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My husband was in
"steak heaven" with this simple and easy steak! You can either cook the steak by
Pan-Searing or a very easy technique called Sear-Roasting.
Cooking the Perfect Steak
- Learn how to cook the perfect steak.
Check out all of Linda's
Beef Recipes using
various cuts of beef.
Cabernet-Cherry Filet Mignon
Recipe
Recipe Type:
Beef,
Filet Mignon,
Wine,
Balsamic vinegar,
Cherries
Yields: 4 servings
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients:
4 (4 to 5 ounce) 1-inch thick
Filet Mignon (Beef Tenderloin)*
Olive oil
2 cloves
garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon or burgundy
wine
3 tablespoons good-quality
balsamic vinegar
4 whole cloves
8 whole
peppercorns
1 bay leaf, torn into small pieces
1/2 pound fresh Bing cherries, rinsed
Coarse/font>
salt
and freshly-ground
black pepper
to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons granulated sugar (optional)
* When buying steaks, buy the best grade of
meat you can afford. Look for steaks with fine texture and firm to the
touch. You want the color to be a light cherry red color, not deep red.
Also look for steaks that have marbling, as it is the thin threads of
fat running through the meat that make it Prime and gives the wonderful
flavor. Check out
Types of Steaks
and
How To Cook the Perfect Steak.
Preparation:
Bring steaks to room temperature. Coat steaks lightly with olive
oil. Rub minced garlic evenly over the steak (press in with your hands); set aside until ready to cook.
Do
not salt your steaks just before cooking. Salt brings moisture
(water) to the surface of the steak, and the water sits on the
surface as you cook the steak. Thus, you are again basically
steaming the steak.
I know that some people do salt their steaks
before cooking, but trust me and don't salt - the result will be juicy, delicious steaks to serve your family and guests!
Salt after the steak is cooked to your liking,
has rested the required time, and just before serving.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the wine and balsamic vinegar to a boil. Tie the cloves, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a bundle with a small piece of cheese cloth. Add the spice bundle to the wine mixture; continue boiling approximately 15 minutes or until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup.
 While the wine mixture is reducing, pit the cherries. Cut the cherries into quarters and add to the wine mixture. Cover and cook approximately 10 minutes or until the cherries are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sugar to balance the flavors, if needed. Remove the spice bundle from the sauce and discard. Reduce heat to low to keep Cabernet-Cherry Sauce warm until steak are cooked.
Using the Pan-Searing or
Sear-Roasting techniques
(see below techniques), proceed to cook your steak to your desired doneness. Use a
meat thermometer to test for doneness:
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What constitutes rare and
medium-rare cooked meat?
To satisfy government home economists, the Beef
Council says rare beef means an internal
temperature of 140 degrees F. Well, that is ok if you
like well-done and dry meat. If you like moist, rosy meat (like I do),
rare begins at 120 degrees and starts to become medium rare at 125 or 130
degrees. To cook your meat properly, you must purchase and use a good
instant-read digital
meat thermometer.
 This
is the type of cooking and meat thermometer that I prefer and
use in my cooking.
I get many readers
asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my
cooking and baking. I, personally, use the
Thermapen Thermometer
shown in the photo on the right. Originally designed
for professional users, the
Super-Fast Thermapen
Thermometer is used by
chefs all over the world. To learn more about this excellent
thermometer and to also purchase one (if you desire), just click
on the underlined:
Thermapen Thermometer.
Residual Heat or Carry-Over Cooking: Remember, the
steak will continue to cook as it sets. The
temperature will rise to 125 degrees F.
to 130 degrees F. internal temperature (medium rare) at 15 to 20 minutes. So, pay attention to how long you let the cooked
steak sit before serving.
Definition:
Carry-over cooking is caused by residual heat transferring from
the hotter exterior of the meat to the cooler center. As a
general rule, the larger and thicker the cut of meat, and the
higher the cooking temperature, the more residual heat will be
in the meat, and the more the internal temperature will rise
during resting due to carry-over cooking. This means the meat
must be removed from the heat at an internal temperature lower
than your desired final internal temperature, allowing the
residual heat to finish the cooking.
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Pour the Cabernet-Cherry Sauce over your perfectly
cooked steaks just before serving.
Makes 4 servings.
Pan-Searing Steak Cooking Technique:
 In a heavy frying pan (I use my
cast-iron frying pan) over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Sear the steaks, moving them with tongs a little so they don't
stick to the bottom, approximately 5 to 6 minutes per side.
Using this Pan-Searing technique, proceed to cook your steak to your desired doneness. Use a
meat thermometer to test for doneness:
When the steaks are crusty-charred and done to your liking, remove from the pan, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest 5
to 10 minutes before serving.
During this time the meat continues to cook (meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the oven) and the juices redistribute; add juices that accumulate from resting steaks to Cabernet-Cherry Sauce).
Serve
whole or slice thin and fan onto individual serving plates.
Sear-Roasting Steak
Cooking Technique:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (a very hot oven produces a juicy interior). Place
a 10- to 12-inch ovenproof skillet or
cast-iron skillet in oven. When oven reaches 500 degrees temperature, remove pan from oven and place on range over high heat
(the pan and the handle will be extremely hot - be careful).
Immediately place steaks in the middle of hot, dry pan
(if cooking more than one piece of meat, add the pieces carefully so that they are not touching each other). Cook 1 to 2 minutes without moving; turn with tongs and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and put the cast iron skillet with the steaks in it into the oven. Cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness of steaks and degree of doneness you like.
Using the Sear-Roasting technique, proceed to cook your steak to your desired doneness. Use a
meat thermometer to test for doneness:
When the steaks are crusty-charred and done to your liking, remove from the pan, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest 5-10 minutes before serving. During this time the meat continues to cook
(meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the oven)
and the juices redistribute (add juices that accumulate from resting steaks to Cabernet-Cherry Sauce). Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto individual serving plates.
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