tomalito by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Henri's Tas-Tee Dressing Clone and Cole Slaw by Palatable Pastime
• Panera Copycat Mac and Cheese by From Gate to Plate

Desserts

• Copycat Cosmic Brownies by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Cracker Barrel's Double Fudge Coca-Cola Cake by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Friendly's Monster Mash Sundae by The Redhead Baker
• Sheetz "Gobbz" Cookies by The Freshman Cook
• Tiramisu by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Yeasted Sour Cherry Coffee Cake by Pies and Plots

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Filet Mignon with Red Wine Reduction and Polenta #FWCon

Filet Mignon with Red Wine Reduction and Polenta

In my own observation, I've noticed that low to moderately priced steakhouses offer little in terms of plate presentation creativity. Last fall, I was surprised to find that even a fine dining steakhouse I patronized utilized such a simple presentation. Thankfully, A Land Remembered steakhouse and seafood restaurant at the Rosen Shingle Creek hotel is a little more creative. No, I haven't dined there but I plan to when I attend the Food and Wine Conference this summer and a quick google image search yielded some beautiful dishes.

A quick check of their menu reveals options for steaks such as sauce Diane and Oregon bleu cheese but I was surprised by what was not on the menu: a red wine sauce. I also paired my steak with an Italian starch that isn't even on Rosen Shingle Creek's Italian restaurant menu because it not only complements the steak but provides visual appeal to the plate. Furthermore, I have demonstrated two different methods of cooking polenta but found a third and wanted to experiment.

From a presentation standpoint, I recall Chef Cat Cora noting something I hadn't even considered during an episode of America's Best Cook which went something like put round food on a square plate to create a contrast in shapes so I wanted to test out the theory.

This dish is my entry into the Rosen Shingle Creek recipe contest I referred to in my preview post last week.

The Challenge

Win the Rosen Hotels recipe contest described above.

The Source

For the dish composition, I used the roasting method (i.e. brown the food on the stovetop, add butter, baste with the pan fluids then rest the food for carryover cooking) described upon pages 32 and 41 of Think Like a Chef by Tom Colicchio in addition to the basic pan sauce method (i.e. sweat mirepoix, deglaze with vinegar, reduce, add stock, reduce again and strain out the vegetables) found on page 75. The Flavor Bible also played heavily into the frisee salad. I applied the method to prepare polenta as described in the kitchn to an adapted list of ingredients found on page 198 of Cook Like A Rock Star by Anne Burrell with Suzanne Lenzer.

Ingredients

For the salad:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 small head frisee, green leaves only (discard the white root)

For the polenta:
2 cups whole milk
2 cups water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup yellow corn meal
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

For the filets with reduction:
4 six-to-eight ounce filet mignon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 shallot, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef stock

Method

1. Prepare the salad: Combine the vinegar with the olive oil and season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Cook the polenta: In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, water and salt, then bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, whisk in the corn meal slowly until the mixture thickens and the corn meal no longer sinks to the bottom of the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and cover, stirring every 10 minutes until the polenta is thick, approximately thirty to forty minutes. Once the desired consistency has been reached, stir in the butter and parmesan.

3. Roast the filets: While the polenta cooks, heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until smoking. Remove any moisture from the surface of the filets by patting them with a paper towel, then season them on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the filets in the skillet and brown for approximately two to three minutes. Turn the steaks to brown on the second side, but add two tablespoons butter and thyme sprigs to the pan and baste the filets with the browning butter until just before the desired doneness is reached. Remove from the skillet to a plate and tent with some aluminum foil to allow for carryover cooking while the reduction is prepared.

4. Make the reduction: Add the remaining tablespoon to the hot skillet used to roast the fillets. Once the oil shimmers, add the shallot to sweat, approximately two to three minutes. Add the garlic and sweat until fragrant but not browned, approximately an additional minute. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping up the fond left by the filets and bring to a simmer, reducing the wine by one-third. Add in the beef stock and simmer again until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the remaining tablespoon butter, removing the skillet from the heat if necessary to prevent the reduction from separating. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Strain out the solids.

5. Finish the salad and plate the dish: Whisk the vinaigrette again to combine, then toss with the frisee. For the presentation, spoon polenta in approximately the same diameter as the filet onto the middle of the plate, top the polenta with the filet then garnish the filet with the frisee salad. Spoon some of the reduction around the polenta then serve.

Successful?

We won't know who won this contest until it's announced at the conference, so I'm unsure if it's successful in that regard. The flavors of the dish certainly complemented each other. If you want to know who was chosen the winner, I recommend following Rosen Hotels on twitter, facebook, pinterest, instagram and Google+.