Cooking Articles Article:
Cooking Filet Mignon
Filet mignon is French, of course, with filet meaning "thick slice" and mignon meaning "dainty." Filet mignon comes from the small end of the tenderloin (called the short loin) which is found on the back rib cage of the animal. This area of the animal is not weight-bearing, thus the connective tissue is not toughened by exercise resulting in extremely tender meat. This also means that the meat lacks some of the flavor held by meat that has the bone attached. In order keep the flavor, you must cook filet mignon quickly. This can be done a variety of ways, including broiling and grilling.
It should never be cooked beyond medium rare, because the more done it is, the less tender and more dry it becomes and the more flavor it will lose. You should always use a dry method of cooking, even when it will be a quick method. Methods of cooking that are dry are such types as roasting, pan frying, grilling, broiling, etc. Since this cut of meat is more dry than others, you will not want to cut the meat to check to see if it is done. Instead, you should touch it. The touch-method of checking is not as hard as it may sound:
1. If the meat feels hard or firm, it is too done.
2. When the filet mignon is soft when you touch it and your finger leaves an imprint, it is rare.
3. If it is still soft, but leaves no imprint, and is slightly resilient, then it is medium rare (best for this particular type of meat).
The reason filet mignon is often wrapped in bacon (this wrapping is called barding) is because this particular cut of meat has no layer of fat around it. The bacon not only adds extra flavor to the filet mignon, it also gives it the fat necessary to keep the meat from drying out. This is a concern since the strips are so small in filet mignon and they have less fat than most cuts of beef.
What to serve with Filet Mignon
Since the flavor of filet mignon tends to be quite mild, many people prefer to serve it with sauces, either smothering the beef or as a dip. There are many different choices for the best sauce for filet mignon and most depend solely on the person's particular flavor preference. Some consumers prefer to have a certain type of steak sauce for dipping and some may prefer a marinade to add flavor during cooking. Either of these can turn out well.
Wines & Filet Mignon
There are many different types of wines that are good to serve with filet mignon, and determining which one will go best with it depends largely on the flavor of the sauce. This is especially true if the sauce is rather strong, or has a flavor that is stronger than the filet mignon itself. The best wines to match with filet mignon are dry, red wines such as Merlot. If your preference is a sweet wine, you may want to consider trying a White Zinfandel (if this is your choice, though, you will not want to use very much pepper on the filet mignon). If you are a white wine drinker, the best match for filet mignon will be a rich Chardonnay.
Tips for cooking Filet Mignon
-When selecting tenderloin or slices, choose the lighter color over dark red. This indicates more marbling which makes it more tender. This cut is so tender that it should never be cooked beyond a medium-rare stage. The longer you cook it, the less tender and more dry it becomes.
-Use a dry, high heat method such as broiling, roasting, pan-frying or grilling for this tender cut.
-Whole tenderloin is wonderful to stuff or bake en croute (in savory pastry).
-Cutting into the meat to check doneness lets precious juice escape. Use the touch method. Press the meat. If it feels soft and mushy and leaves an imprint, it is rare. -If it is soft, but slightly resilient, it is medium-rare. The minute it begins to feel firm, it is overdone.
-Since the tenderloin has no surrounding fat tissue, it is often wrapped in a layer of fat (called barding) such as suet or bacon to keep it from drying out. Likewise with filet slices. The barding also adds flavor.
-Cubed tenderloin is a popular choice for fondue hot-pots and shish-kebabs.
-To ensure even cooking when roasting the whole tenderloin, the small end should be tucked up and tied or trimmed for other use.
Daniel Urmann is a contributor and author for the website Big Sky Filet Mignon.
Related Perfect Cooking News and Articles From ezinearticles.com
A kitchen would just not be a kitchen without a cutting board. In fact, the cutting board has become a main tool of our kitchen as it provides us a safe place for food preparation and cutting.
In previous articles, Throovest traced the history and the making of the outside barbeque, going back to the original Portuguese design which provides for foolproof outside cooking. This time he divulges the secret of cooking the perfect lamb chop on this most accommodating of cooking devices. Once you've sampled barbequed lamb chops like these, you may never settle for any other method.
A popular variety of shellfish, mussels have always been a favourite seafood dish. But like in the preparation of any scrumptious dish, the selection of good ingredients is always the secret to happy dining.
Cooker Hoods are great little helpers in kitchen. These little devices do not come as standard in most kitchens, but having then around or having been to a kitchen which has one can help concentrate the mind to how great they are. These devices help to to get rid of smells...
Although breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day, lunch also assumes equal importance as it provides energy for activities done in the remaining part of day. It plays an important role in our overall health factor. Hence, it is important that you have a healthy lunch. The two important aspects of a healthy lunch would be the ingredients used to prepare the lunch and healthy cooking method to complement it.
A waterless cookware set will change the way that you cook, how you enjoy foods, and will let you cook foods healthier than ever before. Waterless cookware pots and pans are designed to cook with very little water. This allows the nutrients in the food to remain along with lots more flavor.
When I was a child, we always cooked with charcoal. When I was really little, gas grills weren't even invented yet.
In this modern era, there are many kinds food that you may find in the restaurant. If you want to be healthy it is better for you to find healthy food. Japanese food is also become one of the most popular food which contain a lot of healthy materials. Sometimes, Japanese food may cost very expensive. If it is happen, it will be great for you to find Japanese cooking and you can cook your own food. There are many web pages which will gives you the right information about Japanese recipe. If you are interested with this food, you just need to cook it by yourself.
As we know, learning about other country culture is important for us to understand about other people. Cooking is also one important thing in culture. Learning about how some people from other country are preparing their traditional food is sure able to help us to understand a little bit of their culture. One of the countries that are very famous with the food is china. We all know that besides famous with traditional medicine, Chinese cooking is also very famous in the world. They are not only considering the taste of their food but also the ingredients that they use are good for our health.
You might not need to be a professional culinary artist to learn that you will need a little bit of help to really make killer dishes in your home. More often than not, these are convenience items and items that will keep you and the kitchen safe. Such is the case with a cutting board.
