Peppercorn Filet Mignon with Mushrooms
Once in a while we are in the mood for a delicious steak dinner. Filet mignon is a tender, leaner, piece of meat and it is greatly enhanced with a peppercorn crust. We top the steaks with a mustardy mushroom sauce. Originally served as part of: Steak and Potatoes.
- Peppercorn Steak (January 3, 2002)
- Four Peppercorn Steak with Red Wine Sauce (January 12, 2003)
Ingredients
- 2/3 pound 2 filet mignon 1 inch thick steak
- kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- 6 ounces cremini mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon italian leaf parsley (chopped)
Instructions
We start by taking the two steaks out of the fridge. Next we prep the ingredients for the sauce. We mince the garlic, getting about a tablespoon. We clean and slice the mushrooms.
Next we put the black peppercorns into our mortar and pestle and crush. (In the past we have used a resealable plastic bag and crush them with a heavy pan). We want coarse peppercorns to sprinkle on the steaks.
We heat our large saute pan over medium heat while we oil the steaks with about a teaspoon of the olive oil and then generously salt and pepper the steaks. We add another teaspoon of the oil to the pan and, when hot, we add the steaks. We cook for about 2 minutes per side, also holding the steaks up with tongs to get the edges browned. We want the meat to be about 130 degrees for medium-rare, but we take them out while they are still rare since the peppercorns are beginning to burn on the bottom of the pan. We remove the pan from the stove, remove the almost-done steaks from the pan, and then place them on a plate to rest for about 5 minutes while we make the sauce.
We place the pan we browned the meat in back over medium-low heat and add the water, stirring up the browned bits with a wooden spoon. We stir for about a minute and, taking the pan off the heat, we add the dry sherry. We replace the pan on the stove and boil for a couple of minutes. We pour the gravy into a measuring cup while we cook the mushrooms. We saute the mushrooms for a few minutes over medium heat with the rest of the olive oil and, when they are tender and have released their liquids, we add the garlic. We stir for a minute and then add any jus (juice) accumulated on the plate the meat is resting on. We add the steaks back to the pan and cook for another couple of minutes until they are done to our liking. We remove them to the serving plates and add the gravy, parsley and mustard to the pan. We heat on low for a few minutes and we have our topping for the steaks.
Ingredients
- ⅔ lb filet mignon (2 steaks, 1 inch thick)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced, about 1 tbsp)
- 6 oz cremini mushrooms (sliced)
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp olive oil (divided)
- kosher salt
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp dry sherry
- ¼ tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Italian parsley (chopped)
Instructions
What's a kid job?
A Kid job is a step kids can help with, with a grown-up nearby, not one they do on their own. Every kid is different, so go by what your child can do rather than by age. Roughly:
- Little ones (about 2 to 4) can stir, pour in ingredients a grown-up has measured, tear lettuce, wash vegetables and sprinkle toppings.
- Older kids (about 5 to 8) can also measure and level, crack eggs, whisk, roll and cut out dough, and put things together.
- Bigger kids can read the recipe aloud, keep track of the timer, and take on more of the cooking as they're ready.
Steps with a knife, microplane, skewers, stove, oven, grill or hot oil, or with raw meat, poultry or seafood, are marked Grown-up. Kids can still watch those, from a safe distance.
Take the steaks out of the fridge. Mince the garlic and slice the mushrooms.
Kid job
Crush the peppercorns coarsely in a mortar and pestle (or in a bag with a heavy pan).
Grown-up
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Rub the steaks with 1 teaspoon of oil and season well with salt and the pepper. Add 1 teaspoon more oil to the pan and sear the steaks about 2 minutes a side, browning the edges with tongs too. Take them out while still rare (the pepper starts to burn) and rest them 5 minutes.
Put the pan over medium-low, add the water and scrape up the browned bits for 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat to add the sherry, then boil a couple of minutes. Pour this into a measuring cup.
Sauté the mushrooms in the rest of the oil over medium heat a few minutes, until tender. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then any juices from the steak plate.
Return the steaks and cook a couple of minutes, until done the way you like them (about 130°F for medium-rare). Move them to plates.
Add the sherry gravy, parsley and mustard to the pan, heat on low a few minutes, and spoon over the steaks.