This recipe is heavily influenced by French cuisine, or even more than that, it’s simply French food cooked in Italy. Italians rarely use sauces on their meat (unless the meat is braised in the sauce), and most steaks in Italy are served on their own, such as the famous bistecca fiorentina, which needs no other companions than oil, salt, and the Sangiovese in your glass. French cuisine, on the other hand, revolves around sauces. You won’t find this way of serving beef all over Italy but in Piemonte, which was originally a French settlement and ruled for centuries by the Savoy family of France (they were the first kings of a united Italy). My only “beef” with this recipe is that, since I grew up on French beef, which is fattier than the leaner Fassona cows of Piemonte, it usually takes me a while to find a piece I’m happy with – though the Fassona beef is certainly excellent in braised dishes and the famous carne cruda, or raw meat, preparations of the region.
Filetto al Pepe Verde (Filet Mignon With Brandy Cream and Green Peppercorns)
Ingredients
- 4 filet mignon steaks around 8 oz/250 g each
- Fine sea salt
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp clarified butter
- 3 tbsp brandy
- 1 cup beef or chicken stock
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup whole green peppercorns
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Sprinkle steaks generously with salt. Place flour on plate and dredge steaks very lightly.
- In large sauté pan, melt clarified butter over high heat. When pan is sizzling hot, add steaks and sear on one side, without moving, until golden brown, 4 minutes. Flip gently and cook on other side for 1 minute. Transfer to ovenproof dish and place in preheated oven for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on level of doneness you desire.
- Over medium heat, pour brandy into same sauté pan, then tilt pan away from you and carefully ignite alcohol to flambé. Once flames subside, reduce heat to low and add stock, cream, mustard and peppercorns. Bring mixture to a gentle boil, allowing it to reduce until thick and glossy, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer steak to a serving plate and spoon sauce all over. Serve immediately.
