Filet With Wine Sauce

Author: Marthinus Strydom
Category: Beef
Serves/Qty: 2.00
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Heidi Strydom

Beef Tenderloin, otherwise knows as Beef Fillet Steak is such a decadent cut. Cooked right, it's the softest, melt-in-your-mouth beef you can ever eat.

Marthinus Strydom

The Story

It's a simple and uncomplicated recipe but it packs a whole lot of punch. There are some tricks though. You gotta pay attention if you want it to be perfect. My secret to cooking filet mignon in a red wine and balsamic reduction is the thickness of the sauce. Too thin and it lacks any sort of consistency. Good quality ingredients are key to the success of this fantastic meal.

More about Italy

Italy is one of those countries about which you probably have quite a number of preconceptions before you have put one foot into the country. A country of olive oil and mafia, pasta, wine and sunshine, roman ruins and renaissance palaces, Italy has a lot to offer its visitors. Although some of these images are appealing, it would be a shame if that was the only thing you come away with. Italy is certainly much more complex and interesting than that.

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Ingredients
Adjust Quanities

Balsamic and red wine reduction
¼ cup (12 Teaspoons) good quality red wine
¼ cup (12 Teaspoons) good quality balsamic vinegar
Beef Fillet Medallions
2 tenderloin beef fillets (roughly 7cm thick)
2 tbsp (6 Teaspoons) butter
1 sprig fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley or rosemary garnish (optional)

Method

  1. Use the best fillet you can find. Nice and pink. Remove any fat and remove the sinew lining the fillet on the one side. You don't want any sinew on the steak at all. Wash the fillet. Pat dry.
  2. Cut the fillet into medallions. About 6-7cm thick. Use a sharp knife for a clean cut. Season with salt and peppr. Don't be shy. Pat the pepper and salt into the steaks.
  3. Heat up a non-stick skillet with a thick bottom. Non-stick is very important if you want to get a good crust. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.
  4. Crank up the heat to full power.
  5. When it starts smoking add the medallions. You are going to fry the medallions on the flat sides only. Not around the edges. Do not move the medallion for at least 2 minutes. Once they have formed a very dark crust, turn over and fry the other side.
  6. Add a tablespoon of butter and a sprig of rosemary.
  7. Spoon the butter over the fillet while it cooks.
  8. Once the other side is done and you have a beautiful dark crust on both sides, remove the steak from the pan onto a plate. Cover with foil and let them rest for at least 15 minutes. Very important!
  9. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the balsamic vinegar and red wine to the pan. Deglaze and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula.
  10. The sauce will start bubbling. Keep mixing until the sauce is syrupy. It will reduce a lot. If you move the spatula through the sauce then it should separate and slowly run together again. Turn off the heat.
  11. After the steak has rested, plate the steak and drizzle the sauce over the top.