First posted: Sep 30, 2010
Why-I-Married-Him Fillet Flambé
So you might have come across my ‘Why-He-Married-Me Bacon Pasta’ Recipe. Well, it’s only fair that I let you in on a little secret – the way to my heart is also through my stomach. And it comes in the form of Rob’s unrivaled flambéd fillet steak.
I first tasted it when we were at University and Rob’s Mum was in town. Dressed to impress he had us both round to his digs and served this up with flawless execution. Love at first bite.
If a good flambéd fillet is an art, then this is a masterpiece. I was reminded of this again a couple of weeks ago when Rob cooked it for our legendary cousin Phil’s 40th birthday dinner, for which I was a most obliging sous chef. We served this with creamy mashed potato and pretty little fresh peas.
It’s food for feeding people you love. Give it a go.
Ingredients
Cooks in: Serves:4
- 1 whole beef fillet (work on about 250g per person or 3-4 medallions when sliced)
- 3 Tbsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 250ml fresh cream
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp brandy
- Box of matches
What to do
1. Slice the fillet into medallions approximately 1.5cm thick 2. Sprinkle both sides of each medallion with coarsely crushed peppercorns. (Better yet pour coarsely crushed peppercorns onto a side plate and 'dab' each one in the peppercorns until you have a generous sprinkling on each side). 3. Heat a (good quality) frying pan as hot as it can go and add the butter to the pan and when it's sizzling, after a few seconds, add the garlic. 4. Just as the garlic starts to turn golden add the fillets, laying them down side by side to cover the base of the pan. 5. Time 4 minutes on each side, or slightly less - depending on how you like your steak (We like ours perfectly pink, so usually do 3 minutes on the second side). 6. In the mean time, heat a serving dish in the oven at about 100C (as well as your dinner plates, I don't recommend eating this on a cold plate). 7. Remove the steak and set aside in pre-heated serving dish. 8. Add the brandy to the pan, and if you have a willing hand ask them to light a match/kitchen gas torch and hold it close to the pan - the brandy will immediately catch alight, and produce some pretty big flames, so STAND BACK, HOLD THE PAN AWAY FROM YOUR FACE AND THE ROOF! (Easier than it sounds, I promise). 9. Once the flames have died down completely (just a few seconds) put the pan back on stove, turn the heat down to low and add the cream. Let the mixture simmer for a couple of minutes until a beautiful light caramel colour and it's thickened a bit - be careful not to let it burn. During this time add 1 tsp salt / start with half and go from there to taste. 10. Add just the juice from the resting steak and stir, then remove and pour the sauce over the steak in its serving bowl. 11. Leave to rest for a couple of minutes while you get the veggies out. Picture from 'Home' by Warren Heath.
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