Korean-Style Filet Mignon

I know that many beef eaters believe that you only ruin a good cut of meat by seasoning it with anything more than salt & pepper, and by putting any kind of sauce on it. I do feel that a good cut of meat will be good with just salt & pepper, but I also think it can still be good prepared in other ways.


I don't cook beef very often (unless it's ground beef); we eat chicken more than anything else in our household. That's partly because we prefer to eat chicken, and partly because I don't really know how to cook beef very well. So I was pleasantly surprised when I made this Tyler Florence recipe and it turned out great.


You'll probably have to make this a few times to get your meat cooked just the way like - to get a feel for how hot your skillet and oven get. The first time I made these they were cooked a bit more than I would like for them to be, but it was still very good.


I would encourage you, if you're reluctant to try cooking your own filet at home, to give this a try. You'll be surprised at how easy it is, not to mention how much money you'll save. With the current state of the economy, many people are opting to stay in instead of dining out. If you're staying in for Valentine's Day this year, this would be a great way to enjoy that romantic dinner for two at home.

Korean-Style Filet Mignon
from Tyler Florence

Korean-style Glaze:
(I halved this recipe and still had plenty - you can save any leftover glaze in the refrigerator for up to 6 months)
1/2 cup turbinado (raw) sugar (I used regular sugar)
1 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha (hot) sauce
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

2 (5-ounce) filet mignon steaks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil



Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Begin by preparing the Korean-style glaze. Combine the glaze ingredients and simmer gently over low heat for approximately 3 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved.

Season both sides of the filet mignon generously with salt and pepper. In a large heavy, ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Place the steaks in the hot pan and cook until well seared on 1 side, about 3 minutes. Turn the steaks over; there should be a nice crust on top. Then transfer the pan to the oven. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes until the steaks are cooked medium-rare (add 4 more minutes for medium). With 1 minute to go, brush steaks with the glaze.

When done remove the steaks and brush again with remaining glaze. Transfer to a platter and cover loosely to let rest for 5 minutes and keep warm. (I like to serve the filet with a small bowl of the glaze as a dipping sauce.)

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Sweet and sour meatballs are one of my favorite party appetizers! I had never really had them until I was in college. I would regularly attend these "teas" which were receptions where we would munch on all sorts of finger foods and then sit down together in a small room to listen to a special guest speaker. It was during these teas that I had the opportunity to meet Madeleine L'Engle, Kenneth Starr, Sandra Day O'Connor, the Indigo Girls, Conan O'Brien, and many others. As much as I would look forward to meeting these noteable figures, I would also look forward to the food! I was always eager to find out what would be served and was thrilled any time I saw these meatballs on the table :)

I never really tried to make them myself, until one day a coworker brought them in. I was raving about them because it had been years since I had had them... and was surprised when she told me that the "secret ingredients" that make up the sauce are grape jelly and chili sauce! I had honestly never even heard of chili sauce before, but sure enough, I found it at the grocery store in the same aisle as the ketchup and barbeque sauces.


You can buy premade frozen meatballs and use them in this recipe to make a super quick and easy appetizer, but I like to make everything from scratch by adapting a recipe from Alton Brown.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
adapted from Alton Brown

3/4 pound ground pork
3/4 pound ground round
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 whole egg
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Sweet and Sour Sauce:
1 bottle (12 oz) of Heinz chili sauce
1 jar (18 oz) grape jelly (alternatively, try a can of jellied cranberry sauce)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork, ground round, cheese, egg, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, and bread crumbs. Using your hands, mix all ingredients until well incorporated. Use immediately or place in refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Shape the meatballs into rounds and place the meatballs on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

In a large saucepan, add the chili sauce and grape jelly. Heat on low-medium heat until the jelly is completely melted. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Alternatively, add the sauce ingredients and cooked meatballs to a crockpot and heat on low for 4-6 hrs for optimum flavor.

Bul-what?

Bulgogi is one of Korea's most popular beef dishes. It involves marinating beef in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and other ingredients that vary by region. I first heard about this dish on the Nest Hawaii board, where nestie MrsRollergirl had shared her recipe. Her husband is Korean, and this recipe is from his mother. I kept seeing post after post from various people raving about it! With so many great reviews, I knew I had to try it. When I asked MrsRollergirl how I could credit her mother-in-law for the recipe, I gave her a few ideas... I said she could post just her first name, or something like Mrs. S, if she didn't want both her first and last name posted. She told me to credit it to "Mrs. Sassy Pants" ;)


I have never had bulgogi anywhere else, so I really can't vouch for how 'authentic' this is; regardless, I love this dish :) I usually prepare it the day before and let it marinate in the fridge overnight, so it makes a great weeknight meal because all I have to do when I get home from work is throw some rice in the rice cooker and stir fry the meat. Be careful at the end when you are thickening up the sauce -- taste it as you go along (after it has heated through) because if you simmer it too long, the sauce will be way too salty!

*Edit: I used a petite sirloin for this recipe because that is what I had on hand (which is good but not great in terms of tenderness). If you like your beef very tender, use short loin cuts (porterhouse, T-bone, top loin, tenderloin). The most tender cuts will be your Chateaubriand or Filet, which are the best parts of the tenderloin.

Another thing to note is that if you are buying soy sauce, make sure you don't skimp. Authentic soy sauce is made from fermented soybeans. If you look closely on the labels, the cheaper brands contain "hydrolyzed soy protein" instead. That said, I haven't noticed much of a difference in flavor with the "less sodium" soy sauces, so I tend to use those instead. Make sure you also refrigerate your soy sauce after opening, otherwise it may become slightly bitter over time.

Bulgogi
from Mrs. Sassy Pants ;)

1 1/2 lb. top sirloin or other tender steak, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce (I used Kikkoman 37% less sodium soy sauce)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4-6 green onions
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp black pepper

Brown the sesame seeds lightly in a pan with a small amount of butter (I used 1/2 tbsp), stirring constantly; cool, then pulverize in a food processor (or crush inside a ziploc).

Combine the sesame seeds with the remaining six ingredients and mix well. Add beef and marinate at least 1 hour.

Remove meat from marinade and stir fry on high heat. Once cooked, transfer meat to a plate. Pour leftover marinade back into pan and simmer for about 10 minutes until sauce thickens. Add meat back to the sauce and cook until heated through. Serve on sticky rice.