Cooking steaks (for some of us) can be a little intimidating if we aren’t handing them off to the grill. Also (for some of us), a big slab of steak is not particularly appealing.
Not true with a filet mignon. Filets, cut from the tenderloin, are milder and more tender than those big slabs of meat. They also are simple to cook, resulting in meat that pretty much melts in your mouth without two ounces of effort.
This is the time of year we start to think about Valentine’s dinners: a seared filet mignon with a simple salad and a chocolaty dessert sounds like the perfect plan. If you want to get fancy, sprinkle a little blue cheese on top of the salad. And if you want the whole blueprint, watch for the February issue of The Buzz magazine in print – we have the whole kit and kaboodle, including truffle mac-and-cheese, ready for you to follow. Just add red wine and flowers.
2 8-ounce filet mignon steaks, room temperature (let them sit on the counter for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking)
½ tablespoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the back of a knife
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly press the salt and pepper into all sides of the filets.
Place the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in an oven-proof skillet (cast iron is great) over medium-high heat. Sear the filets on all sides, using tongs to turn them, about 1 minute or so on each side. Add the garlic cloves and thyme, and put the skillet with the filets in the preheated oven. Cook for 6 to 10 minutes, depending on your doneness preference (120 degrees for medium-rare).
Remove the skillet from the oven and put ½ tablespoon butter on top of each filet to melt. Tent loosely with foil and let the steaks rest 10 minutes before serving.
