Did you have any favorite “company” recipes as a kid? You know the ones… The recipes that were reserved for when company was coming for dinner!
Growing up, I had a few favorites dishes that my mom made when we were having company. One of those recipes was Shoofly Pie, a Pennsylvania Dutch favorite made with dark molasses. Another one of my favorites was a pasta dish with Italian sausage and a cream sauce (this should not surprise you, since I secretly wish I was Italian).
Now that I am grown up and married (well, I suppose the “grown up” part is still up for debate), I am working on my own repertoire of company recipes. And, this recipe for beef tenderloin filets/filet mignon (which, I have confirmed are the same thing… thanks to my great Twitter friends) is headed straight to the top of the list. Served with some steamed broccoli or asparagus and Parmesan Roasted Potatoes, this peppercorn crusted filet with Gorgonzola will be a hit with your dinner guests!
This dish is actually a bit of a re-make of the dinner that I made for my hubby for Valentine’s Day. For a few weeks, he had been talking about the Black and Boursin Burgers I made over the summer… I didn’t want to make burgers for Valentine’s Day, though, so I made some peppercorn crusted steaks with Boursin cheese instead. I wasn’t entirely satisfied with how the dish turned out, though.
It has been in the back of my mind since then, though. So, when I came across some organic, grass fed beef tenderloin (which is hard to find around here), I knew exactly how I wanted to use it. I also picked up some imported Gorgonzola Dolce to make my own Gorgonzola sauce instead of using the Boursin cheese. The combination of flavors was perfect, and I will be making this dish again… The next time we have company!
Peppercorn Crusted Filet with Gorgonzola
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 filets of beef tenderloin (approximately 3/4 pound)
- 1 tablespoon roughly chopped black peppercorns
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ounces Gorgonzola Dolce
(Note: Crumbled Gorgonzola would be great, I just prefer the milder/sweeter flavor of the soft Gorgonzola Dolce)
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Start by heating the olive oil in a large oven safe skillet over medium heat. While oil is heating, season the beef tenderloin with a sprinkle of Kosher salt, and coat both sides of the filets with the chopped peppercorns. Use your fingers to press the peppercorns into the beef.
Sear both sides of the fillets in the skillet, cooking for a 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, to your desired temperature. I find that using my roasting thermometer is a great way to make sure the meat is done perfectly – I like my filet to be medium, about 145°F.
While the filets are in the oven, melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and saute in the butter until tender and fragrant. Add the cheese and stir until a thick sauce forms. Remove from the heat.
Serve the beef tenderloin filets immediately, topped with the Gorgonzola sauce. Enjoy!
Mine would spaghetti withe meatballs. Oooh, I love this, steak and blue cheese, so full of deliciousness.
Oh my goodness… the combination of beef and gorgonzola is one of my favorite in the world. I would pick this over many desserts. I once made a recipe for my hubby that was very similar to this, except the gorgozola was mixed with bread crumbs to make a crispy crust on the meat, and it was served with a port wine sauce. Absolute heaven!
Jen, this looks INCREDIBLE. Gorgonzola + filet is seriously one of my most favorite combos. It looks delicious!
This dish looks delicious and PERFECT for company!!! I love the combo and I know my husband would too.
wow! this looks delicious, daniel loves gorgonzola,ill have to make this for him sometime soon. my mouth’s already watering :)
mmmm…..so full of flavor and yummy factor. I love steak with gorgonzola cheese on top.
On eof my “Company” go to recipes would be chicken enchilada’s or for Summer Time, BarBQ Chicken and roasted garden veggies.
I love gorgonzola cheese. The photos are excellent. A recipe keeper!
Oh yeah, I definitely have recipes reserved for when I have guests over. Though, i cook them for myself once in a while.
I’m drooling over the sight of that melted gorgonzola!!!!
I make a virtually identical peppercorn filet with Gorgonzola which is my husband’s favorite! And I have those grass-fed steaks from Wegmans defrosting for tonight’s dinner :)
Awesome. I love a good steak and crusted with peppercorns is a great way to do it.
I haven’t made red meat in so long, but this post is making me want to make and eat it! and that says a lot because meat has not been appealing to me in the past couple of weeks!
That is one gorgeous steak! And I don’t even like to eat beef that much. Then again, I’m pretty sure anything tastes good when covered in gorgonzola.
how exceptionally delicious is this! bravo!
Yes, please! I would be happy to be served this dish anytime at your house. It looks amazing! I am going to make this one for my husband soon so he thanks you in advance :)
I think I just drooled a little…
This is close to one of my parents ‘company’ recipes. They mix the gorgonzola with softened butter and just lay slices on top of the hot steak. It is absolutely sinful, and your rendition of steak and blue cheese looks just as divine.
this looks incredible. I’m hungry for it at 9:30 in the morning! My husband might die of happiness if I feed it to him…maybe for his birthday :)
Mmmmm…if I had enough energy I think I’d be scrapping tonight’s dinner plans and running to the store for supplies to make this instead. YUM.
How delicious! I make a Gorgonzola sauce and sometimes pour it over mini veal meatloaves…yum! Now I gotta try this on some steak…yum!
OMG! That looks so good. Filet – Gorgonzola – yum.
Jen, just wanted to say that we loved your recipe for the crusted peppercorn and gorgonzola sauce. It was a huge hit and plan to serve it again this wknd for a dinner party. I did use some “green peppercorn” crushed in with the black and grilled the fillets instead of using the oven. Just a matter of preference but the peppercorn combined with the gorgonzola made an exceptional and flavorful combination. Thanks so much for sharing. You are now a bookmarked favorite.
This is pretty simple and quick and delicious! I’m making these tonight and serving with broccoli and baked potatoes. My husband is always excited when this is on the menu. It’s a perfect date night meal with a bottle of bold red! Cheers!
This is my favorite way to eat steak now. I didn’t have the Gorgonzola cheese on hand the first time and used Goat Cheese instead and it was wonderful!!