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

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© 2012 Virginia L. Dyson & Warner W. Johnston