Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Mustard-Cognac Sauce

This is an excellent recipe from Bon Appetit. And very easy to make. And it looks like a professional chef has cooked it, so it makes a great presentation meal.

Make sure you use sodium free or low sodium chicken broth. You can even mix chicken and beef broth. Otherwise the sauce will come out very salty.

If you like meat to be medium rare, you can use Jacques Pepin's method of grilling. Sear the steaks in the pan for a couple or three minutes on a side, then transfer them to a 250 degree (or less) oven; let gently cook through. This way you avoid that overcooked exterior and undercooked interior; so you end up with beautiful, even red meat across the width of the steak. Let stand before serving which allows the juices to spread out. You can go on preparing the sauce while the meat is cooking.

If you can, strain the sauce so that you don't have fresh herb bits and pieces to deal with in the sauce. And, try to use fresh herbs whenever you can, it changes the taste quite a bit.

BEEF TENDERLOIN STEAKS WITH MUSTARD-COGNAC SAUCE

Ingredients:
6 (7- to 8-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks (each about 1 1/2 inches thick)
Coarse kosher salt
Cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons canola oil
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, divided
4 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed
2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh rosemary sprigs

1 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 cup Cognac or brandy
2 tablespoons tawny Port
3 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250°F. Sprinkle steaks on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add steaks and sear until brown, about 2 minutes per side.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 3 tablespoons butter, garlic, thyme, and rosemary to skillet. Cook steaks to desired doneness, turning occasionally and basting with pan juices, about 12 minutes for medium-rare.

Transfer steaks to small rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in oven.

Pour contents of skillet into small bowl. Return 3 tablespoons drippings from bowl to same skillet and place over high heat. Add shallots and sauté 2 minutes.

Add Cognac and Port and stir 1 minute, scraping up any browned bits. Add broth and boil until sauce is reduced to 1 cup, about 12 minutes.

Whisk in Dijon mustard, then remaining 3 tablespoons cold butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Arrange steaks on plates; whisk any accumulated juices from baking sheet into sauce. Spoon sauce over steaks and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Steak Au Poivre with Frites

There are many steps in preparing this dish from Emeril, but it is well worth it. Especially if you have company coming. It always makes a great presentation.

There really isn't much that can be changed with this recipe, and there are a lot of Au Poivre recipes out there, but this one is the best by far. You might use Brandy if you don't have Cognac handy. You can also adjust the amount of cream while cooking to suit your taste, otherwise just follow the recipe.

There was even a perfect french fries recipe, which I'm adding, and a sauce to serve with the fries. Really really delicious. Bon Appetit!!!:)

STEAK AU POIVRE WITH FRITES

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole peppercorn
2 tablespoons green peppercorn
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard plus 2 teaspoons
4 (12 to 14-ounce) New York strip steaks, trimmed of excess fat
4 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons olive oil
4 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon green peppercorns
Big splash Cognac
1/2 cup reduced veal stock or demi-glace
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup cream French Fried Potatoes, recipe follows
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat sautepan to medium-high, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grind whole peppercorns in grinder until course. Brush 2 tablespoons of the mustard on the steaks, and season on each side with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and ground peppercorns.

Heat a large skillet until very hot. Add some oil and sear steaks until well browned and crisp on 1 side, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip steaks and put the skillet in oven for about 5 to 7 minutes, for medium-rare. Remove steaks from the oven. Place steaks on a dish and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Place the skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the green peppercorns, then the Cognac and cook until almost all the liquor has evaporated.

Whisk in the remaining 2 teaspoons of mustard and veal stock and bring to a simmer.

Whisk in the cream. Spoon the sauce over the steaks and serve immediately with the Frites.

FRITES

Ingredients:
3 large Idaho potatoes, about 2 pounds, peeled and cut into matchstick slices
1/4-inch thick Canola oil, fry frying
Salt

Directions:
Place the potato slices in a bowl of water. Let stand 15 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Pat dry with towels.

Heat enough oil to come 4 inches up the sides of a large deep saucepan to 310 degrees F. Add the potatoes in batches and cook until just crisp but still yellow, about 4 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees F. In batches again, add the fries until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the steaks.

Yield: 4 servings

AIOLI

Ingredients:
1 egg*
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 pimentos, drained
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
In a food processor, combine the egg, tarragon, the mustard, pimentos, and puree until smooth. Serve with the frites.

* Be careful in consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs due to the slight risk of Salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, use only fresh, properly-refrigerated, clean, grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell.

Beef Stroganoff with Noodles

Beef Stroganoff is one of my favorite beef dishes. It's actually a Russian recipe and there are a lot of variations out there. This one is what I like the best after combining different recipes.

Use tenderloin beef. Your beef has to be good quality, otherwise all your work will be for nothing. The beef is very important here, it needs to be soft after it cooks. And cut as thinly as you like them, I cut them very very thin. If you partially freeze the beef for about 1 hour, you would be able to cut it much easier.

Although the recipe has only sour cream, you can substitute with 1 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup heavy cream. You can also use low-fat sour cream.

Don't skip the cognac if you can, but if you don't have it handy, you can also try white wine or brandy.

This is a very flavorful dish, you can serve it with noodles or with rice. It is very rich so it needs a balance. And it makes great leftovers:) Enjoy!

BEEF STROGANOFF WITH NOODLES

Ingredients:
2 pounds lean beef sirloin sliced into thin strips,
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil1
large onion sliced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 pounds fresh mushrooms sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup canned beef broth
2 tablespoons Cognac
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
12 oz wide egg noodles
4 tablespoons of butter

Directions:
Season the sirloin with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the sirloin and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Set the sirloin on a plate and keep warm.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and cook until they are soft, about 7 more minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Add the beef broth, then the Cognac. Simmer until liquid thickens and just coats mushrooms. About 15-20 minutes.

Add the sour cream, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Combine well and heat thoroughly.

Add the sirloin and any juices from the pan, simmer for about 2 minutes, do not boil. Stir in chopped dill. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of butter and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide the egg noodles among 8 plates so that they form a small ring on the plate.
Spoon the beef mixture into the center of each ring and serve.