Filet Mignon With Bearnaise Sauce

credit: cchen

For a romantic candlelight dinner, nothing expresses luxury and elegance better than a medium-rare cooked filet mignon with béarnaise sauce. Although the filet mignon might seem easy to cook, it actually requires a lot of attention as it can burn easily and become over-cooked, which would dry up the meat juice and lose its signature melty and tender taste.


As for the béarnaise sauce, it requires specific ingredients that need to be searched for with patience and dedication. The intricate process of making this delicious and delicate-tasting sauce was first created and approached by chef Collinet in 1836, becoming an immediate success internationally-recognized and imitated. Sometimes people wrongly misspell and mispronounce the word béarnaise. They actually forget to add the first ‘a’, thus becoming bernaise as if the sauce had originated or was somehow connected to the city of Bern, in Switzerland. The sauce actually takes its name from Béarn, a former province in Southern France.

Ingredients for the béarnaise sauce:

• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup chopped tarragon
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 minced shallots
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation:

Although the preparation of the béarnaise sauce seems easy enough, it actually requires a few attempts at it before getting it right

• Place shallots, tarragon, wine and vinegar in a saucepan.
• Mix, stir and bring to simmer
• Set the saucepan aside to cool off
• Add yolks and mix together
• If using a blender, slowly but steadily, add butter to the sauce and keep mixing
• Add salt and pepper
• Place sauce in a warm spot and let it rest

Cooking the perfect filet mignon

To make sure you have the perfectly medium – rare cooked filet mignon, follow these few simple steps:

• Place a grilling pan on the stove and set it on high heat.
• Gently place filet mignon on the grill and wait until side is cooked
• Turn the filet on each side until fully blackened
• When fully cooked on the outside, place fork on top and gently pressure the meat to check it is still tender

Prepare a beautiful serving plate

Place filet mignon on a plate and pour bearnaise sauce in a small bowl. Put the bowl on the plate, next to the filet. Place a sprig of cilantro next to it et voila’. The most elegant and luxurious filet mignon with béarnaise sauce is ready to be served.


In case you have extra béarnaise sauce, make sure to place it in a sauce bottle or glass jar. Put it in the fridge and warm it up on low heat when you want to serve it again. To find the perfect bottles and jars where to keep you sauce in, visit http://www.ebottles.com.