How do you cook steak without a grill? You can sear it on the stove top and then finish it under the broiler in the oven. Just like in this recipe: Pan-Seared Fillet Mignon Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce.
This was a very special dinner. A couple of days ago my husband opened a really good bottle of red Bordeaux wine, and we had to have filet mignon steak with it. There aren't many main courses out there that go with a fine red Bordeaux better then prime steak. I had a couple of filet mignon steaks in the freezer for a while ( a story similar to Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb) - a perfect choice of meat for a fine bottle of wine. We actually don't eat much red meat in our family, but when we do, it's better be really high quality.
Then, I realized that our grill has not been fixed yet, so I was going to cook steak on the stove, then in the oven. I've done it before, and you can actually prepare a perfect steak (rare or medium-rare) without a grill. In fact, when using prime filet mignon steak, I almost prefer to do it in house, because I want the least amount of flavors to interfere with meat. I don't want any extra smokiness from the grill, and I use only basic seasoning: salt, pepper and olive oil. That way, what you taste is the fine piece of meat, and not the spices. I pan-seared the steaks on the stove top and then broiled them in the oven.
I LOVE to prepare steak "the French way" - with a nice, rich, or creamy sauce on the side. For this recipe, I served pan-seared fillet mignon steak with red wine mushroom sauce with cream:
I happened to have a whole bunch of different kinds of mushrooms that my husband picked up at the Asian market. So, I just had to make a creamy mushroom and wine based sauce to accompany the steak! I love to stew various types of mushrooms in wine and discover different flavors for each mushroom type.
I also had abalone mushrooms. Abalone mushrooms have earthy, meaty flavor, and that flavor goes really well with steak. You can find abalone mushrooms at any large Asian market. They look differently than most mushrooms: they have very large stems. I had 2 of those, and that would be plenty for 3 servings. I sliced them up and roasted in the skillet with olive oil and salt and pepper, and that was our side dish. When sliced and roasted, abalone mushrooms look like potatoes, - you can see for yourself on my photos.
To cook filet mignon steak successfully on the stove is easy, but it does require some practice, just like it requires practice to grill the steak just right.
Method that I use below requires first pan frying the steak and then cooking it in the oven. I will describe below exactly how I cooked my steak on the stove, but because all stove tops and ovens are different, yours might require more or less time to reach the desired doneness (rare, medium-rare, etc. ). You'll just have to watch your steak carefully. I think the pan frying method works great for thicker cuts, such as filet mignon (the ones on the photo were almost 2 inches thick). So, for any cuts like these, which are 1.5" thick or more, this is a great, fail-proof method.
Definitely serve this pan-seared steak with red wine mushroom sauce. There is nothing better than a good steak with some creamy sauce to accompany it. Other side dishes could be mashed potatoes or veggies. For instance, for this dinner I cooked some abalone mushrooms and bell peppers - I just pan-seared them in olive oil, salt and pepper in a skillet. Something easy like that. If you want to do the same, I am describing my method for cooking abalone mushrooms and bell peppers below.
How to cook abalone mushrooms:
1) Slice abalone mushrooms thinly like you would slice potatoes.
2) Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add mushrooms, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook 4 minutes on each side on high or medium until nice golden crust forms.
3) Remove to a platter.
How to cook bell peppers:
1) Similarly to abalone mushrooms, heat olive oil in a frying pan, add sliced bell peppers. Cook them on high-medium heat for about 8 minutes, turning once, until they look roasted.
Pan-Seared Fillet Mignon Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 filet mignon steaks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- red wine mushroom sauce
Instructions
- Make sure steaks reach room temperature before you cook them. Never cook a cold steak. That means if you kept them in the refrigerator, they have to be out at room temperature for an hour before cooking.
- Heat an oven-proof skillet (cast iron or stainless steel) until very hot. Do not use non-stick pans. Preheat oven to 500 F (broil).
- Season steaks generously with salt, pepper, brush with oil on both sides.
- When the skillet is hot enough, add steaks. Do not add olive oil to the pan – olive oil should only be brushed on steaks. Cook steak on one side for 3 minutes. Do not move the steak because the crust is forming. Steak should sizzle, and a nice caramelized brown crust should form.
- Turn the steak over to the other side and immediately put the oven-proof skillet with steaks in the oven under the broiler. Broil for about 4 minutes for rare to medium-rare. Check the steak half-way to make sure you don’t overcook it. Depending on the thickness of the cut, it could take just 2 minutes to reach medium rare (or 135 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit temperature inside the steak). My steak was 2″ thick, so I kept it under the broiler for 4 minutes. In general, for any cuts which are 1.5″ thick or more, this is a good method. For any thinner steak, you might broil for shorter time.
- Remove the steak from the oven (using oven-safe gloves, of course, to protect your hands), cover loosely with foil and let them sit for 10 minutes, covered. They will continue cooking and the juices will distribute nicely.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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I am happy to hear that! Thank you for the comment! 🙂
Oh my! This must have been heavenly with such an impressive wine. Perhaps you'll consider contributing it to this month's Shine Supper Club. We're collecting Valentine's-ready recipes for seduction, and this likes it would do the trick! 😉
The coloring on the steak is insane. I want to dive into it right now! Great job cooking that!
Thank you!
beautiful presentation - the pics are wonderful and the mushroom sauce sounds incredible!
That's a gorgeous hunk of meat. Perfectly cooked too. GREG
Everything looks deliciously decadent!
I love a rich and delicious mushroom sauce! Looks so decadent 🙂
Hi Julia! Wow... my husband LOVES steak and he sometimes cook steaks in cast iron too. I think he loves this recipe and your photo of steak will make him drool... 😀 I like mine to be a little bit more cooked but my husband always prefer just like how you prepared!!! You take gorgeous close-up shots!!
Thank you! My husband is a much bigger fan of steaks than I am. I usually eat half of mine, and he eats his and whatever is left on my plate. 🙂
Julia, I so agree with you about cooking a steak "the French way." I always cook them on the stove and make a lovely little pan sauce. And I, too, don't eat meat a lot of meat, but when I do it's high quality. Would love to have tasted that Chateau Margaux!
I love creamy sauces! Sometimes, I have to deliberately stop myself from using cream in every single dish. 🙂 But the steak and the wine called for it. Chateau Margaux was great, I am always curious to taste older wines.
My hubby would love your steak! Your plum tart looks delicious as well!
Thank you! Steak is such a man food, isn't it? My husband is so much crazier about steak than I am!
Nothing beats an amazing steak! It looks melt in your mouth! Sounds like a wonderful meal.
The steak was delicious! Thank you.
I am not much of a red meat eater but your steaks looks delicious.
I don't eat much red meat myself. Only on special occasions. And when I do, the meat better be top quality. 🙂
That filet looks absolutely to die for. The color alone is making me drool. My husband would flip for it so I'm definitely adding it to my must make list!
Thank you! You can't go wrong with the filet mignon if cooked rare to medium-rare.