50+ Friends Club Cookbook
Meat and Game

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Filet Mignon with Red Wine Sauce

From the Kitchen of: Ricardo's Cooking Recipes

1	lb	Filet mignon, 4 large pieces
4	slices	Bacon
		Salt and pepper, freshly ground
2	tbsp	Butter
1	splash	Olive oil
1	tbsp	Shallots, finely chopped
1/4	C	Red wine
1	tsp.	Butter

• Take filet mignon (or similar cut), trim any fat or connective tissue, then place a strip of blanched bacon around the rim. (I used toothpicks to hold the bacon in place.) Press salt and freshly-ground black pepper into both sides of the meat.
• Heat sauté pan, then add butter (and maybe a touch of olive oil). When hot, add meat. Let cook 2 or maybe 3 minutes, then turn over and repeat on the other side. (If cooking two or more pieces, be sure not to crowd the meat; leave about 1/2 inch space between pieces.) The meat is rare when the meat has some spring to it. (If you only cook about 2 minutes per side, the inside will be almost raw--depending on thickness, of course.) Remove meat to warm plate.
• Pour off most of the grease/fat/oil, but leave about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Add finely chopped shallots (your call on the amount) and sauté for a minute or so. Add good dry red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown residue on the pan bottom. (I used about a half cup of a good Cabernet Sauvignon--the same we served with the meal.) Let the wine reduce until it's almost syrupy. Add a bit of butter, let the butter swirl in and mix, then dribble the sauce over the meat.
• We served this with boiled red potatoes with parsley butter, steamed broccoli with lemon butter, and a tomato salad (dressed with a vinaigrette made of extra virgin olive oil steeped with mashed garlic, red wine vinegar, a little balsamic vinegar, and various "Italian-style" spices).