Filets mignons with cranberry-orange sauce

9
Points®
Total Time
29 min
Prep
7 min
Cook
22 min
Serves
2
Difficulty
Easy
This speedy recipe with a sweet-tart cranberry and orange sauce just serves two. It's an ideal choice for a festive holiday tête-à-tête, when you're craving beef to replace the traditional holiday bird. Because it comes together so quickly, you could double or triple the recipe for a celebratory family dinner. It's great served alongside the classic fixings such as an herbed stuffing or roasted vegetables. Adding a green salad tossed with some dried cranberries and a dash of orange juice in the vinaigrette would be a great way to reinforce and enhance the beef's flavors. Add any drippings from the standing beef back into the sauce and simmer to blend it in, then return the filets to the pan to glaze as directed.

Ingredients

Uncooked lean and trimmed beef filet mignon

½ pound(s)

Black pepper

½ tsp, freshly ground

Table salt

¼ tsp

Olive oil

2 tsp

Shallot

1 small, or 1⁄2 small red onion, minced

Garlic

1 clove(s), minced

Unsweetened orange juice

¼ cup(s)

Red wine

2 fl oz, or beef broth

Dried cranberries

3 Tbsp

Instructions

  1. Pat the filets dry with paper towels; sprinkle both sides with the pepper and salt. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a medium heavy skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the filets and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes.
  2. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a medium heavy skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.
  3. Add the filets and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes.
  4. Turn and cook until the center is slightly less done than you'd like, 2 – 3 minutes for medium rare (the meat will continue to cook when you take it off the heat).
  5. Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil.
  6. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the same skillet. Add the shallot and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 2 – 3 minutes. Add the orange juice, wine, and cranberries; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, 2 – 3 minutes. Return the filets to the pan and cook, swirling to coat them with the sauce. Serve at once.