Despite the fact that I am posting a recipe for Pan Seared Filet Mignon w/ Port Wine Mushroom Sauce, it's really a post mostly about the most luscious Port Wine Mushroom Sauce ever. And I have wanted to share this sauce recipe with you for awhile now. Consider the recipe for the Pan Seared Filet Mignon a bonus. However, when these two recipes are made together you have what I would call a signature dish. One you would make when having friends over for dinner, when celebrating a special occasion or holiday, or when having a date night at home. Beyond making for a most stunning, elegant presentation and tasting like something coming out of a four star restaurant, it's really very simple to make. Which makes it's the perfect signature dish.
Buying individual filet mignons is not only often less expensive than buying a whole beef tenderloin, they are so much easier to cook. And as much as I am a fan of grilling, from a flavor standpoint the pan seared and roasting method is one of the best ways to cook filets. Additionally cooking the filets this way allows you to cook them to varying levels of doneness. Which matters especially when there is an outlier or two who don't like their meat done medium rare! Growing up, every kind of beef cooked my father cooked was either rare or medium rare, no exceptions. Which explains why I never understood how anyone could enjoy a great filet, steak or roast cooked any other way. I still can't. As it happens, I live with someone who orders their steaks well done. To this day I still cringe when I hear the words 'well done'. Even the words medium-well cause me to hyperventilate. Now that I got that off my chest, I will tell you the recipe below for filet mignons gives you cooking times ranging from medium-rare to medium-well. Just in case some of you also live in a household having divergent points of view on how beef should be cooked.
But like I said earlier, this post is really intended to be about the Port Wine Mushroom Sauce. A deeply flavored sauce that elevates the savoriness of most any meat it is paired with. Ribeyes, rib roasts, beef tenderloins, filets, meatloafs, and yes, even hamburgers go from ordinary to extraordinary when finished with the Port Wine Mushroom Sauce.
If you have already scrolled down to the ingredient list for the sauce your first thought might be 'for a simple recipe it has quite a number of ingredients'. And there are in fact thirteen ingredients, all of which come together to create a sauce many would guess take hours to make. You probably have most of the sauce ingredients in your refrigerator, pantry, or bar area. With the exception of the Port wine, none of them are neither unusual nor expensive.
Cremini mushrooms were used here but this sauce is equally delicious when made with Shiitake mushrooms or even a combination of the two. The amount of mushrooms used will depend on how mushroomy you like your mushroom sauce. I prefer it to be a little heavier on the mushrooms. So while the recipe below recommends using 16 ounces (454g), you could easily reduce that amount to 10 to 12 ounces without significantly altering the consistency of the sauce.
Tossing the mushrooms in a tablespoon of flour is what helps to give the finished sauce it's spoonable consistency. However, finishing the sauce with a tablespoon of unsalted butter gives it a rich, glossy, restaurant quality finish.
From start to finish, the sauce takes about 20 minutes to make. And that includes time used for both prepping the ingredients and cooking the sauce!
The Port Wine Mushroom Sauce can be made right before serving, early in the day (cover, refrigerate, reheat), or even the night before (cover, refrigerate, reheat). Note: The flavor deepens if the sauce is allowed to rest for a couple of hours before serving.
When I first tasted a version of this sauce many, many, many years ago I was very close to throwing my table manners to the wayside and licking my plate. Had there not been some bread served with the meal I might very well would have. Fortunately I was spared from embarrassing myself in front of a group of friends from my doctoral cohort. So I might suggest you too be the hostess with mostest by also serving some bread with this dish. As I am quite certain there will be others destined to be table manner challenged when they taste this rich, luscious, insanely delicious, high in umami sauce.
Recipe
Pan Seared Filet Mignon w/ Port Wine Mushroom Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients
Port Wine Mushroom Sauce
16 ounces (454g) mushrooms, stems removed, and cut into 1/4" pieces (See notes)
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Port wine
1/3 cup (52g) minced shallots
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup beef broth (recommend organic)
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
Filet Mignon
4 six ounce filet mignons, at least 1 1/2" thick
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Directions
Port Wine Mushroom Sauce
1. In a medium sized bowl, toss the sliced mushrooms and flour together. Set aside.
2. In a medium sized skillet, add in the port wine, shallots and balsamic vinegar. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, rosemary, Kosher salt and black pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add in the mushroom mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sauce has begun to thicken.
5. Add in the dijon mustard and unsalted butter. Continue cooking the sauce for an additional 2-3 minutes or until it reaches the desired consistency.
6. Remove from heat and serve. Note: The sauce can be made earlier in the day or the night before. Reheat before serving.
Filet Mignon
1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees (F).
2. Generously season both sides of the filets with salt and pepper.
3. Add two tablespoons of unsalted butter to a medium sized cast iron pan. Melt butter over medium to high heat. When the butter has melted, lay the filets down flat in the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side. I generally cook them somewhere between the 2 1/2 and 3 minute mark.
4. Place cast iron pan in the oven to finish the cooking process. For medium rare, cook for 5-6 minutes. For medium, cook for 6-7 minutes. For medium well, cook for 8-9 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from oven and let filets rest in the pan for one minute. Then transfer the filets to a cutting board and let rest for 2-3 minutes before slicing.
6. Arrange the sliced filets on a platter. Spoon the Port Wine Mushroom Sauce over the meat. Top with some chopped fresh parsley. Pour the remaining sauce into a bowl.
Notes: (1) I used Cremini mushrooms, but Shiitake mushrooms or a combination of Cremini and Shiitake mushrooms would work well in this sauce. I prefer this sauce to be heavy on the mushrooms. If you don't then use only 10 ounces-12 ounces (284g-341g). (2) I like to buy tomato paste in a tube and store it the refrigerator. Because why open up a whole can when you need such a small amount? (3) Roasting times for the filets might vary slightly based on their thickness. If bigger than 1 1/2" roasting time might be ever so slightly longer. (4) If you make the sauce ahead and it has thickened up even more, just add a little more beef broth until it reaches the perfect spoonable, pourable consistency.