Cast Iron Skillet Seared Eye Fillet/Beef Tenderloin with a Red Wine and Mushroom Sauce (Primal, Gluten-Free)

I had my 30 week checkup today and this baby is growing like a weed. I passed my glucose tolerance test I mentioned a few weeks ago in this post. The OB also congratulated me on passing my anemia test because he said it is very common for people to fail this one. It gave me a bit of a chuckle because I know with the amount of red meat we eat around here, the chances of me being anemic even with the increased blood volume at this point in my pregnancy was unlikely.

Tonight, we nom nom it up with some beautiful eye fillets cooked in an iron skillet. Usually, my husband will want to grill these steaks but this is a nice change of pace for us.

Some things to remember when making these – Don’t salt your steaks until just before you cook them as the salt can draw moisture out of the steak. Be careful with the cooking time as you don’t want to overcook these steaks. Use the springiness test – If you press down on the steaks, they should spring back like the fleshy part of your palm. If there is no spring, your steaks are well done. If you are using a meat thermometer, aim for 135 for medium rare. Resting steaks is also an important step to allow the juices to be reabsorbed by the meat.

Start with the sauce as the reduction process can take longer than the steaks. Cook some shallots in some butter and also add mushrooms.

Add red wine and reduce by half volume.

Add stock and continue cooking on high heat until you have 1/2 cup of sauce. Then correct seasoning with salt and pepper and finish with some butter.

Preheat your oven to 400 and also heat up 1/2 stick of butter in a cast iron skillet. Season your steaks generously with salt and pepper on both sides.

Sear your steaks on the skillet for about  2 minutes on each side until you get a nice dark brown crust. If your steaks are thin, watch closely.

Transfer skillet to oven and cook for about 6 minutes until steaks spring back like the fleshy part of your palm under the thumb (medium rare) or 135 with a meat thermometer. Adjust cooking time if your steaks are thinner or you prefer your steaks a different level of doneness.

Transfer steaks onto serving plates. Top with a 1TBSP of butter each and let it rest (lightly covered with foil) for 10 minutes.

Top with the mushroom and red wine sauce and serve.

You’ll need:

• 2  fresh thick-cut eye fillets (preferably grass-fed)
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 lb mushrooms
• 2-3 large shallots, chopped
• 1/2 cup young red wine
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 stick of butter for skillet and sauce + 1 TBSP butter for each steak.

1. Preheat oven to 400 and start by preparing the sauce as the reduction can take longer than the steaks.
   
2. In a saucepan, heat 2 TBSP of butter on high and fry shallots until nice and brown (2 minutes)
3. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are soft (2 minutes)
4. Add red wine and reduce volume by half
5. Add stock and reduce volume until there is about 1/2 cup of sauce
6. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper and take saucepan off heat and finish by stirring in 2 TBSP of butter.
7. Heat a cast iron skillet on stove top on High and melt 4 TBSP of butter.
8. Season steaks generously with salt and pepper on both top and bottom sides.
9. Sear steaks in skillet for about 2 minutes on each side. You want a nice dark brown crust.
10. Transfer skillet into the oven and cook for about 6 minutes (start checking sooner if your steaks are thin) until the steaks spring back (like the fleshy inside of your palm under your thumb). This should be medium rare. You can adjust oven time if you like your steaks rarer or more cooked.
11. Transfer steaks onto serving plates and top with a TBSP of butter. Cover lightly with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes.
12. Top with mushrooms, shallots and sauce and serve.

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