filet-mignon-04 - PDF

							Filet mignon is, has always been, a
nd will always be the supreme cut o
f beef, and one of the greatest foo
ds in the world. Ever since I was a
 kid, I have associated this rare a
nd delicious cut with the most spec
ial of occasions and the most forma
l of events. My parents, when they
would take us out for a trip to the
 theater as children, would first b
ring us to an exclusive Italian Bis
tro. Several courses would be serve
d, beginning with a light dish of p
asta, A tray of delicious sliced me
ats and cheeses, some wonderful min
estrone soup, and fresh-baked, pipi
ng hot bread. Although the individu
al offerings would vary from day-to
-day, the main, and most sublime co
urse would always remain the same.
The filet mignon recipe was so good
 that none of us ever tried anythin
g else. It was, in fact, the specia
lty of the house.

For many years, I was afraid to eve
n experiment with filet mignon. It
seemed too sublime and exalted a di
sh for my amateurish culinary prete
nsions. Nonetheless, one day curios
ity finally got the best of me. I p
repared a filet mignon blue cheese
recipe, a variation of the steak I
had never tried before. I figured t
hat even if it was not very good, i
t would at least be unique enough t
o warrant my efforts. My attempt wa
s not in vain. I was a natural! The
 fillet mignon was sublime – almost
 as good as what they would serve i
n the Italian restaurant. At that p
oint, I realized that it was not ju
st the expertise of the chef, but t
he wonderful quality of that cut of
 beef that made it taste so good.

What I didn't know then is that fil
et mignon is not all of the same qu
ality. I had yet to discover such t
hings as aged beef, Kobe beef steak
s, Grain fed organic steak, and all
 of the other innovations in prepar
ing the perfect beef. Nowadays, I o
nly use 100% hormone free grain fed
 cattle. I feel that if I'm going t
o make something as good as filet m
ignon, I probably shouldn't comprom
ise at all. Everything about it sho
uld be just perfect, otherwise ther
e is no point. I've gotten to the p
oint where I know a dozen different
 ways to make it, all of them tasti
ng absolutely delicious. I'm glad t
hat I was brave enough to cook it i
n the first place!.