Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self. - Cyril Connolly
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Freezer Burn
I worked really hard this weekend and got a lot accomplished. Yeah me! Got stuff done for our Homeowner's Association, touched base with family and friends (on the phone), dragged all my summer clothes out of storage and laundered and ironed everything for the New Orleans trip, but most importantly, I reviewed five contract proposals and completed a REALLY time consuming staffing analysis for work. All 12 hours of it.....
Reward time! Got a nice filet, made a great cognac and green peppercorn sauce, found a potato to bake, opened a bottle of cabernet, and grabbed a bag of green beans out of the freezer. Opened the bag, and found grey sticks of ice..... ick. Made a salad instead.
Note to self: frozen green beans don't keep past, oh, a year or so....
1 3/4 cups beef stock or canned beef broth 3 tablespoons butter 4 6- to 8-ounce filet mignon steaks (each about 1 inch thick)
1/4 cup chopped shallots 1 cup whipping cream 3 tablespoons Cognac or brandy 2 tablespoons drained green peppercorns in brine
Boil stock in small saucepan until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Cook steaks to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to plate (do not clean skillet).
Add chopped shallots to same skillet and sauté 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add reduced beef stock, 1 cup whipping cream, 3 tablespoons Cognac and green peppercorns. Boil until mixture thickens to sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Season sauce to taste with pepper. Spoon sauce over steaks and serve.
Instead of reducing the stock, I used 3 Tablespoons of beef demi glace. You can do it either way.
This is great with a salad and good bread. I wouldn't reccommend freezer burned veggies however :-)
how do you make a congnac green peppercorn sauce. sounds wonderful