This preparation of Filet Mignon is simple yet so flavorful and tasty. The compound butter needs to be made a bit in advance so that it has time to chill, but otherwise the actual preparing and cooking of the meat is quite quick. I really like the method of crusting all sides of the steak in a pan first, then finishing them off in the oven. Cooking to the exact temperature really works in terms of determining when the steaks are perfectly medium-rare (or however else you prefer your steak), though the chef instructor at my French Steakhouse cooking class said it breaks his heart to see people stabbing the beautiful meat with thermometers. He believes we should learn to determine the doneness by feeling how firm the meat is. Maybe that’ll come with practice..

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Filet Mignon with Compound Butter

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 steaks

Ingredients

For the steak

• 4 10 ounces filet mignon 1.5 to 2-inches thick
• 6 teaspoons kosher salt
• 6 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

For the compound butter

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Make the compound butter

• Combine all the ingredients using a hand mixer.
• Place the mixture on a plastic wrap, roll into a log and refrigerate until it hardens, several hours.

Cook the steak

• Take the steak meats out of the refrigerator and allow them to come up to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Pat the steak meats dry with paper towels. Season both sides of the steak meats with salt and pepper.
• Heat up an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat until it is very hot, and add the olive oil and butter.
• Sear the steaks in the pan until a nice crust forms all around, about 1.5 minutes on each side and a quick sear on the sides. Tilt the pan and scoop the melted butter over the steaks to baste.
• Once all sides have a nice crust, take the skillet and put it in the preheated oven. Cook the steaks to 135 degrees F final internal temperature for medium rare, about 3 minutes for a 1.5-inch steak, and 4 minutes for a 2-inch steak (convection). Be sure to take the steak out of the oven before the meat reaches 135 degrees F, since the meat will keep cooking and the temperature will continue to rise after you take them out of the oven. For medium doneness, cook a few minutes longer to 140 degrees F. Add a bit of the compound butter during the last few minutes of the steak being in the oven so that it melts over the steak for an additional layer of flavoring.
• Rest the steaks on a raised rack for 5 minutes before serving or cutting into them. The raised rack helps prevent the juices to ruin the beautiful crust.