Valentine’s Day is my 3rd favorite holiday! My favorite is Christmas as I love the Christmas music, all the lovely lights and the amazing food! Then Easter because of all the beautiful spring colors, and finally, Valentine’s for the chocolate & the flowers! 😀
On February 9th, I knew I wanted to make my husband a nice early Valentine’s Day dinner since I knew we had dinner reservations planned to go out on the 14th. As I was watching Food Network that morning (my weekend ritual) I happened upon The Sandwich King(which I honestly hadn’t watched a full episode of in the past). However, thanks to Food Network’s “The Kitchen” I got to know Jeff Mauro a bit more, and realized that he is quite intelligent and an excellent cook, despite his goofy humor. So, I gave it a chance and he was making this wonderful delight! 🙂 Filet Mignon Crostini with Rosemary Pesto-Link to the fantastic recipe and easy to understand instructions: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jeff-mauro/filet-mignon-crostini-with-rosemary-pesto-recipe.html
So I headed out to Wegman’s (our amazing local grocery store that feels like every fancy local butcher, cheese shop, bakery, etc. all in one) and I could not find the filet mignon. So I texted my awesome little sis (since she took a Meats class in college) and she informed me that a beef tenderloin would be from the same cut of beef so I could use that!
I followed the recipe to a “T”, other than the fact I do not have a food processor (I informed my husband this would make a great future birthday present), so I used Buitoni fresh basil pesto instead and spooned some out into a bowl to mix with the rosemary to create the “Rosemary Pesto”.
We both absolutely loved this fancy little dinner! Served with a nice red wine (or in my case I actually prefer Welch’s sparkling red grape wine), this is a great dish-the flavors all pair so wonderfully, coming from someone who typically doesn’t care for a blue cheese flavor, it coordinates so well with the rosemary pesto and the beef tenderloin.
Also, if your love (like mine) doesn’t care for fresh tomatoes, you may top with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese & a dash of salt. Enjoy!
Recipe: Filet Mignon Crostini with Rosemary Pesto by Jeff Mauro, Sandwich King, Food Network.
- Cut French baguette into 1/2 inch slices.
Sprinkle with olive oil, salt & fresh cracked black pepper on both sides.
3 oz. Gorgonzola cheese ( I asked the deli to cut a 6oz in half for me. Nice way to save money and only buy what you need. )
I chopped fresh rosemary ($1.99 for a sprig like that) & mixed with my store bought fresh pesto.
This was my first time pan searing a steak (my husband normally does this).The trick is to really use ample salt and pepper to form a nice crust and then don’t mess with it until it is time to flip over.
Finely sliced cherry tomatoes.
Spread a thin amount of the gorgonzola dolce over the toasted baguette slices. (Gorgonzola has a similar taste to blue cheese, though a bit more mild)
After the cheese is spread, top with thinly sliced meat, then the rosemary pesto and finally, the sliced tomato & sprinkle with fine sea salt.
- Recipe: Filet Mignon Crostini with Rosemary Pesto by Jeff Mauro, Sandwich King, Food Network
