Serve yourself up a gorgeous Red Chili-Crusted Filet Mignon with Wild Mushroom-Ancho Chili Sauce that has been rubbed generously with red chilis, pan seared to perfection.
The recipe is from Bobby Flay Bold American Food – by the way, I love this cookbook, old but a great book.
Red Chili-crusted Filet Mignon with Wild Mushroom Sauce is a perfect dinner for your upcoming Valentine on Valentine’s day. The dish is rich and chunky, like of the old steak au poivre. Serve it with the rich, delicate mushroom sauce for an enticing dinner.
This recipe is very Southwestern in nature, but with many cuisines coming into play and are given American makeovers with chiles and herbs added. I am starting a new series on my blog called “Cooking through my Cookbooks.”
I have over 700 cookbooks and adding more all the time. What can I say, but I love the thrill of a new or old cookbook and what new fresh foods, spices, techniques, and more that I will discover. I just ordered the 1964 edition of “The Joy Of Cooking” based on a recommendation from Martha Stewart. She loves this edition because it still has sections for canning, preserving, and pickling. You never stop learning old and new tricks.
The Cookbook History
Bobby Flay’s Bold American Food first published this book in 1994. We had just moved back from Chicago to Hendersonville, NC, and needless to say, I missed the restaurants and foods that a big city had to offer. I bought this book and started cooking my way through the recipes. One recipe that I never tried was the Red Chili-crusted Filet Mignon with the Wild Mushroom Sauce. I decided on a cold, snowy afternoon to embark on the Filet recipe.
This recipe has a few different steps but is relatively straight-forward.
Red Chili-crusted Filet Mignon with Wild Mushroom-Ancho Chili Sauce
Ingredients
For the steaks:
- 6 New Mexico Red Chiles
- 1 tbsp. Black Peppercorns
- 2 tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 Filet-Mignon Steaks – about 8 ozs.
Wild-Mushroom Ancho Chili Sauce
- 2 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- 2 Shallots – minced
- 2 tbsp. Garlic – finely chopped
- 2 Cups Dry Red Wine
- 1/2 lb. Shitake Mushrooms – stems removed and caps sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1/2 lb. Cremini Mushrooms – stems removed and caps sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1/2 lb. Portobello Mushrooms – stems removed and caps sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 3 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock
- 3/4 Cup Ancho Puree – recipe to follow
- 1/4 Cup tbsp. Honey – I used Mike’s Hot Honey
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper – to taste
Ancho Puree
- 6 Ancho
- 8 Cups Boiling Water
- 1 tbsp. Garlic – minced
- 2 tbsp. Fresh Cilantro – chopped
Instructions
Instructions for Steaks
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Spread the chiles on a baking sheet and roast for about 30 seconds. Remove the seeds and stems, place the flesh in a food processor, and chop coarsely. In a coffee grinder, grind the peppercorns to about the same consistency as the chiles. Mix the two and reserve in a pie pan.
- Turn the grill on to medium-high heat.
- Rub each steak with the olive oil. Dredge each steak in the chili/peppercorn mixture and rub the mixture into the meat. Grill each side for about 3 to 4 minutes aside or until done to your liking.
- Serve with the mushroom sauce. Spoon the sauce over each steak.
Instructions for Wild-Mushroom Ancho Chili Sauce
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and sweat the onion and garlic for about 3 to 4 minutes. At this point, raise the heat to high, add the wine, and boil 10 minutes, until reduced to dry. Then reduce the heat to medium, add the mushrooms, cook until soft, and add the stock. Then, raise the heat to be high and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Whisk in the ancho puree and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the honey and salt and pepper to taste. Add the honey and salt and pepper to taste. Keep hot in a double boiler until ready to serve. Reheat, stirring, just before serving.
- It may be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.
Instructions for Ancho Puree
- Place the anchos in a blow and pure the boiling water over them. Let stand for at least 30 minutes, or as long as overnight. Drain well, remove the seeds and seeds. Run under some cold water if the seeds are difficult to remove. Place the flesh in the food processor with the garlic and cilantro and process to a puree. May be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated, covered. Makes 2 cups.