Filet Mignon with Pommes Frites and Bernaise

Ingredients

2 Beef Tenderloin Filets
2 strips of Bacon
Worcestershire Sauce
Black Pepper

Make sure your tenderloin steaks are at least 1 1/4 in thick. Two hours before grilling or pan frying, marinade in Worcestershire Sauce and black pepper. Take out of refrigerator 1 hour before cooking and bring to room temperature. Light your grill or preheat the oven. Wrap tenderloins with bacon, secure with toothpicks.

Grilling

Grill about 5-6 minutes on each side for medium rare, depending on thickness. Let rest for at least 5-10 minutes.

Pan Seared

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and sear on both sides until well browned, 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the steaks to an oven-proof baking dish and place in the oven. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare.

Serve with Bernaise Sauce and French Fries. (Psst..Ore Ida's Frozen Golden Fries taste like the real thing i.e. imagine a Paris bistro, particularly since you will be dipping them in Bernaise)


Bernaise Sauce

If you follow my directions, exactly, you will have a Bernaise Sauce to rival any first rate restaurant's in Paris or New York, with very little time and effort.

3 egg yolks at room temperature
8 oz. butter
3 TB tarragon vinegar
1 TB fresh tarragon
1 TB minced shallot
2 TB Vermouth or dry white wine.

In a saucepan reduce the tarragon vinegar, tarragon, shallot and wine to about 1 TB.

Place the 3 yolks in the blender. Melt the butter on medium heat until bubbly. Turn on the blender and blend yolks for about 30 seconds. Add the bubbling butter in a steady stream and when finished, imediately add the tarragon reduction. In less that 10 seconds you are done. The trick here is to have the yolks at room temperature, the butter bubbling and the tarragon reduction ready to go. The reasoning is the butter cooks the egg yolks, that is why the eggs have to be room temp and the butter bubbling. Immediately after you pour the tarragon reduction, you will see the sauce thicken in the blender. The whole process takes less than 5 mins from start to finish. Just don't pick up the phone in the middle of the whole process!!

Serve with a nice Bordeaux or robust Cabernet from California.