Fillet au Poivre

2 - 2 inch thick fillets, 6-8 oz.
4 table spoons butter
2 table spoons olive oil
4 find chopped shallots
1 cup dark beef stock or dark veal
1/2 cup Cognac
Kosher salt
2+ table spoons fresh coarsely ground or cracked black pepper
     (may be cracked in a spice grinder, coffee grinder or mini
     cusinart, if coffee grinder it should only be used for spices).


Get the meat out an hour before you plan on cooking it, you want it near room temperature.

Tie a string firmly around the center (of the height) of the two pieces of fillet, this will firm the meat up.

Pat both pieces dry.

Salt both pieces

Add coarsly ground, I use a mini cusinart, fresh black pepper. This is steak au poivre so use a lot.

Pat it in

Flip and repeat.

Let sit out of the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes

Fine chop your shallots

Place a stainless or cast iron pan over medium heat, do not use non-stick, you want a fond.

Put in half the butter

Add the olive oil

And let it come to temperature.

Put the meat in and let it sear for 4 minutes.

Flip and sear the other side for 3 minutes, if the temperature is below medium rare ~135 F place in pre heated broiler. They will heat rapidly so keep a close eye on them, when the internal temperature reaches 120 F turn off the broiler and leave the meat in.

With the meat out of the pan, pour most of the fat out of the pan, add the shallots and brown.

Work the shallots into the fond, then add the beef stock.

Work the fond loose

Reduce volume by half.

Turn off the heat, add the Cognac, turn the heat back on and cook for two minutes.

The meat having reached medium rare is removed from the cooling oven.

Heat off add remaining butter to the sauce and a half teaspoon of salt, 

Pour off into sauce boat.

Including the scallions and fond.

Plate

Sauce

Medium rare as we like it.

Camera Nikon D-90 with internal flash.

Lens(es) AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm f2.5-5.65G

              AF-S NIKKOR 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G

              AF-S NIKKOR 35mm F1.8G

             AF-S NIKKOR 50mm F1.4F

Recipe with pictures Downloadable PDF  Link doesn’t work 

on the PDF itself

Recipe without pictures Downloadable PDF Link Doesn't work

 on the PDF itself

As always feel free to use and distribute, if you use our pictures 

and/or text then give us credit – thanks.

If you do use the recipe drop us a note in the comments, a link to your post or just what you thought.

© 2012 Virginia L. Dyson & Warner W. Johnston  

Pate Stuffed Pork Chops

2 double thick pork chops

1 bag, 16 oz. blue Pepperage Farm stuffing

1 medium+ onion, medium fine dice

1 stick of butter

2-3 cups stock - chicken is fine, pork if you have it

salt 

pepper

4 oz slice of Country Pate

Take two double thick pork chops, you may notice these have a bit more fat than most, they are from a Amish raised pig.

Cut a pocket in each one, deep and tall, this is where the pate will go.

Put some of the butter in the bottom of a largish casserole and heat.

Brown the chops

On both sides

And the edge

Melt the rest of the butter and saute the onion in it, removing the fond from the bottom of the pan in the process. Mix in the dry stuffing and 2 1/2 cups of the stock, you will want the rest to add later if the stuffing becomes too dry.

The stuffing shown here is actually also made with a pound of home made Andouille sausage.

Get the stuffing flat

Cut the pate in two smaller pieces

And stuff the pork chops, note the chops will be hot. As a variation you could use some of the stuffing to stuff the pork chops, but we have this pate in the freezer. You can use wood toothpicks to hold the chop closed, but if you do use the same number of wood toothpicks on both chops and tell the other person how many to look for.

Put onto the bed of stuffing.

Put in 325 F oven for not quite 2 hours, you will want the chop to reach about 155 F USDA guidelines are 145 F.

If it isn't quite time for dinner, turn oven way down, or simply off.
Finished dish below.

Served with a Noble Pig Pinot Noir 2008

Camera Nikon D-90 with internal flash.

Lens(es) AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm f2.5-5.65G

              AF-S NIKKOR 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G

              AF-S NIKKOR 35mm F1.8G

             AF-S NIKKOR 50mm F1.4F

Recipe with pictures Downloadable PDF  Link doesn’t work 

on the PDF itself

Recipe without pictures Downloadable PDF Link Doesn't work

 on the PDF itself

As always feel free to use and distribute, if you use our pictures 

and/or text then give us credit – thanks.

If you do use the recipe drop us a note in the comments, a link to your post or just what you thought.

© 2012 Virginia L. Dyson & Warner W. Johnston