Filet Mignon
with Shitake Mushrooms, Truffle Oil, and Sweet Vermouth
When my friends Jessica and Peter told me they were getting married, I invited them over for a celebration/engagement dinner. Which meant that I needed to come up with a meal that would suitably honor the occasion. Loitering at the meat counter, I was drawn to the beautiful cuts of filet mignon. I thought about how truffle oil, black pepper, shitake mushrooms, and sweet vermouth could make for a wonderfully rich sauce...
For 2
Ingredients
1 # Filet Mignon
6 Shitake Mushrooms (sliced)
1½ t Truffle Oil
¼ Cup + 1½ T Sweet Vermouth
½ Cup Red Wine
Black Pepper
2 Shallots (finely diced)
6 Cloves Garlic (finely diced)
2 T Butter
1 T Olive Oil
Directions
In a bowl, combine the mushrooms, ½ t of the truffle oil, 1½ T sweet vermouth, the red wine, and black pepper. Allow to marinate for 1½ + hours.
Rub the filets with the remaining 1 t of the truffle oil and black pepper. Sauté the shallots and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until translucent (5 - 10 minutes). Bring the heat up to medium high and put in your filets, quickly searing both sides and the edges. Add your mixture of mushrooms and the additional ¼ cup of vermouth, and reduce the heat to medium. Reduce the vermouth by half, and bring the heat down to low. Cook for 15 - 20 minutes (medium rare - medium).
With a tablespoon, place a little of the sauce on a plate, then place your filet in the center of it. Spoon some more of the sauce over the filet, and then a little nest of your mushrooms.
Serve with Gingered Turnip Napoleons and asparagus.
