Filet Mignon with Hollandaise Sauce & Bacon Potatoes

I don’t think I need to say much to get you to try this recipe, filet mignon speaks for itself. This cut of beef is taken from the smaller end of the tenerloin (called the short loin), and it has a tender, melt in your mouth texture. As if this weren’t tasty enough, I went ahead and made hollandaise sauce for it and paired it with potatoes…and bacon. I know, it’s too much… But this is a special occasion meal. Skip the sauce if you’re watching your diet, and pair your beef with some salad instead!

Back to the Hollandaise sauce, this time I made the easy blender version. I found the recipe on The Joy of Cooking, and I don’t think I’ll make it the old fashioned way again! (although my arm could use the workout)

Here are a few tips to guarantee success when cooking this delicious cut of beef:

When selecting tenderloin or filet mignon slices, choose the lighter colored ones over dark red. This indicates more marbling which makes it more tender.
This cut is so tender that it should never be cooked beyond a medium-rare stage. The longer you cook it, the less tender and more dry it becomes.
Use a dry, high heat method such as broiling, roasting, pan-frying or grilling for this tender cut.
Whole tenderloin is wonderful to stuff or bake en croute (in savory pastry).
Cutting into the meat to check doneness lets precious juice escape. Use the touch or finger test method. Press the meat. If it feels soft and mushy and leaves an imprint, it is rare. If it is soft, but slightly resilient, it is medium-rare. The minute it begins to feel firm, it is overdone.
Since the beef tenderloin has no surrounding fat tissue, it is often wrapped in a layer of fat (called barding) such as suet or bacon to keep it from drying out. Likewise with filet slices. The barding also adds flavor.
Cubed tenderloin is a popular choice for fondue hot-pots and shish-kebabs.
To ensure even cooking when roasting the whole tenderloin, the small end should be tucked up and tied or trimmed for other use.

Tips from http://homecooking.about.com

Helga

Filet Mignon with Hollandaise Sauce

For the Beef:
Procedure adapted from Simply Recipes
Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
2-4 filet mignon steaks, 1 to 2 inches thick*
Salt
Canola oil
Black pepper to taste
( I used a peppercorn blend)

Procedure:

Allow the steaks to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 90 minutes, depending on the thickness of the steaks. Just before getting ready to cook, pat the meat dry with paper towels, then coat with the canola or grape seed oil. Salt well, and add pepper to taste. I used a peppercorn blend that includes black peppercorns, grains of paradise, pink peppercorns and cubed pepper. (You can find something similar at your local gourmet store).
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a cast iron pan on high heat for 1 minute. Swirl to coat the pan. Put the steaks in the hot pan and immediately turn the heat down to medium to medium high (depending on your stove top, medium on a high BTU gas range is about medium high on most electric ranges). Sear untouched for at least 3 minutes
Flip the steaks and cook for another 2-5 minutes, depending on how thick the steak is and how rare or well done you like your meat. You can use the finger test (see tips above) 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.

Blender Hollandaise Sauce

Recipe from The Joy of Cooking
Yields 1 cup

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 pinch cayenne
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter

Procedure:

Place egg yolks, lemon juice, cayenne and salt in a blender; heat butter until bubbling but do not brown.
Cover blender container and turn on motor to high; blend for 3 seconds; with motor running, remove lid, and add butter slowly, in a steady stream, taking 30 seconds to pour the butter in.
Serve immediately or keep sauce warm by placing blender container in warm water.
Serve fillet mignon and spoon some of the sauce over it.

Potatoes with Bacon

A The Foodies’ Kitchen Original Recipe
Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
1 to 1 1/2 lbs small potatoes (unpeeled)
1 small onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, diced
4 strips of bacon, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Procedure:

Bring water and 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a big enough pot to cook your potatoes. Add potatoes and let them cook until tender, for about 10 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once it is hot, add the diced bacon and cook until it is crisp. Remove bacon, and set aside.
Using the fat from the bacon, add the onion and garlic and sautee until cooked through and it starts to brown slightly. Add another tablespoon of olive oil. Let it heat for a minute, and add your cooked potatoes.
Move them around the skillet until the skin starts to brown.
Add the bacon, and season with salt and pepper.
Serve

09:44 AM
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- Bacon, Beef, blender, filet mignon, hollandaise sauce, potatoes, tenderloin
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Roasted Tomato Sauce

Oh this gorgeous red. We’ve had this recipe in the back burner for a couple of weeks now. After a few days of being away from the kitchen – and an overflow of Roma tomatoes – I dived into the kitchen for an entire day. After I baked the Zebra Bundt Cake, I was wondering what to do with all those tomatoes, and then it hit me… Roasted Tomato Sauce! I have been playing with the idea of a mash-up between Tortilla Soup and Red Wine… in a sauce.

This recipe came together as I was cooking. With 25 tomatoes, I had to increase what I usually put into the sauce. You’ll think that adding only one red bell pepper to the sauce is too little… It was huge! If you only have medium-sized bell peppers, feel free to increase it to 2 or 3. If you don’t want to add the wine to the recipe, use beef stock instead. Beef stock has the depth of red wine and it’s more flavorful than chicken or vegetable stock. After you add the beef stock, taste and adjust your seasonings.

This sauce is great for pasta, as a Pizza or Bruschetta base. It can stay refrigerated for up to 8 days. If you freeze it should keep longer, just make sure to thaw it in the fridge rather than on the counter!

Kitty

Roasted Tomato Sauce

A Foodies’ Kitchen Original Recipe
Yield: 4 cups
Good for up to 1 week

Ingredients
25 Roma tomatoes, halved
1 medium-sized onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1 big red bell pepper, cut open (or 2 medium-sized ones)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons for sautéing
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon of finely chopped oregano
1 tablespoon of finely chopped thyme leaves
1 cup red wine

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.
Apply non-stick spray to two cookie sheets. Place tomato and bell peppers cut side up.
Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of olive oil, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and oregano.
Roast the tomatoes for 45 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325ºF and roast for another 45 minutes.
Increase the temperature to 400ºF and roast another 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and remove the garlic and onions from the tomatoes and bell peppers, just set them aside on the pans.
Transfer the tomatoes to a blender, and give it a few pulses until the tomatoes puree.
Take your roasted bell peppers and cut them just enough (not finely or you’ll get a paste).
In a very large skillet, add remaining olive oil. When hot, add the onions and bell peppers.
Add the tomato puree to the skillet and stir.
Add red wine, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
Taste and season if needed.
Remove from heat, and use as needed.

Pasta with Spinach Pesto & Peas

Recently, I was in the mood for pasta. Particularly the flat and wide variety such as reginette. I found some at the store, so all I had to find next was a recipe for a tasty sauce. I was planning to serve this to my family for lunch, so plain old tomato sauce was not going to cut it, especially for Mariano.
I scanned my usual food blogs and food sites and I came across this recipe which seemed like the perfect way to sneak in some greens. Plus, I had never tasted pesto made out of spinach before so it was the perfect opportunity to taste something new.

I didn’t have all the ingredients at home, so I was quite liberal about substituting ingredients, and also adding some. In fact, I just used the recipe as an idea. (You can click the link below to see the original recipe.) If you get left over pesto, you can use on sandwiches!

Helga

Pasta with Spinach Pesto & Peas

Adapted from The Kitchn

Spinach Pesto:
makes about 2 cups

Ingredients
3 ounces of cream cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled with root end trimmed off
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup almonds
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
10-12 ounces of spinach, washed and spun dry
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Add the cheese, garlic, olive oil, almonds and lemon juice to the bowl of a food processor and mix until combined. Add the spinach and run the food processor until the mixture has formed a thick paste. If the spinach won’t fit all at once, add it in batches. Taste for seasonings, adding salt, pepper, and lemon juice as needed.

Pasta with Spinach Pesto & Peas
makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound reginette pasta (or your pasta shape of choice!)
1/2 cup pasta water (don’t skip this!)
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup peas (cooked)
1/2 cup spinach pesto (more as needed)
grated Parmesan for sprinkling on top

Bring a large amount of water to a rapid boil, add a palm-full of salt, and cook the pasta to al dente. (follow the package’s instructions.) Before draining the pasta, scoop out about a half cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the peas and toss until warmed through–about 30 seconds.
Add the pasta to the skillet and pour the pesto on top. Toss to combine everything. If the sauce is looking a little “loose” or you’d like it a bit creamier, add a splash (just a splash!) of the pasta water. Stir and add more pasta water if desired.
Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed.
Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Note: You may add shredded bits of chicken breast.