Balsamic Beef Medallions

[DFen911]

Anyone have a recipe for this? I hate to use filet mignon because of the cost. Trying to keep the money my pocket. But I thought I saw a post about them a while back but the search engine didn't return anything.

I also would love some good side dishes comprised of Rice. We don't eat a lot of rice and when we do, we really lean towards the ones with small veggies or a lot of flavor.

[cjs]

Here’s one that is good – think it’s an old Bon Appetit recipe – mix some minced fresh rosemary with a tapenade.

Prep your steaks (any kind) the way you like – I just do salt and lots of cracked black pepper. Sear the steaks in a hot skillet then after turning over, spread the tapenade mixture over and stick in a hot (400-425 F.) oven and cook to temp. After you take them out of the oven, place on warm platter and let rest. Pour a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar in the skillet and reduce slightly, scraping up the goodies. Drizzle over the steaks.

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Oh and Denise, I've been meaning to get this list to you anyway - you should have it for customers. I can't tell you how many times I'd look at this list planning meals for the customers. Bon Appetit again, sometime in the 90s.

I don't think this on the list, but one of our favorites is to add cranberries and toasted pine nuts to rice - either before or after cooking.

SAY CHEESE! - Add butter & parmesan cheese.

EMERALD ISLAND - Add peas and finely chopped fresh mint.

LEMON ZINGER - Add butter, fresh lemon juice & lemon zest.

MAUI WOWI - Add crushed pineapple and green bell pepper (or red or yellow) slices.

GARDENER'S DELIGHT - Add chopped fresh basil, chopped tomatoes & fresh corn-off-the-cob.

LEEK FREAK - Add butter & cooked leeks.

CHANTILLY RICE - Add chanterelles, dried apricots & toasted almonds.

CANTONESE, PLEASE - Add broccoli florets, sesame oil, chopped toasted peanuts or cashews.

MOO GOO RICE - Add sautéed mushrooms, snow peas & sliced water chestnuts.

MAMA MIA! - Add tomato basil sauce, cooked zucchini & Italian sausage.

RICE OLE! - Add black beans, minced red onion, chopped bell pepper, chopped cilantro and vinaigrette.

VEGGIE MEDLEY - Add garbanzo beans, shredded carrots, ripe olives, parsley and ricotta cheese.

HEARTY RICE - Add marinated artichoke hearts and grated Parmesan cheese.
STEAM-IT-UP - Add steamed zucchini and carrots, butter and Parmesan cheese.

INDIAN GOLD - Cook rice with a pinch of saffron; add cooked green beans.
ZEST OF THE BEST - Sauté uncooked rice, dried currants and orange zest in butter. Add water & cook till rice is done.

[DFen911]

Oh I love this thank you!! Lol already I am inspired

[bjcotton]

I Googled it and here's one I found...haven't tried it. Thought it'd give you an idea anyway.

Beef Tenderloin Medallions and Balsamic Reduction Sauce

Ingredients


2 beef medallions, about 1.5 inches thick
1/2 tsp plus 1 tsp olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp rosemary
1 tbsp butter
1 small shallot, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

Directions
Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Season beef with pepper. When the skillet is hot, add the 1/2 tsp of olive oil to it. When the oil is hot, which won't take long (don't let it get too hot - it will smoke) add the beef to the pan. Sear each large side for about 1 minute (maybe less - just let it get a brown crust). Remove from pan, put them on a broiler pan on bottom shelf of an oven with a preheated broiler. Broil for 4 minutes, then flip the beef over, and return to the bottom shelf for another 4 minutes. Then flip the beef again, and put the broiler pan on the top shelf. Broil for another 2 minutes on each side. This should make them come out about medium. Let them rest for five minutes before serving.

While the beef is cooking, put the balsamic vinegar, rosemary, and thyme in a pan. Turn heat to medium, and let it reduce by 1/2. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't boil - it can simmer slightly but it may splatter. The goal is to let it become a little bit like a syrup. Just before serving, add 1 tbsp of butter to the balsamic and melt it. Drizzle over the meat.

At the same time that the beef is cooking in the oven and the balsamic is reducing, use the skillet you seared the beef in to cook the shallots and garlic. Heat over medium the 1 tsp olive oil, then add shallots and garlic. Cook just until brown. When the meat is done, put some on each beef medallion before drizzling the balsamic over it.

[esgunn]

I have no idea if this is what you are remembering - but I think...it might have been PJ who mentioned Mock tenderloins which are the Chuck Eye steaks. I think they served them at a catering event in the last year that she mentioned. We had just tried them. They have very good beef flavor - but are more chewy and fatty. You really need to cook them no more than medium rare - otherwise they get very chewy. But - can be very good steaks.

[bjcotton]

I use the Mocks on occasion and use my Jaccard to tenderize them. I like the flavor of them. Here's a recipe [uses pork tenderloin though] that you might remember:

Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
(Cuisine, August 2000, Issue 22, p. 9)


Makes: Six 4 oz. Servings Total Time: 27-30 Minutes Rating: Easy


For the Balsamic Tenderloin —
Trim and Tie:
2 pork tenderloins (2-3 pounds)

Marinate in:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 T. chopped fresh rosemary, (or 2 t. dried)
1 T. kosher salt
1 1/2 t. black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced

Simmer and Reduce for Glaze:
1 cup balsamic vinegar

Grill Pork; Brush with:
1/4 cup Balsamic Glaze




Related Recipes:

Grilled Summer Vegetable Salad

Balsamic Glaze


Trim fat and tie two, 2 - 3 pound pork tenderloins. To make the tenderloins consistent in size, fold over the narrow tail end of the tenderloin and tie it in place up over the body. Use on cotton kitchen twine. Continue tying the rest of the tenderoin at 1 1/2" intervals along the entire length. Pull the string tightly around the meat and knot. You'll use about five 5" pieces of string for each tenderloin.

Marinate pork tenderloin in olive oil, cider vinegar, and next 4 spices. A resealable plastic bag works well. Place the bag in a pan to catch any leaks; seal and store upright in refrigerator for up to an hour.

Simmer balsamic vinegar over high heat (about 3 minutes) for the Balsamic Glaze, then reduce heat to medium-low. Keep it simmering gently, uncovered. Reduce to 1/4 cup, about 13 minutes. You want the glaze to be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Any longer and it'll have the consistency of hot tar and taste burned. Transfer the vinegar to another container to cool. Preheat grill to medium-high.

To grill tenderloins place them on the grill, cover, and cook four minutes. Then rotate tenderloins, cover and cookanother four minutes. Rotate a final time and cook to the doneness you want. For medium-rare, cook 15 min. to an internal temp. of 145°. For medium, cook 17 min. to an internal temp. of 150°. For medium-well, cook 19 min. to an internal empt. of 155°. Tent the tenderloins with foil and let rest for five minutes. Then, remove the strings and slice diagonally into 1/2"-thick slices. The angled cut gives you larger slices. And the slices will fan out nicely on the plate. Now is the time to show off your work. First, make a bed of orzo on the plate. Then, put some of the grilled vegetables on top, and sprinkle with crumbled dry goat cheese. Now, lean several slices of the tenderloin against the salad. A serving of pork is about 4 - 6 ounces. That's three or four slices each. (Shown here with Grilled Summer Vegetable Salad).