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
No Comments
- Bacon, Beef, blender, filet mignon, hollandaise sauce, potatoes, tenderloin
0

TFK Grilled Cheeseburgers

It’s grilling season! This is a great opportunity for me to share our homemade grilled burger recipe with you. We got together with our group of friends to take advantage of the beautiful weather we had been having in Guatemala before the rainy season began, one of them – Felipe- has a great little grill in his backyard so it was the perfect setting. Friends, food, sun, beer. Plus, I would get to try out the recipes from my new cookbook : Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries and Shakes.
It rained.

To entertain ourselves while the rain passed, we had a few beers and a couple of drinks…or more, and listened to music. Fortunately, the rain did pass (as well as the afternoon) and we headed outside to start grilling our prepared burger patties and vegetables. I don’t have a lot of pics like we normally do for our posts, I couldn’t get a good photo of food outdoors and at night!

Anyway, the recipe I chose for the burger patties ended up being a mixture of Bobby Flay’s tips and Saveur’s hamburger edition ingredient recommendations. I added some bread crumbs, an egg, worcestershire sauce and a few spices to my ground beef and ground pork mixture. I made a 70% beef – 30% pork combination for my patties, I just like the flavor the burgers get from pork. And also, I didn’t get lean beef. I bought 80% ground beef. When you’re grilling, you want a little fat in there for flavor. We used a lot of additions for this, which… not to toot our own horns, but we assembled a damn good burger. It had caramelized onions (thanks, Edith!), bacon, pickles, chipotle mayonnaise, a choice of monterrey jack or swiss cheese, the works!

So gather your family or friends and heat up the grill! You’ll have a great time and I guarantee everyone will love them. We served them with oven roasted fries and to finish it off, we treated our friends with Strawberry Peach Vodka Collins Poptails.

TFK Grilled Cheeseburgers

Recipe adapted from Bobby Flay and Saveur
Yields: 5 hamburgers (almost 6 oz each)

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef (you can mix 1 1/2 lb beef and 1/2 lb ground pork)
1 1/2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 egg lightly beaten
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons of herbed bread crumbs

5 Hamburger buns

Additons:
Romaine lettuce
Tomatoes, thinly sliced
Swiss Cheese, sliced
Monterrey Jack Cheese, sliced
Caramelized Onions
Crisp Bacon strips
Pickles, sliced
Chipotle Mayonnaise
Ketchup
Dijon mustard

Procedure:

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together. Don’t overwork the meat, mix everything until it is well combined. (If you pack the meat too much and overwork it, it can cause the burger to become mealy and overly dense.
Divide meat into 5 equal pieces. You can use a scale to make sure you have an average of 6 oz patties. I find that 8oz is a bit too much, but it’s up to you. If you prefer a thicker patty, go for 8oz. Also, be aware of the circumference of your bun. The burgers will shrink a little while cooking.
Thick burger patties tend to puff up in the middle while they cook. Making a depression in the top of the patty using the back of a measuring spoon helps the burger hold its shape.
You can prepare the meat patties ahead of time, by stacking them between pieces of wax paper. Keep refrigerated and well sealed up to one day.
When grilling time comes: Heat coals in a charcoal grill until they glow bright orange and ash over. Brush the burgers with oil. Grill them until golden brown and slightly charred on the first side, about 3 minutes. Flip the burgers over. Cook until golden brown and slightly charred on the second side, about 4 minutes for medium rare.

For Assembly:

Lightly brown the sides of the hamburger buns, which will help them from getting soggy.
I have a system for assembling my hamburgers to help them from falling apart: The first thing that goes on the bread are 2 lettuce leaves, then the hamburger patty, followed by your choice of cheese, tomato, bacon, caramelized onions and pickles. I prefer to squeeze mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard right on top instead of spreading it on the top bun.
Devour.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

02:04 PM
No Comments
- Bacon, Beef, cheeseburgers, grilled, hamburger, Lettuce, pork, Tomato
0

Pasta, Bacon and Potato Pie

I made this pasta pie a few years ago, for Halloween. This is a perfectly comforting savory dish that can be served as a main course, I highly recommend you pair it with tomato soup. (you can try ours if you feel like make one from scratch). The combination of potatoes, pasta, cheese and bacon is outstanding. Next time, I think I’ll add a few chopped sundried tomatoes to it… or maybe fresh ones, what do you think? Maybe a little basil, too.

I adapted this recipe from Living Magazine, by substituting 1/4 lb prosciutto for 1/2 lb bacon and also substituted 1 crumbled red chile for 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes.

Pasta, Bacon and Potato Pie

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, October 2005
Serves 6

Ingredients

1 3/4 pounds russet potatoes (3 to 4 medium)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 scallions, white and light-green parts, finely chopped
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 large bunch (14 ounces) Swiss chard, stemmed and coarsely chopped
3/4 pound penne, cooked according to package instructions
1/2 pound bacon, cut into squares
3 tablespoons fresh oregano, coarsely chopped

Special equipment:
A springform pan

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook whole potatoes in boiling water until they are tender, about 20 min (check them with a fork). Let cool slightly.
Peel potatoes; discard skin. Mash with a potato masher.
Stir potatoes, butter, and scallions in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Press potato mixture evenly into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until light golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
Bring milk and cream to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in chile. Whisk in eggs, egg yolks, sour cream, Parmesan, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot; cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden, about 2 minutes. Add chard; cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir pasta, Parmesan mixture, chard mixture, prosciutto, and oregano in a large bowl. Spread over crust. Bake until golden brown and set, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.