The Full Menu:
- Cast-iron filet mignon
- Sauteed shitake mushrooms with sweet onions (with a hint of ginger)
- Cold green bean salad with cranberries, blue cheese, and sesame seeds
- Light red wine sauce

I cooked this meal as a first time dinner date. I knew my date loved steak, mushrooms, and green beans, so I thought I would try to work all three into the meal. I hadn't planned on the recipe until once I was at the grocery store. The steak is easy - salt, pepper, and a good skillet is all that is needed. Mushrooms and sweet onions go naturally together. For the green beans, I'd only blanched green beans once, so I figured I give it a try. From eating at restaurants, I knew blue cheese would naturally compliment the steak.
While it looks daunting, this meal is pretty easy to cook. Its about 10 minutes of prep time (chopping and pre-heating the oven) and about 12-15 minutes of cook time. You'll be sauteing, baking, blanching, and reducing all in 20 minutes. Good luck sir.
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Even though this was a first time dinner date, there was definitely some improvising. I realized that while cooking the mushrooms, they were drying out (so I added a splash of sherry cooking wine). Steak filets don't have a lot of fat, so I opted to make a quick red wine sauce (by feel and guessing). I've listed the recipes below, but the moral here is that you can make real-time substitutions and color outside the lines. Use the recipes below as a guideline:
Cast-Iron Filet Mignon
Cook time: 14 minutes
- 2 6-8 oz steak filets
- Freshly chopped rosemary
- Salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- Preheat the cast-iron skillet to medium high
- Coat the filets with the freshly chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Place steaks in skillet. After 2 minutes, flip. After 2 more minutes, flip and place in oven.
- Cook for about 8-10 minutes.
Sauteed Shitake Mushrooms with Sweet Vidalia Onions
Cook time: Can't remember, 8ish minutes?
- 1 Package of shitake mushrooms (or other mushrooms
- 1 Sweet onion (roughly chopped)
- Small piece of ginger (cut ginger into four 1" chunks, noticeable enough to remove at the end)
- Salt, pepper, olive oil
- Sherry wine, soy sauce, OR white wine
- Skillet to medium-high with a few tablespoons of olive oil
- Saute the onions and ginger for about 2 minutes
- Add the mushrooms and a dash of salt
- Cook and stir occasionally.
- The pan may start to dry out, I added a splash of sherry wine, to keep a little liquid in the pan
- Turn off when the mushroom are fully cooked.
- Remove ginger chunks.
Cold Green Bean Salad
Cook time: 6 minutes
- Fresh Green Beans
- A few ounces of blue cheese
- Cranberries
- Vinaigrette dressing
- Remove the ends of the green beans
- Boil a pot of water
- Prepare a separate bowl of ice water
- Place green beans in boiling water for 3 minutes
- After 3 minutes, transfer green beans to ice water bowl (stops the cooking and makes them crunchy)
- Strain green beans once the ice water bath has cooled them
- Arrange the remaining ingredients like a salad
- Drizzle a little bit of dressing
Red Wine Reduction
Cook time: 4-5 minutes
- 2 Tbsp. of Butter
- 1 Shallot
- Salt, Pepper
- 1-2 Tbsp. of Sugar
- 6 oz Red wine
- Saute butter and shallots in a small pot over medium
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Pour in the red wine and turn up the heat to high to bring to boil
- Let the red wine reduce by about two-thirds or so
- Strain the liquid into a cup
- If the red wine is too bitter, slowly add a little bit of sugar
Full Meal Checklist
- 2 6-8 oz steak filet mignons
- 1 package shitake mushrooms
- 1 sweet onion
- 1 shallot
- Fresh green beans
- Cranberries
- 2-3 oz blue cheese
- 1 bottle of red wine (to drink and cook)
- Fresh rosemary
- Cast-Iron skillet
You should already have these:
- Butter, Sugar, Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil
- Sherry cooking wine
- Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil
- Vinaigrette Dressing
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ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteThat recipe sure looks tempting. I might try to make one for my husband ’cause I am sure that this is one dish he will love.
Thank you so much for the share. Now, I know what we will have for dinner. :)
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