Gorgonzola Filet Mignon with Red Apple Balsamic Reduction

One of my absolute favorite meals is filet mignon topped with blue cheese or gorgonzola. I’ve stated before that the rules for a perfect steak are not that complicated. In fact, here’s all you need to know: Grill Steak. Place handful of blue cheese crumbles on top. Eat.

I’ve added one more step to this process. I’ve since realized how much a nice balsamic reduction can improve an already fantastic steak. You can imagine how excited I was to get my hands on some red apple balsamic vinegar from Devo Olive Oil Co. While I’ve written before about all the Devo olive oils and vinegars I’ve tried, I still think the red apple balsamic might be my favorite of the bunch. A good steak combined with gorgonzola, balsamic, and a hint of apple flavor is really hard to beat. This steak may seem simple, but the combination of flavors is outstanding.

Gorgonzola Filet Mignon with Red Apple Balsamic Reduction

• Two 6-8 oz filets

• salt & pepper

• 2-3 oz gorgonzola crumbles

• 1/4 cup Devo red apple balsamic vinegar

Crack some fresh pepper and sea salt over both sides of the raw filets.

Grill steaks to preferred degree of doneness. Immediately sprinkle with gorgonzola crumbles until covered.

Tent with foil to retain heat. Pour ¼ cup of red apple balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan. Heat over a medium low heat until it starts to bubble. Continue to whisk until the liquid gets thicker.

Drizzle desired amount over gorgonzola steaks.

I decided to go with gorgonzola crumbles this time, although I bet the balsamic reduction would work well with a blue cheese sauce.

Our steaks were accompanied by some grilled corn on the cob with honey-lime butter and a batch of The Pioneer Woman’s crash hot potatoes.

Disclaimer: I received a free sample bottle of red apple balsamic vinegar from Devo Olive Oil Co. in exchange for providing a recipe and/or giving a fair and honest review. I received no compensation other than the use of the sample product. The opinions I’ve expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.

Steak with Blue Cheese Caramelized Onion Sauce

For the second year in a row, my sister came to visit for Easter weekend.  Since it’s important to keep tradition, we decided we should grill again this year.  I started brainstorming for something to do with our steaks. Last year, per my sister’s request, we’d basted them in a brown sugar sauce.  This year, my husband suggested blue cheese.  There are some situations where simple works perfectly.  Blue cheese crumbles on a steak is one of them.  Want a fantastic steak?  Here’s the directions:  Cook Steak. Place handful of blue cheese crumbles on top. Eat. 

Simple enough, right? 

We decided to make a creamier sauce.  I ran across a recipe by The Pioneer Woman Cooks for a sauce using blue cheese, cream and caramelized onions.  (If you haven’t figured it out from some of my other posts, caramelized onions may be one of the most versatile foods on the planet.)  Like some other fantastic steak toppers, this sauce is pretty simple to make.  Here’s the step by step:

As our steaks cooked on the grill, I melted about 1-2 tbsp of butter in a sauce pan.  I added 1/2 of a thinly sliced onion and let that cook on low until soft and just starting to brown. 

Now we're to the point where I was supposed to add 1/2 cup of cream.  We hit a small snag there due to the fact the store we had stopped at was completely out.  I guess that's what we get for shopping Easter weekend.  So, we improvised.  I've used fat free half & half instead of cream in quite a few recipes and had it work out just fine. This was no exception.

Let that bubble for about a minute.  Add 1/4 cup of blue cheese.  (That's what the recipe said, but I may have snuck in a little more.)

Stir while the cheese melts.  Once the sauce thickens a bit, pour on top of the steaks.  Now that's a delicious steak!  My sister, who had declared earlier that she wasn't sure she liked blue cheese, was asking if there was extra. 

My Helpers even took turns watching the grill for us. 

Steak au Poivre

My husband requested steak au poivre for his birthday dinner.  This worked well because it was a recipe I'd been wanting to try.  After sorting through multiple recipes, I realized that each one was more different than the other.  Some used brined green peppercorns in the sauce.  Others patted crushed peppercorns into the steak.  Considering how much my husband loves pepper, I decided to combine the two.  My husband always talks about a steak he tried once in a restaurant that was completely encrusted with pepper, so I decided to replicate that.  For this steak, I bought a small jar of five mix peppercorns.   I poured the entire jar into a Ziploc bag and ran a ceramic rolling pin over them until they were barely crushed. After sprinkling a little salt on both sides of two 8 oz filets, I patted all sides of the filets in the crushed peppercorn.  My husband was starting to drool at the sight of these steaks. 

While the steaks cooked, I started the sauce.  I liked the idea of using green peppercorns in brine, but unfortunately had not been able to find any.  Earlier in the day, I decided to take a tablespoon of dried green peppercorns instead and left them to soak in about a tablespoon of beef broth. 

I combined about three different recipes for the sauce, including those by The Pioneer Woman, Tyler Florence, and Brooklyn Farmhouse.  Here’s what I came up with:

Steak au Poivre

·         2- 8 oz filets

·         salt

·         mixed peppercorns (crushed)

Prepare steaks as mentioned above, then cook however you choose.  We grilled them.  When the steaks are about 5 minutes from done, begin the sauce.  

Sauce:

·         1.5 tbsp butter

·         1 shallot (diced)

·         1.5 to 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

·         ¼ cup brandy

·         1/2 to 1 tbsp green peppercorns soaked in beef broth

·         ½ cup cream

·         splash of red wine (optional)

Melt the butter in a large skillet.  Add diced shallot and cook on low heat until soft.  Whisk in brandy and Dijon mustard.  Add green peppercorns and accompanying beef broth while stirring. Allow to cook down while you measure out the cream. Add cream and splash of red wine.  (I had an open bottle on the counter, so it seemed like a good idea at the time.) Allow it to bubble for about a minute to thicken.  Remove from heat and pour over steak. 

I served these steaks with mashed potatoes and my husband’s favorite green bean recipe.  Upon his first bite of steak, my husband announced, “and you can quote me on this- YUM, PEPPER!!”  I had read that steak au poivre and cabernet sauvignon are a classic pairing, so we opened a bottle of 2007 Benziger cabernet sauvignon to round out the meal.

My husband enjoyed every bite of the pepper overload.  I found myself a little overwhelmed with pepper and started to scrape some off the sides of the steak.  The sauce, however, was fantastic.  I was also surprised at how easy it was too make.  In the end, my husband ended up with a birthday dinner he really enjoyed and we have a new steak recipe to keep in the rotation.

Filet Mignon with Balsamic Mushroom Sauce

On Sunday night, I knew I wanted to make steaks.  My husband & I had a bottle of Guinoc Petit Sirah that we had wanted to try, so a good filet was the logical choice.  For some reason, good red wine also brought to mind mushrooms.  I started looking around for a good mushroom sauce recipe and landed on this, a balsamic sauce with mushroom and shallots.  Instead of a cheaper cut of steak, I used filets.  I figured this was a no- brainer, since “balsamic” and “filet” are two words I always appreciate seeing together on a menu. 

I began with two big 8 oz filets.  Had it been summer, the grill would have been the easy choice, but my options were limited since it is February.  I remembered hearing that you can still cook a good steak by searing each side in a skillet to lock in the juices, then baking it at about 425.  I went with this option so I could deglaze the skillet later and get all those good seared bits for flavor in my mushroom sauce.  The searing worked well, but the baking not so much.  After taking what seemed like way too much time (for me anyway, since I don’t like my steak bloody), I cranked on my oven’s broiler and finished them off.  Although the steaks were missing that flavor you can only get with a grill, they were still very tender. 

I followed this recipe for my mushroom sauce, using cremini mushrooms and shallots.  I did resist the urge to pour some of the Guinoc in instead of some of the beef broth, although I’m sure that would be worth trying sometime.  (Since it was an excellent wine, I’m glad we saved if for drinking.) After I pulled my steaks out of the oven, I dumped the balsamic mushroom sauce over the top so they could soak it all up. 

As for the side, I thought green beans sounded good.  I figured I’d throw in some bacon because those usually go well together.  Besides, is there anything bacon doesn’t improve?*  My husband had requested crispier green beans, so I searched around and found this recipe that involved sautéing before steaming them.  I used my leftover shallots in these instead of onion.  I probably went too heavy on the bacon, but there were few complaints. 

I was pretty impressed with these recipes overall.  The Guinoc, which has a slight peppery finish, went fantastic with the steak.  My husband and I are pretty new to petit sirahs, but are now excited to try some others.  The green bean recipe is definitely a keeper.  I will use the balsamic mushroom sauce recipe again, but perhaps with ½ as much soy sauce.  I thought that made it a little salty.  Next time I try it, how about incorporating some type of gorgonzola cream sauce?  

*I have tried a square of chocolate with crumbled bacon in it.  This was a lesson to me on how just because two of my favorite foods are both in something, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will turn out well.  Still, I can’t promise that will stop me from ever trying this recipe in the future.