Filet Mignon with Lobster Thermidor

Valentine’s Day is this Friday.  Getting a table in a nice restaurant is next to impossible and terribly expensive and noisy.  Instead of going out, my husband and I like to help one another cook a complicated meal.  Being together in the kitchen is very romantic.  We like to drink some wine and listen to music while we work.  This is a great way to spend time together.  Then we relax and enjoy the meal we created.

We made Lobster Thermidor this past weekend.  We ate it for the first time  in St. Martin on our 10^th wedding anniversary.  We loved it.  This is my version of Lobster Therimdor, certainly not Julia Child, but tasty none-the-less. This is complicated so read through the entire recipe before starting.  If you are cooking with your sweetie, get him (or her) to grill the steaks and keep your wine glass full.

Servings: 2
Hardware: A large stock pot, a cutting board and knives, measuring spoons and cups, a small sauté pan, a large sauce pot, a whisk, 2 bowls, a wooden spoon, a fork, a grill, tongs, a meat thermometer, 4 plates, tinfoil
Prep time: 30 minutes, Cook time: 1 hour 

Ingredients:

• 2-8 ounce filet mignons
• Salt & pepper
• 1 large lobster (3/4 pound meat when cooked)
• 1 diced shallot (¼ cup)
• ¼ cup diced Portobello mushrooms
• 2 sprigs fresh tarragon
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• ½ cup brandy
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ stick + 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 egg yolks
• ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Place the lobster head first into a large pot of boiling water.  Boil for about 15 minutes.  Remove from the pot and place in ice water to end the cooking.  Remove the meat from the claws and tail.  Cut into bite sized chunks. Set aside.
2. Pre-heat the grill.
3. Salt & pepper both sides of the steak.  Set aside.
4. Chop the shallot and mushrooms, measure all the ingredients, remove the tarragon from the stems and set aside.
5. In a small pan sauté the shallots, mushrooms, and tarragon in 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat until the mushrooms begin to lose their liquid, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and set aside. Wipe out the pan.
6. Place the brandy, white wine, and the chicken stock in a sauce pan over medium high heat and gently boil for about 10 minutes. Add the shallot mixture, mustard, and cream.  Reduce to a simmer. It is important that you don't boil the sauce from here forward. 
7. In the pan over medium heat melt the remaining butter.  Whisk in the flour.  Mix until the flour is smooth.  You are making a roux.  Cook, whisking constantly, until the roux is golden.
8. Whisk the roux into the hot liquid.  Simmer on low until the mixture is thickened about 20 or 30 minutes.  Stir often.
9. While the mixture is simmering. Grill the steak for 4 to 6 minutes per side depending upon their thickness. Check the temperature with the meat thermometer.  Remove them when they reach 135° for medium rare and 145°for medium.  Remove from the grill and place on a plate loosely tented with foil.
10. Back to the sauce, separate the eggs.  Reserve the whites for something else.  Beat the yolks.  Add a tablespoon of the hot liquid to the yolks constantly mixing them.  Add another tablespoon, continuing to beat the yolk.  Continue to do this until you have added 4 tablespoons of hot liquid.  You are tempering the yolks so that you don’t have scrambled eggs.  Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the sauce pot of hot liquid. Continue to whisk until the yolks are mixed in.  Allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes or until thickened.
11. Turn off the heat. Stir in the Parmesan and lobster chunks. Salt and pepper to taste. 
12. Serve the Lobster Thermidor over the steak.  Serve right away.

Land and Sea

I served this with wilted spinach and potatoes gratin.