IF romantic is what you're really after, then I'd go the classic romantic route of Chateau d'Briand, which is known as a "dish for lovers". That is a particular section of the tenderloin muscle between the filet steak (butt) end and the filet mignon.
Anyway, I'd pan sear it all over to get it browned well, and stick it on a roasting rack in the preheated oven, until internal temperature is just about Med. Rare. The temperature will rise a bit when you take it out of the oven and let it "rest".
With Chateau d'Briand, there is only one sauce in my repertoire and that is Bearnaise. I wouldn't use a mix either. Use Joy of Cooking to make a fairly decent Bearnaise.
I like steamed green beans (9-10 minutes) and while they are still a bit crunchy, but tender, shock them in ice water, and drain. In the meantime, in butter in a frying pan, saute some shallots/green onions/leeks diced nicely. THen add some coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms (I like "baby bellas"). Let the mushrooms sit on one side until browned and then turn them over once.
Add the zest of one lemon, and the juice of one lemon (depending on how juicy the lemon is, you may have to adjust the amount of juice). Then add back in your drained cold cooked green beans and toss and stir until heated through. A quick dash of freshly grated nutmeg will add a wonderful additional layer of flavor to this traditional "French green bean" dish.
For the rest of the plate, I'd go for some sort of baked potato dish (since the oven is already on), like an au gratin (using Swiss gruyere and maybe cheddar cheeses).
Serve it with a nice Cabernet.
doc
Last edited by deltadoc; 08-12-2008 at 01:03 PM.
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