Once upon a time, about 10 years ago, MM was on a business trip, and I was left to my own devices. I hadn’t really been cooking that much, but I wanted to do something special for Valentine’s Day – coincidentally, the same day he was coming back.
At the time, I was enamored with cooking shows on The Food Network, so I went looking for a special meal on their website – something that I would have fun making, that would stretch me out of my comfort zone of taco salad and beef stroganoff. The recipe I found intimidated me, but in a shocking show of confidence I selected an Emeril Lagasse steak recipe.
Okay, okay. The recipe had “Caramel” in it, so maybe it’s not so shocking.
Filet Mignon with Caramel Brandy Mushroom Sauce
Equipment
- wire rack
- rimmed baking sheet
- large skillet
- small plate
- bowl
Ingredients
- 4 8-oz beef filets
- Kosher salt
- coarsely cracked black pepper
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 2 c sliced shitake mushrooms
- 1 head roasted garlic peeled and separated
- 7 Tbsp brandy divided
- 6 Tbsp light brown sugar
- ¾ c heavy cream
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place wire rack over rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle salt over filets and set on rack. Rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. (If you will not be cooking within 30 minutes, place baking sheet, rack and filets back into the refrigerator, removing at the 30 minute mark.)
- While the filets are resting at room temperature, preheat oven to 400°F. Place coarse black pepper in a shallow dish and set to the side.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Dip the cut sides of the filets into the pepper, pressing lightly to coat, then place filets, cut side down, into the skillet. Sear on both sides until well browned, 2-3 minutes each side.
- Remove wire rack from baking sheet. When filets are seared on both sides, place on baking sheet, and put in the preheated oven. Cook to desired temperature (10-12 minutes for medium-rare, 12-16 for medium, depending on thickness).
- While the steaks are cooking, add 1tablespoon butter to the same skillet. Add mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown around the edges, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from skillet and reserve.
- Remove skillet from heat and add the garlic cloves and 6 tablespoons of brandy, stirring to loosen the browned bits. Return skillet to heat, being careful that brandy does not flame. Cook until reduced by half, which will happen very quickly. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and brown sugar, stirring to combine. When sugar has dissolved, and mixture is bubbly, whisk in cream and bring to a very low boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until mixture is sauce consistency and coats the back of a spoon. Add reserved mushrooms, salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and whisk remaining butter and tablespoon of brandy. Serve immediately over warm steaks.
Notes
This recipe instantly became one of our favorite “special” meals! The key to being confident with a recipe like this is to make sure you have everything measured out and in containers that will make it easy to add the ingredients quickly. Mise en place – that’s what the French call it. It means having everything in its place.
Through making this scrumptious meal (who knew that caramel, mushrooms, and brandy go so well with red meat!?!?), I learned that it pays to make sure I had all my ingredients out on the counter before I start any recipe. I may not be consistently everything according to the recipe in front of me, but th eprocess of getting out everything I’m going to need before I even begin takes care of two things:
- Making sure I have all the ingredients I need for the recipe (and possibly doing some prep work, like chopping or dicing)
- Putting me in the mood to get productive in the kitchen
Taking the chance that I could make the Emeril Lagasse recipe, and that we’d like the results, gave me so much enthusiasm that I started trying even more recipes, especially some complicated ones, like that Paella I made in 2020.
What’s more, it gave MM and I the pleasure of working as a team in the kitchen. He was in charge of the mashed potatoes (because he’s awesome at making them), as well as handling me when I’d start getting nervous. These days, he’s keeping me company while making the mashed potatoes. 🙂
What’s your favorite special meal?