The other day I was in the grocery store and was absolutely blown away by the selection of beef. There were so many types of beef that I’ve never even heard of before. There were also so many beautiful cuts of meat, it was hard not to just stand there in amazement. I’ve taken a liking to cooking steak at home lately. I’ve always been kind of intimidated by it and think it’s a job best left to the professionals (I don’t usually mess with steakhouse quality meat). But I’ve been working on this steak thing a lot lately and I’m slowly getting more comfortable with cooking steak at home.

For my second attempt at steak at home I did a simple salt and pepper sear on a filet mignon. I’ve always loved a good filet mignon, it’s tender and juicy and the perfect cut for a special dinner, but I’ve always thought it was too expensive to cook at home. When I saw the price of the filet mignon in the grocery store my jaw hit the floor, I thought I could just about buy a whole cow for the price of that one steak.

My second attempt at steak at home was a success, the steak was tender and juicy and was the perfect dinner for a special occasion. I served the steak with some fresh asparagus and a cheaters garlic butter to go with the steak.

Ingredients:

• 2 filet mignon steaks (6 oz. each)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

• 1 cup chopped fresh rhubarb

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh thyme

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Combine garlic powder, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and brown sugar in a small bowl.
3. Rub the spice mixture onto both sides of the filet mignon steaks.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the filet mignon and cook for about 3 minutes per side.
5. Transfer the steaks to a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
6. While the steaks are cooking, combine the vinegar, rhubarb, parsley, basil, thyme and remaining olive oil in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until rhubarb is soft.
7. Slice the steaks and serve with the rhubarb sauce.