"filet mignon" news and stories

Happy National Filet Mignon Day!

Taking the French phrasing for a dainty or small fillet of boneless meat, filet mignon is one of the pricier, more tender cuts of beef and is sliced from the tenderloin muscle in the short loin. Typically 1-2 inches high and 2-3 inches wide, filet mignon is remarkably tender but lacks the stronger beef flavor apparent in cuts with the bone attached.

Prized for its melt-in-mouth tenderness, filet mignon is most often cooked by grilling, broiling or sauteeing. In fact, many argue that it's a guaranteed success no matter what the preparation. Chef Thomas Keller wrote in his French Laundry book, "It's easy to cook a filet mignon or to sauté a piece of trout, serve it with browned butter à la meunière, and call yourself a chef. But that's not really cooking. That's heating." If you want to elevate the already extraordinary dish to the next level, we suggest accompanying it with some compound butter or a sauce like Bobby Flay's tarragon pepper sauce.

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Spoilers! Tivo-users beware!

So there's been some speculation lately, some whispers around the blogosphere regarding a certain Bravo television show. I've heard the rumor that Top Chef's going downhill, that it's dated. I've read comments accusing the show of being bland, even boring. Well, I'll put it out there loud and clear: Top Chef is still hot hot hot.

• Seems like every food mag is doing a travel issue these days, and Bon Appetit is no exception. Their "Where To Eat Now" cover story focuses on France, Italy, Australia, and Spain.
• What is friuli?
• Here are several recipes for country cakes, including some from Greece and Ireland.
• A step-by-step guide to making Shanghai Soup Dumplings.
• You really should be using mangoes more.
• More recipes from this month: Porcini-Crusted Filet Mignon with Fresh Herb Butter, Toasted Almond Ice Cream Sandwiches, Italian Sausage Meatball Heroes, Vanilla-Date Breakfast Smoothie, and several ways to cook with wine to add flavor (and keep things healthy).
• Also in this issue: an interview with Michael Palin.

Like Adam and Meg before me, I was recently given the opportunity to sample some of the foie gras from Mirepoix USA, arguably the best distributor of foie gras in the country and certainly the most accessible. Unlike my fellow bloggers, however, I opted to go for the already prepared Whole Duck Foie Gras w/ Armagnac Au Torchon Style instead of starting from scratch with the whole duck liver. I invited a group of friends and family, ranging in ages from 10 to 80, over to share the foie gras. For most of them, it was their first experience with the product and everyone seemed excited about the impromptu dinner party. Almost everyone had some prior knowledge of the controversy that surrounds the delicacy, but any pangs of conscience were overridden by hunger pangs and curiosity. That may be a bit of an overstatement, so let's just say that no strong feelings either way were expressed.

Having encountered it more than once in a restaurant, I am not a complete neophyte to foie gras, but I had never before prepared it or served it at home. I opted to serve the foie gras in two ways. First, I served toast points with slices of foie gras and fig preserves. The liver is very fatty (obviously) and the jam serves to lighten the heaviness of it on the palate, as well as to add some dimension to the flavor.