Filet Mignon with Red Wine Sauce

Prep Time: 0:08

Cook Time: 0:18

Serves: 2

Looking to make a restaurant worthy entrée for a special occasion? This classic filet mignon in a simple red wine sauce is sure to do the trick. Incredibly simple to make, and only 6 SmartPoints® per serving, this is sure to impress!

Pro tip: Don’t skip patting dry your meat! By gently patting excess moisture from the surface of your meat with a paper towel, you are helping to ensure it browns correctly, giving it that restaurant-worthy quality. To get all technical, the browning of meat, called the Maillard reaction is created when meat has been grilled, seared, or roasted at a high enough temperature to rapidly dehydrate the surface, giving it the browned colour and intense aroma we associate with expertly cooked meat.

Ingredients

• 3 spray(s) cooking spray
• 8 oz uncooked lean and trimmed beef filet mignon, washed and patted dry (use two 1/4 lb pieces)
• 1⁄2 tsp table salt
• 1⁄2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 6 Tbsp table wine, red, such as Burgundy or Bordeaux
• 1 tsp unsalted butter
• 1⁄2 Tbsp chives, or parsley, fresh, chopped
• 1⁄2 pound(s) uncooked asparagus, trimmed, steamed or roasted

Instructions

1. Coat a grill pan (with sides) with cooking spray; set pan over medium-high heat.
2. Rub salt and pepper all over steak. When pan is hot, cook steak for about 4 minutes without flipping. Flip steak and cook for about 4 to 6 minutes more for medium doneness.
3. Remove steak to a cutting board and loosely cover with aluminum foil; let rest for at least 10 minutes (steak will continue to cook under foil).
4. While steak is resting, pour wine onto grill pan; increase heat to high. Reduce liquid by about 75%, scraping bottom and sides of pan while sauce is boiling (the thicker the sauce, the more the flavor it will have), about 2 to 4 minutes. If any juice has seeped out of steak while it’s resting, add it to grill pan. Once sauce is reduced, add butter to pan; cook until just melted.
5. Very thinly slice steak against grain and place on plates; drizzle with sauce. Garnish with chives or parsley and serve with asparagus. Yields about 3 1/2 ounces steak, 1 tablespoon sauce and 1/2 of asparagus per serving.

Notes    
You can use this recipe with any kind of steak (simply adjust the cooking time to accommodate the thickness).