Puntas Rancheras

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting a Dallas institution, Javiers Gourmet Mexicano. The Tex Mex and Mexican food is unsurprisingly, and overwhelmingly very good in Dallas, however of all the fantastic Mexican we enjoyed on our trip, this restaurant left the largest impression. Leaning much more Mex than Tex Mex I found the flavors bright and simple, each dish perfectly balanced (even down to the corn tortilla chips served with butter as well as the customary salsa, an indulgence I wont even attempt to recreate).

My order, Puntas Rancheras, tips of filet mignon, seared quickly, and finished in a garlic spiked tomato and serrano sauce left me inspired. Why aren’t we always saucing filet mignon, being that it’s a tender but less flavorful piece of meat? And why has it never occurred to me to finish cooking protein in what is essentially a very vibrant salsa? Since returning from my Central Texas getaway a week ago I have used this cooking application twice, once on a filet of haddock (very good) and once on a cubed filet of beef (more authentic and even better). The preparation is very simple and can be applied to most proteins, however the recipe listed here is my favorite iteration (so far), filet mignon Rancheras. Please serve with yellow rice and the beans of your choosing!

Serves 3-4 with sides

1 pound filet of beef

3/4 pound of tomatoes (during peak season any ripe tomato will do, out of season cherry tomatoes work best as they have a higher concentration of flavor)

3 cloves of garlic

1 Serrano pepper (Half a large jalapeno can be subbed)

1/4 cup of cilantro (stems and all)

1 tbsp lime juice

1/4 tsp bouillon (any variety will do. I’m aware this may sound out of the box but bouillon is commonly used in at home Mexican cooking in things like salsas as a way to add a savory depth of flavor, do not leave it out!)

1 tbsp Unsalted butter

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

When cooking with a beef steak of any kind, always allow a half hour or so for your steak to come to room temp, this will allow it to cook evenly.

While your filet comes to room temp, place a sautee pan over medium heat. In the dry pan allow the whole serrano pepper to char a bit.

Once your pepper has lightly blackened skin you can cut in in half lengthwise and depending on your desired spice level remove some of the seeds and veins. Leaving it whole will result in a spicy sauce, and removing half will make it much more tame, but still piquant. Removing all veins and seeds will leave you with something more mild.

combine tomatoes, (chopped roughly if using large whole tomatoes) garlic cloves, your serrano pepper, cilantro, lime juice, bouillon, and a bit of pepper to taste in a food processor or blender. Blend until almost completely smooth. Season to taste.

Cut your filet into even sized pieces (preferably 1inch by 1inch cubes), Pat your pieces dry with paper towel, and season with salt and pepper.

In the same sautee pan you used to roast your serrano pepper, bring the heat to medium high and add butter and olive oil. When the oils begin to shimmer, add your filet chunks. Do not move them allowing them to sear on one side for 2 minutes. Flip the pieces allowing a new side to sear and after 1 minute add your blended sauce, Scraping up any bits at the bottom of the pan. Let the sauce come to a simmer and after 1 more additional minute transfer to plates to enjoy!

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