Filet mignon is French, of course, with filet which means “thick slice” and mignon which means “dainty.” Filet mignon comes from the little complete of the tenderloin (called the brief loin) which is found on the back once more rib cage of the animal. This region of the animal is not excess weight-bearing, consequently the connective tissue is not toughened by exercise resulting in very tender meat. This also means that the meat lacks some of the flavor held by meat that has the bone connected. In buy keep the flavor, you must cook filet mignon quickly. This can be done a variety of techniques, this kind of as broiling and grilling. It should by no means be cooked past medium rare, because the much more done it is, the less tender and much more dry it becomes and the much more flavor it will shed. You should generally use a dry method of cooking, even when it will be a fast method. Techniques of cooking that are dry are this kind of sorts as roasting, pan frying, grilling, broiling, etc. Simply because this cut of meat is much more dry than other individuals, you will not want to cut the meat to look at to see if it is done. Instead, you should touch it. The touch-method of checking is not as tough as it might sound:

1. If the meat feels tough or firm, it is as well done.

two. When the filet mignon is soft when you touch it and your finger leaves an imprint, it is rare.

three. If it is nevertheless soft, but leaves no imprint, and is somewhat resilient, then it is medium rare (greatest for this particular type of meat).

The cause filet mignon is often wrapped in bacon (this wrapping is called barding) is because this particular cut of meat has no layer of fat about it. The bacon not only adds extra flavor to the filet mignon, it also provides it the fat necessary to keep the meat from drying out. This is a concern because the strips are so little in filet mignon and they have less fat than most cuts of beef.

What to serve with Filet Mignon

Simply because the flavor of filet mignon tends to be really mild, numerous individuals choose to serve it with sauces, each smothering the beef or as a dip. There are numerous various choices for the greatest sauce for filet mignon and most depend solely on the person’s particular flavor preference. Some customers choose to have a particular type of steak sauce for dipping and some might choose a marinade to consist of flavor throughout cooking. Either of these can turn out well.

Wines &amp#038 Filet Mignon

There are numerous various sorts of wines that are great to serve with filet mignon, and figuring out which 1 will go greatest with it is dependent mostly on the flavor of the sauce. This is particularly correct if the sauce is rather powerful, or has a flavor that is stronger than the filet mignon by itself. The greatest wines to match with filet mignon are dry, red wines this kind of as Merlot. If your preference is a sweet wine, you might want to think about attempting a White Zinfandel (if this is your option, although, you will not want to use extremely much pepper on the filet mignon). If you are a white wine drinker, the greatest match for filet mignon will be a wealthy Chardonnay.

Ideas for cooking Filet Mignon

-When selecting tenderloin or slices, select the lighter colour more than dark red. This indicates much more marbling which makes it much more tender. This cut is so tender that it should by no means be cooked past a medium-rare phase. The longer you cook it, the less tender and much more dry it becomes.

-Use a dry, greater warmth method this kind of as broiling, roasting, pan-frying or grilling for this tender cut.

-Whole tenderloin is wonderful to things or bake en croute (in savory pastry).

-Cutting into the meat to look at doneness lets valuable juice escape. Use the touch method. Press the meat. If it feels soft and mushy and leaves an imprint, it is rare. -If it is soft, but somewhat resilient, it is medium-rare. The moment it starts to really feel firm, it is overdone.

-Simply because the tenderloin has no surrounding fat tissue, it is often wrapped in a layer of fat (called barding) this kind of as suet or bacon to keep it from drying out. Similarly with filet slices. The barding also adds flavor.

-Cubed tenderloin is a popular option for fondue scorching-pots and shish-kebabs.

-To make certain even cooking when roasting the entire tenderloin, the little complete should be tucked up and tied or trimmed for other use.

Daniel Urmann is a contributor and writer for the website Big Sky Filet Mignon.