Tom's Cabernet Cherry Filet Mignon

Tom's Cabernet Cherry Filet Mignon

Ingredients

• 4 1-inch thick Filet Mignon (Beef Tenderloin)
• Olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon or burgundy wine
• 3 tablespoons Celia's Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
• 4 whole cloves
• 8 whole peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf, torn into small pieces
• 1/2 pound fresh Bing cherries, rinsed
• Coarse salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• 1 to 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Directions

1. Bring steaks to room temperature. Coat steaks lightly with olive oil. Rub minced garlic evenly over the steak (press in with your hands); set aside until ready to cook. (Do not salt your steaks before cooking. Salt brings moisture (water) to the surface of the steak, and the water sits on the surface as you cook the steak. Thus, you are again basically steaming the steak. Salt after the steak is cooked to your liking, has rested the required time, and just before serving.)
3. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the wine and balsamic vinegar to a boil. Tie the cloves, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a bundle with a small piece of cheese cloth. Add the spice bundle to the wine mixture; continue boiling approximately 15 minutes or until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup.
5. While the wine mixture is reducing, pit the cherries. Cut the cherries into quarters and add to the wine mixture. Cover and cook approximately 10 minutes or until the cherries are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sugar to balance the flavors, if needed. Remove the spice bundle from the sauce and discard. Reduce heat to low to keep Cabernet-Cherry Sauce warm until steak are cooked.
7. In a heavy frying pan (I use my cast iron frying pan) over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil.
9. Sear the steaks, moving them with tongs a little so they don't stick to the bottom, approximately 5 to 6 minutes per side. Using this Pan-Searing technique, proceed to cook your steak to your desired doneness.
11. When the steaks are crusty-charred and done to your liking, remove from the pan, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving. During this time the meat continues to cook (add juices that accumulate from resting steaks to Cabernet-Cherry Sauce). Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto individual serving plates.