Southwest Grilled Filet Mignon with Chipotle-Cilantro Butter

Sure, there’s a prototype for how a filet is typically prepared. Our Grilled Filet Mignon with the Brandy-Red Wine Mushroom Sauce is probably pretty spot-on in terms of a classic preparation. And folks, don’t get me wrong, this is delicious. I don’t have to tell you – I love nothing more than a creamy, delicious red wine sauce (in inappropriate excess) with a gorgeous filet.

Maître d’Hôtel butter is another common preparation for steak (no, I don’t know why the butter is named after a hotel manager, but I’m thankful for their important contribution to the kitchen). These are typically compound butters – you soften it slightly to incorporate your desired add-ins and then let cool. Typical Maître d’Hôtel butters have parsely, pepper, lemon juice, Worcestershire etc. But the beautiful part about a compound butter is that you can add anything you’d like. Yes, let your imagination break free from that square box. Let it run… far, far away to the land of zesty, spicy goodness. Because that’s exactly where this recipe takes us.

Among many of my not-so-secret food obsessions is spicy food, especially chipotle peppers. The smoky heat and fiery zest that sneaks up on your taste buds is gold. So, we chose to incorporate chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, lime juice and shallots in our gorgeous butter. After coating the filets in our favorite southwest seasoning and grilling these beauties to perfection, we let this smoky, spicy butter melt in all the nooks and crannies of our filet. So. So. Good. Let’s get started.

Cajun Grilled Filet Mignon with Chipotle-Cilantro Butter:

• 3 eight ounce beef tenderloin filets
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1.5 tablespoons shallots, minced
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
• 1 chipotle pepper, minced (with seeds removed)
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Salt and pepper

Southwest Seasoning (recipe courtesy of Food Network):

• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

Friends, this is so simple. Preheat the grill to 375 degrees. Then, let’s start with the butter as it needs time to re-solidify in the fridge while we grill our steaks. Heat 4 tablespoons of butter in the microwave for 15 seconds or until just soft to the touch. Add the minced shallots, chopped cilantro, minced chipotle pepper, adobo sauce (the sauce in the can of the chipotle peppers), fresh lime juice and season with salt and pepper.

Massage with your hands until combined. Yes, messy and so worth it.

Then, with a piece of plastic wrap shape the butter into a log. Proceed to roll until tightened and twirl the ends.

Place in the fridge until ready for serving.

Next, for the southwest seasoning, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Apply seasoning to coat the filets.

Once the grill is preheated to about 375 degrees, grill the filets for 8-10 minutes on each side (to achieve a perfect medium rare for an 8 ounce filet (about 1.5 inches thick)). Adjust according to your temperature preference.

Then, slice butter into three sections. Add one section of butter to each filet while still very hot. Let melt atop the steak.

I’m so excited for you to try this. So heat-seekers, enjoy! We served this with the Grilled Hearts of Romaine with Caesar Dressing and they were great together. As for a wine, opted for the 2010 Murphy-Goode Cabernet. It’s a well-structured Sonoma cabernet with notes of black currant, cherry and licorice. Also notable is the lengthy, velvety finish. So yum. Perfect for our steak and wonderful with the salad.

Cheers!