Smothered Filet Mignon

Dinner was well over 4 hours ago and I’m still full! But first, a recap on our day.

Took Nicholas and his girlfriend out for breakfast this morning, and they had a great time. We followed that up with a few errands, including a stop at a local wholesale bakery. The kids left with cookies and cupcakes, and they were, needless to say, quite content. After we left the bakery, we ended up sitting down in the grass outside, letting the kids run around and burn off their sugar rush.

Planned a nice meal for dinner tonight, Smothered Filet Mignon, Pear Roquefort Salad and a Cold Rice Salad. Two will be repeaters, one dud. We had The Neighbors over and it worked out really well, with splitting the duties.  The Neighbor Wife made the kids’ dinners and Mom Juice, and me handling the “adult food.” Teamwork at its best.

The Smothered Filet Mignon was excellent. It marinates for awhile, then is topped with bleu cheese and caramelized onions. Yum, we’ll definitely be making it again. Very easy and flavorful – you can’t go wrong with that kind of combination.

Smothered Filet Mignon

Another winner was the Roquefort Pear Salad. Cool and creamy from the avocado, a tang from the mustard vinaigrette and a great sweet crunch from the candied pecans. I’ll definitely be making this one again.

Busy day tomorrow. A friend is visiting from Wisconsin, and will be coming for lunch, and then we have dinner at my parents’ house to celebrate my Dad’s birthday. Until then…

Smothered Filet Mignon
4 (6 ounce) filet mignon steaks
seasoned salt to taste
cracked black pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups onion slices
1 teaspoon white sugar
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Season steaks with seasoned salt and black pepper, and arrange in a single layer in a large baking dish. In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and rosemary. Pour mixture over filets, and turn to coat. Marinate for up to 30 minutes. While you are marinating the meat, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion slices in butter until soft, then stir in sugar. Continue cooking until onions are caramelized. Set aside. Preheat grill for high heat on one side, and medium heat on the other side. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place steaks on the hot side of the grill, and cook for 10 minutes, turning once. When the steaks are almost done, move to the cooler side of the grill. Top each filet with a quarter of the caramelized onions and blue cheese. Close the lid, and continue cooking until the cheese is melted.

Roquefort Pear Salad
1 head leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
3 pears – peeled, cored and chopped
5 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled
2 avocado – peeled, pitted, and diced
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup pecans
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1-1/2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

In a skillet over medium heat, stir 1/4 cup of sugar together with the pecans. Continue stirring gently until sugar has melted and caramelized the pecans. Carefully transfer nuts onto waxed paper. Allow to cool, and break into pieces.  For the dressing, blend oil, vinegar, 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar, mustard, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper. In a large serving bowl, mix the lettuce, pears, blue cheese, avocado, and green onions. Pour dressing over salad, sprinkle with pecans, mix and serve.

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