The more I learn about mushrooms, the deeper into mycology I fall. My daughter and I love foraging for, and dining on, chanterelles from old-growth mixed hardwood forests. I hope this will continue to be a family tradition for years to come. We love chanterelles best with a steak or pork chop or mixed into a chanterelle omelet. Keeping a recipe simple is the best practice, and my daughter and I created this one together!–Eugenia Bone
Filet Mignon with Chanterelle Sauce FAQs
Yes, you certainly can. You can substitute your favorite type of mushrooms here. Our testers found that this worked well with cremini or shiitake mushrooms, or a combination of both.
The beef and creamy mushroom sauce are the stars of the show here, so a simple side like pan-fried green beans or a Portuguese smashed potatoes would complement it nicely.
Yes. As author Eugenia Bone suggests, the sauce also pairs well with salt and pepper pork chops.
Filet Mignon with Chanterelle Marsala Sauce
Ingredients
- Four (8-ounce) beef filet mignons
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
- 5 tablespoons (2 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, divided
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 pound fresh chanterelle mushrooms (or substitute your favorite mushrooms), sliced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 cup dry Marsala wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
- Season the beef filets with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. When the skillet is smoking, add the oil. Carefully set the filets in the skillet and sear them until the meat browns and releases easily from the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the meat over and brown the other side for 2 minutes more.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook to your desired doneness, about 6 minutes for medium-rare.
- Remove the skillet from the oven, add 4 tablespoons of butter, and baste the meat with the butter for about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer the meat to a platter and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
- While the meat rests, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the same skillet over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook until the garlic starts to sweat, 1 to 2 minutes, then toss in the chanterelles. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and add the thyme. Cook, stirring frequently until the mushrooms release their liquid, 7 to 10 minutes.
- Add the wine and continue cooking until the liquid in the pan is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the cream and simmer until the sauce takes on a lovely caramel color and is reduced by about a quarter, about 4 minutes more.
- Spoon the chanterelle sauce over the filets and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This filet mignon with chanterelle mushroom sauce recipe was simple and straightforward but so delicious. I love a well-cooked steak with a rich sauce and this recipe fits that description perfectly. It was a quick weeknight meal but had the feeling of a high-end and comforting restaurant dish. The creamy mushroom sauce paired perfectly with a delicious medium rare filet. I would not change a thing in this recipe and will definitely make it again, next time with pork chops as suggested.
Mushrooms are a wonderful accompaniment to beef, and this recipe for filet mignon with chanterelle mushroom sauce certainly delivers. Now my better half is quite finicky about beef dishes, and she raved about the sauce and has advised it best to make this again for her in the very near future. Another winner!
The sauce is reason enough to make this dish, even with basic button mushrooms and an eight-dollar California “Marsala” after having spent so lavishly on the beef. Served with spaetzle and garlicky greens, it’s a winter dinner that takes surprisingly little time. I didn’t put the tenderloins in the oven at all because they sprung back to the touch after searing for three minutes per side and were wonderfully rare after resting. We will be having this sauce far more often than we can afford tenderloin.
I used a mixture of cremini and shiitake mushrooms, and Gran Chef marsala. After seasoning the filets and allowing them to come up to room temperature for 20 minutes, I browned them in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. The beef filets cooked for 3 minutes on the first side; 2 on the second and then into the oven for an additional 6 minutes.
We served this with simple buttered green beans and it was lovely – the sauce was incredibly, sumptuously decadent. The meat was fine – nothing to rave about. The butter basting was excessive. I feel like it would have benefitted from a reverse sear or something to add some texture.
When chanterelles landed in my lap today, I began the search. First, was the recipe. Then Long’s meat market in Eugene. At $44.95 per pound I got half a pound of tenderloin for my littles, because I don’t usually like beef. At Long’s I also purchased Rustichella da’Abruzzo fettuccine and Giose Ridge Chardonnay. Meandered on to Capella’s Market in Eugene to acquire Straus organic whipping cream and Mother’s butter. The garlic was from Johnson’s Farm and the thyme from my yard. Apparently deer don’t eat thyme.
The dish was divine. It’s hard to pick favorites, but the crisp on the beef was heaven.
Sorry about the quality of the picture the dish was still steaming and we were all hungry. We had enough leftover to pack a plate for grandma and give some tidbits to my favorite cat. Four gourmet meals for around $35 total. Thanks, David!
Sara, you are more than welcome. And brava on making your dollars stretch by buying less beef and filling the plate with other goodies! At $8.75 per person, you could open a restaurant!
Please tell me about the fork. I want them. Thank you. I already know the recipe will be supreme.
Christi, you are correct, the recipe is indeed supreme. A special occasion-worthy sort of meal. As for the fork, I’m not sure. It appears to be an antique pattern, but not something I’ve seen before. We’ll get our product expert to dig a little deeper and see what she can find.