Tag holiday recipe

Parties That Cook’s Refined Holiday Recipe: Parmesan and Herb Crusted Filet Mignon

This holiday season has been filled with cocktail parties, cookie exchanges, and gingerbread house mansion village competitions. Why not spice up your next holiday feast or Christmas party with something special? It may be news to some people, but filet mignon (or filet de bœuf, as the French would say) is not just for the likes of Missy Elliot. Actually, the impressive dish is quite simple to create, and we’ve got the recipe below! Per usual, this tried-and-true seasonal recipe has been put to the test countless times at our corporate holiday parties and team building events over the years. Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

Parmesan and Herb Crusted Filet Mignon Recipe
This holiday recipe can also be found in our Main Dishes library!

Ingredients
Breadcrumb Mixture:
1 cup homemade breadcrumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 salt-packed anchovy fillet, soaked in 1T of milk for 10 minutes, drained and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Filet Mignon:
3 pounds center-cut beef tenderloin, trimmed, at room temperature
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons black peppercorns, coarsely cracked
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

Red Wine Sauce:
2 cups dry red wine
4 cups beef stock, reduced to 1/4 cup
3 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 Tablespoon good-quality balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Methods/Steps
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Make Breadcrumb Crust: In a medium bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the Parmesan, anchovy, garlic, thyme and parsley. Mix in olive oil and season the breadcrumb mixture with the salt and pepper.

Sear and Roast Filets: Slice the tenderloin into 8-10 round filets. Rub the filets all over with olive oil and season with salt and the cracked peppercorns. In a large sauté pan, sear the filets on both sides, 1-2 minutes per side. Reserve the sauté pan. Transfer the filets onto a sheet pan, allowing space between them. Brush the tops of each filet lightly with Dijon mustard. Cover the top of each filet with 2 Tablespoons of the breadcrumb mixture. Roast in the upper third of the oven for 6 minutes (for rare) or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches the desired doneness (125°F rare, 140°F medium, 155°F well done).

Make Sauce: While the filets are resting, add the wine to the reserved sauté pan and bring to a simmer over moderately high heat, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Strain the wine into a medium saucepan and simmer over high heat until reduced by half. Just before serving, whisk in the reduced beef stock and then the butter, a few pieces at a time. Add vinegar and pepper.

Serve: Drizzle sauce on the plate and then top with filet (if you put it on top it makes the crust soggy).

Serves/Makes
Serves 8

Parties That Cook’s Go-To Holiday Party Dessert: Pumpkin Roulade with Ginger-Cream Cheese Frosting

Halloween weekend is almost here. Get ready for parties, costumes, candy and more parties! Whether you’re hosting, or just attending, you’re going to need some sweet reinforcements. We’re arming you with a great go-to recipe that’s sure to please through the entire holiday season! (We’re talkin’ Halloween, Thanksgiving AND Christmas!) See this recipe in action at our Thanksgiving Boot Camp: Desserts cooking class!

Looking for something a little more… savory? Check out our upcoming Thanksgiving Boot Camp: Appetizer and Entree classes, starting as early as this Tuesday, November 1st! The same great appetizer menus (including Mini Apple, Roquefort and Caramelized Onion Pies with Honey – YUM) will be featured in Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle.

Mini Pumpkin Roulade Filled with Ginger and Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
This recipe can also be found in our Dessert Recipe Library!

Ingredients
Cake:
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup powdered sugar for dusting cakes

Ginger and Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, plus 1 cup more for sifting on top of roulade
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon ginger juice, from about a 2 inch piece of ginger
2 cups heavy cream

Prepare Pan:
Nonstick baking spray
Parchment paper
AP flour for dusting
2 13×18 inch half sheet pans

Methods/Steps
Prepare Pans: Spray the sheet pans heavily with nonstick spray. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit into the bottom only of the sheet pans. Spray paper with the nonstick spray and dust the entire pan well with flour. Tap out the excess flour and set aside.

Preheat oven to 3750ºF.

Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.

Make Batter: Crack the eggs into another bowl and add the sugar. Using a hand or stand mixer, whip the eggs and sugar on medium high speed for at least 3 minutes or until thick, light yellow and almost double in volume. Turn the mixer to low and add the pumpkin. Mix well to combine. Add the flour and mix gently, just until incorporated. Do not over mix or cake will be tough. Use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the bottom of the batter.

Bake Cake: Divide batter among the sheet pans (about 4 cups of batter per pan) Using an offset spatula, gently spread the batter, evenly, into the pans. Bake cake for 10-12 minutes.

Prepare Rolling Surface: While cakes are baking, place a piece of parchment paper (same size or slightly bigger than cake) onto a cutting board or work surface (one piece of parchment is needed per pan of cake). Generously dust the parchment with powdered sugar.

Roll Cake: This step must be done while the cake is still warm. Remove cake from oven and loosen the edges of cakes with a knife or bench scraper. Immediately invert the cakes onto the sugared parchment. Gently peel off the layer of parchment paper baked onto the cake and cut the cake in half down the middle. While the cake is still warm, generously dust the top with powdered sugar. Gently roll the cake and parchment into a long tube. Place the cake roll seam side down onto a work surface and let cool, about 10 minutes.

Make Frosting: Using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until the cream cheese is light and fluffy.

Add Cream: Slowly start to add the cream while beating (If added to fast you may get lumps). Whip until cream is thick, doubled in volume and holds stiff peaks.

Frost Cakes: Gently unroll cakes. Divide frosting (about 1 cup frosting per roll) and frost evenly over cake. Gently re-roll the cake without the parchment this time. Again, dust top with powdered sugar to hide any cracks.

Cut Cake: Trim the edges if necessary. Cut the rolls into 12 pieces each. Place the pieces into cupcake liners and serve.

Serves/Makes
Makes about 48 large pieces

Recipe created by Parties That Cook® | www.PartiesThatCook.com