Made this tonight and was disappointed and
underwhelmed. The sauce was too plentiful and too
sweet and didn't cook down enough (which could
have been my fault). Was Marsala the wrong wine? I
wanted a deeper, richer, more concentrated
peppercorn sauce. The steaks were tender and tasty
(used strip steaks) but the sauce needs mega
improvements. Any suggestions?

* Exported from MasterCook *

Beef Fillets with Green
Peppercorn Sauce

Recipe By : Southern Living, November 2003
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :1:00
Categories : Beef

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation
Method
-------- ------------
--------------------------------
4 8 ounce beef tenderloin
fillets
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups marsala wine
1 cup fat free, low sodium
chicken broth
20 green peppercorns
15 ounces fat free evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
italian parsley -- for
garnish

Sprinkle beef fillets evenly with salt and pepper
Melt butter with olive oil in large non-stick
skillet over medium high heat. Add beef fillets,
and cook 6 minutes on each side, or to desired
degree of doneness. Remove fillets from skillet
and keep warm.
Add wine, broth, and peppercorns to skillet: Cook
20 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.
Stir in evaporated milk and mustard; Cook, over
low heat, 5-7 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Return fillets to skillet and serve with parsley
garnish.

Reading the recipe, it sounds all too rich and odd. Marsala wine is
very intense and I only ever use in small quantities like a tablespoon
as one would with say port wine.
Improvising for this recipe I would have deglazed the pan with 2 tbsp
aged sherry vinegar (or a tablespoon of Marsala if you must) , add
peppercorns and more mustard (2 tsp?), scrape pan and add maybe at most
3/4 cup beef stock. Add any meat juices from the steaks keeping warm.
Then reduce down by 2/3rds and add a 1tbs cream to thicken, season and
serve.
Goodness, that sauce recipe above would make enough sauce for a
restaurant!!

Just my take on this.
Cheers
Bronwyn
Oz

Bronwyn wrote:
> Reading the recipe, it sounds all too rich and odd. Marsala wine is
> very intense and I only ever use in small quantities like a tablespoon
> as one would with say port wine.
> Improvising for this recipe I would have deglazed the pan with 2 tbsp
> aged sherry vinegar (or a tablespoon of Marsala if you must) , add
> peppercorns and more mustard (2 tsp?), scrape pan and add maybe at most
> 3/4 cup beef stock. Add any meat juices from the steaks keeping warm.
> Then reduce down by 2/3rds and add a 1tbs cream to thicken, season and
> serve.
> Goodness, that sauce recipe above would make enough sauce for a
> restaurant!!
>
> Just my take on this.
> Cheers
> Bronwyn
> Oz
>
The Marsala (and resulting sauce) was way too
much, but also it just was the wrong flavor, I
think? I usually trust Southern Living recipes but
this was a bomb. Darn it. At least the steaks were
good on their own. I also made asparagus
vinaigrette and buttered new potatoes, so all was
not lost!
Thanks for the input
Goomba

Goomba38 wrote:

> The Marsala (and resulting sauce) was way too
> much, but also it just was the wrong flavor, I
> think? I usually trust Southern Living recipes but
> this was a bomb. Darn it. At least the steaks were
> good on their own. I also made asparagus
> vinaigrette and buttered new potatoes, so all was
> not lost!
> Thanks for the input
> Goomba


Did you use dry Marsala in the recipe? Even that would seem like the
wrong flavor to me, but at least it wouldn't have been as sweet.

Pat

Cryambers wrote:
> Goomba38 wrote:
>
>
>>The Marsala (and resulting sauce) was way too
>>much, but also it just was the wrong flavor, I
>>think? I usually trust Southern Living recipes but
>>this was a bomb. Darn it. At least the steaks were
>>good on their own. I also made asparagus
>>vinaigrette and buttered new potatoes, so all was
>>not lost!
>>Thanks for the input
>>Goomba
>
>
>
> Did you use dry Marsala in the recipe? Even that would seem like the
> wrong flavor to me, but at least it wouldn't have been as sweet.
>
> Pat
>
The bottle just said Marsala, it didn't specify
"dry"... Would that explain the problem?
Goomba

Goomba38 wrote:
> >
> The bottle just said Marsala, it didn't specify
> "dry"... Would that explain the problem?
> Goomba


As I said before, I don't think any Marsala would be so good with this,
but dry Marsala would be less objectionable than sweet. If it was
really disgustingly sweet, it might have been because you used sweet
Marsala. Somehow I don't think dry would have been a whole lot better,
though.

Pat

I would substitute burgundy for the marsala (not as sweet!) and not
worry about the sodium in the chicken broth. I use the boxed "free
range" chicken broth that comes in 1 quart boxes for most stuff.

I also notice a missing ingredient. Garlic. ;-)
Everything needs garlic and just a dash of garlic powder can add extra
flavor without overwhelming the flavors with garlic. Just go light on it?

A nice finely chopped onion, sauteed in some butter and olive oil until
it begins to carmelize a bit might also be nice?

Just some ideas.....

Oh, and since I'm doing low carb, fat is not much of an issue. <G>
I'd personally use half and half instead of the skim milk!

So far, I've lost 28 lbs. since Jan. 4th on a low carb HIGH FAT diet!

And my cholesterol has gone from 260 down to 210. ;-)

If I ever see another piece of cream cheese when this is over, I swear
I'm gonna barf. I'm also getting tired of macadamia nuts. :-P


In article >,
Goomba38 > wrote:

> Made this tonight and was disappointed and
> underwhelmed. The sauce was too plentiful and too
> sweet and didn't cook down enough (which could
> have been my fault). Was Marsala the wrong wine? I
> wanted a deeper, richer, more concentrated
> peppercorn sauce. The steaks were tender and tasty
> (used strip steaks) but the sauce needs mega
> improvements. Any suggestions?
>
> * Exported from MasterCook *
>
> Beef Fillets with Green
> Peppercorn Sauce
>
> Recipe By : Southern Living, November 2003
> Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :1:00
> Categories : Beef
>
> Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation
> Method
> -------- ------------
> --------------------------------
> 4 8 ounce beef tenderloin
> fillets
> 1/2 teaspoon salt
> 1/2 teaspoon pepper
> 1 teaspoon butter
> 1 teaspoon olive oil
> 2 cups marsala wine
> 1 cup fat free, low sodium
> chicken broth
> 20 green peppercorns
> 15 ounces fat free evaporated milk
> 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
> italian parsley -- for
> garnish
>
> Sprinkle beef fillets evenly with salt and pepper
> Melt butter with olive oil in large non-stick
> skillet over medium high heat. Add beef fillets,
> and cook 6 minutes on each side, or to desired
> degree of doneness. Remove fillets from skillet
> and keep warm.
> Add wine, broth, and peppercorns to skillet: Cook
> 20 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.
> Stir in evaporated milk and mustard; Cook, over
> low heat, 5-7 minutes or until slightly thickened.
> Return fillets to skillet and serve with parsley
> garnish.
>

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

There is no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train the world and we'll never have to change it again. -- Swami Beyondanada

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

Katra wrote:

> I would substitute burgundy for the marsala (not as sweet!) and not
> worry about the sodium in the chicken broth. I use the boxed "free
> range" chicken broth that comes in 1 quart boxes for most stuff.
>
> I also notice a missing ingredient. Garlic. ;-)
> Everything needs garlic and just a dash of garlic powder can add extra
> flavor without overwhelming the flavors with garlic. Just go light on it?
>
> A nice finely chopped onion, sauteed in some butter and olive oil until
> it begins to carmelize a bit might also be nice?
>
> Just some ideas.....
>
> Oh, and since I'm doing low carb, fat is not much of an issue. <G>
> I'd personally use half and half instead of the skim milk!

The recipe I imagined would have used cream, and
would have cooked down to a darker, more
concentrated flavor. I'm not actually sure if it
needs that much stock even?
Garlic.. yeah, would probably have improved it.
Thanks
Goomba

"Katra" > wrote in message
...
>I would substitute burgundy for the marsala (not as sweet!) and not
> worry about the sodium in the chicken broth. I use the boxed "free
> range" chicken broth that comes in 1 quart boxes for most stuff.
>
> I also notice a missing ingredient. Garlic. ;-)
> Everything needs garlic and just a dash of garlic powder can add extra
> flavor without overwhelming the flavors with garlic. Just go light on it?
>
> A nice finely chopped onion, sauteed in some butter and olive oil until
> it begins to carmelize a bit might also be nice?
>
> Just some ideas.....
>
> Oh, and since I'm doing low carb, fat is not much of an issue. <G>
> I'd personally use half and half instead of the skim milk!
>
> So far, I've lost 28 lbs. since Jan. 4th on a low carb HIGH FAT diet!
>
> And my cholesterol has gone from 260 down to 210. ;-)
> If I ever see another piece of cream cheese when this is over, I swear
> I'm gonna barf. I'm also getting tired of macadamia nuts. :-P
>
> In article >,
> Goomba38 > wrote:

I'm not on any kind of diet and I've lost 5lbs in the last month. My
department moved to the basement about then so the extra exercise might
account for it except for one thing. My wife has been buying the wal-mart
brand trail mixes but she's picky. She doesn't like the macadamia nuts and
I love them. Haven't been doing much with cream cheese though. Maybe
snacking on what the wife doesn't like is also helping me!

Congrats on the weight loss and the cholesterol loss. Wish my numbers were
as good as yours!

Bret



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In article >,
"Maverick" > wrote:

> "Katra" > wrote in message
> ...
> >I would substitute burgundy for the marsala (not as sweet!) and not
> > worry about the sodium in the chicken broth. I use the boxed "free
> > range" chicken broth that comes in 1 quart boxes for most stuff.
> >
> > I also notice a missing ingredient. Garlic. ;-)
> > Everything needs garlic and just a dash of garlic powder can add extra
> > flavor without overwhelming the flavors with garlic. Just go light on it?
> >
> > A nice finely chopped onion, sauteed in some butter and olive oil until
> > it begins to carmelize a bit might also be nice?
> >
> > Just some ideas.....
> >
> > Oh, and since I'm doing low carb, fat is not much of an issue. <G>
> > I'd personally use half and half instead of the skim milk!
> >
> > So far, I've lost 28 lbs. since Jan. 4th on a low carb HIGH FAT diet!
> >
> > And my cholesterol has gone from 260 down to 210. ;-)
> > If I ever see another piece of cream cheese when this is over, I swear
> > I'm gonna barf. I'm also getting tired of macadamia nuts. :-P
> >
> > In article >,
> > Goomba38 > wrote:
>
> I'm not on any kind of diet and I've lost 5lbs in the last month. My
> department moved to the basement about then so the extra exercise might
> account for it except for one thing. My wife has been buying the wal-mart
> brand trail mixes but she's picky. She doesn't like the macadamia nuts and
> I love them. Haven't been doing much with cream cheese though. Maybe
> snacking on what the wife doesn't like is also helping me!
>
> Congrats on the weight loss and the cholesterol loss. Wish my numbers were
> as good as yours!
>
> Bret

It's funny. Low carb (or at least eliminating most sugar and starch)
seem to be the real key to cutting lipid numbers... Most of my carbs are
just from high fiber sources such as fresh greens. :-)

Congrats to you also on the weight loss! 5 lbs. per month is going to
add up in a year......

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

There is no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train the world and we'll never have to change it again. -- Swami Beyondanada

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

"Katra" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Maverick" > wrote:
>
>> "Katra" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> >I would substitute burgundy for the marsala (not as sweet!) and not
>> > worry about the sodium in the chicken broth. I use the boxed "free
>> > range" chicken broth that comes in 1 quart boxes for most stuff.
>> >
>> > I also notice a missing ingredient. Garlic. ;-)
>> > Everything needs garlic and just a dash of garlic powder can add extra
>> > flavor without overwhelming the flavors with garlic. Just go light on
>> > it?
>> >
>> > A nice finely chopped onion, sauteed in some butter and olive oil until
>> > it begins to carmelize a bit might also be nice?
>> >
>> > Just some ideas.....
>> >
>> > Oh, and since I'm doing low carb, fat is not much of an issue. <G>
>> > I'd personally use half and half instead of the skim milk!
>> >
>> > So far, I've lost 28 lbs. since Jan. 4th on a low carb HIGH FAT diet!
>> >
>> > And my cholesterol has gone from 260 down to 210. ;-)
>> > If I ever see another piece of cream cheese when this is over, I swear
>> > I'm gonna barf. I'm also getting tired of macadamia nuts. :-P
>> >
>> > In article >,
>> > Goomba38 > wrote:
>>
>> I'm not on any kind of diet and I've lost 5lbs in the last month. My
>> department moved to the basement about then so the extra exercise might
>> account for it except for one thing. My wife has been buying the
>> wal-mart
>> brand trail mixes but she's picky. She doesn't like the macadamia nuts
>> and
>> I love them. Haven't been doing much with cream cheese though. Maybe
>> snacking on what the wife doesn't like is also helping me!
>>
>> Congrats on the weight loss and the cholesterol loss. Wish my numbers
>> were
>> as good as yours!
>>
>> Bret
>
> It's funny. Low carb (or at least eliminating most sugar and starch)
> seem to be the real key to cutting lipid numbers... Most of my carbs are
> just from high fiber sources such as fresh greens. :-)
>
> Congrats to you also on the weight loss! 5 lbs. per month is going to
> add up in a year......
>
> --
> K.
>

Thanks! Unfortunately, the way I found out about it sucked. I woke up one
Saturday morning in early February to find that I couldn't support my self
when standing up on my left foot. I just turned 40 in late January so I
thought. Shit. The warrantee ran out and I'm starting to fall apart. I go
to the doc and get weighed. 213lbs. Ok. the last time I weighed myself I
was 225lbs but that was at least six months prior. Turns out I had
"planters farciitis"(sp). Ok. High arches with almost no support. Got
over that.

Last week, my blood pressure was just going through the roof. Went back to
the Doc. I weighed in, on the same scale, at 208lbs. Wow. On to the
little room. 170 over 120. Turns out that my blood pressure medication
refills ran out in February.....'04. After the nurse chewed half my ass off
the Doc came in and chewed the rest off! I did tell him he needed to
subtract 10 from both numbers simply because I was in the doctor's office!
He said "Ok. Still, you SOB, it's too high!" and started chewing somemore!

I get to go back to the doc the beginning of April. Oh joy! I'm all out of
ass now so I don't know what he's going to chew on!

I don't get it. When I take my little 7.5mg pill once a day, my BP is right
around 120/80. But if I miss just one day, it can shoot up to 180/140. Ok,
that was my worst day but still.

Hey Michael? Now that I'm thinking about it. I'll trade you. I'll take
your broken pelvis bone. You take my BP problems. Fair trade? You get to
race around with BP issues! I'd like to stay in bed for six months or so!

Bret



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In article >,
"Maverick" > wrote:

> "Katra" > wrote in message
> ...
> > In article >,
> > "Maverick" > wrote:
> >
> >> "Katra" > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >> >I would substitute burgundy for the marsala (not as sweet!) and not
> >> > worry about the sodium in the chicken broth. I use the boxed "free
> >> > range" chicken broth that comes in 1 quart boxes for most stuff.
> >> >
> >> > I also notice a missing ingredient. Garlic. ;-)
> >> > Everything needs garlic and just a dash of garlic powder can add extra
> >> > flavor without overwhelming the flavors with garlic. Just go light on
> >> > it?
> >> >
> >> > A nice finely chopped onion, sauteed in some butter and olive oil until
> >> > it begins to carmelize a bit might also be nice?
> >> >
> >> > Just some ideas.....
> >> >
> >> > Oh, and since I'm doing low carb, fat is not much of an issue. <G>
> >> > I'd personally use half and half instead of the skim milk!
> >> >
> >> > So far, I've lost 28 lbs. since Jan. 4th on a low carb HIGH FAT diet!
> >> >
> >> > And my cholesterol has gone from 260 down to 210. ;-)
> >> > If I ever see another piece of cream cheese when this is over, I swear
> >> > I'm gonna barf. I'm also getting tired of macadamia nuts. :-P
> >> >
> >> > In article >,
> >> > Goomba38 > wrote:
> >>
> >> I'm not on any kind of diet and I've lost 5lbs in the last month. My
> >> department moved to the basement about then so the extra exercise might
> >> account for it except for one thing. My wife has been buying the
> >> wal-mart
> >> brand trail mixes but she's picky. She doesn't like the macadamia nuts
> >> and
> >> I love them. Haven't been doing much with cream cheese though. Maybe
> >> snacking on what the wife doesn't like is also helping me!
> >>
> >> Congrats on the weight loss and the cholesterol loss. Wish my numbers
> >> were
> >> as good as yours!
> >>
> >> Bret
> >
> > It's funny. Low carb (or at least eliminating most sugar and starch)
> > seem to be the real key to cutting lipid numbers... Most of my carbs are
> > just from high fiber sources such as fresh greens. :-)
> >
> > Congrats to you also on the weight loss! 5 lbs. per month is going to
> > add up in a year......
> >
> > --
> > K.
> >
>
> Thanks! Unfortunately, the way I found out about it sucked. I woke up one
> Saturday morning in early February to find that I couldn't support my self
> when standing up on my left foot. I just turned 40 in late January so I
> thought. Shit. The warrantee ran out and I'm starting to fall apart. I go
> to the doc and get weighed. 213lbs. Ok. the last time I weighed myself I
> was 225lbs but that was at least six months prior. Turns out I had
> "planters farciitis"(sp). Ok. High arches with almost no support. Got
> over that.

http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/987116429.html

Been there, done that. That stuff hurts and it took me nearly a year to
get rid of it. :-P I'm 42.

>
> Last week, my blood pressure was just going through the roof. Went back to
> the Doc. I weighed in, on the same scale, at 208lbs. Wow. On to the
> little room. 170 over 120. Turns out that my blood pressure medication
> refills ran out in February.....'04. After the nurse chewed half my ass off
> the Doc came in and chewed the rest off! I did tell him he needed to
> subtract 10 from both numbers simply because I was in the doctor's office!
> He said "Ok. Still, you SOB, it's too high!" and started chewing somemore!

Uh, yeah. High blood pressure is nothint to screw with. Really.
But, weight loss should help with it. :-)

>
> I get to go back to the doc the beginning of April. Oh joy! I'm all out of
> ass now so I don't know what he's going to chew on!

<lol> He could always put on a glove......

>
> I don't get it. When I take my little 7.5mg pill once a day, my BP is right
> around 120/80. But if I miss just one day, it can shoot up to 180/140. Ok,
> that was my worst day but still.
>
> Hey Michael? Now that I'm thinking about it. I'll trade you. I'll take
> your broken pelvis bone. You take my BP problems. Fair trade? You get to
> race around with BP issues! I'd like to stay in bed for six months or so!
>
> Bret

You could try some regular aerobic excercise. ;-)
That is supposed to really help with BP problems?

Good luck man! Mine's been creeping up there and I'm hoping the weight
loss will keep it down!

Funny, sometimes it's too LOW and I get dizzy and nearly pass out. :-P

Weird stuff!

>
>
>
> ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet
> News==----
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> Newsgroups
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--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

There is no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train the world and we'll never have to change it again. -- Swami Beyondanada

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

"Goomba38" > wrote in message
...

> Made this tonight and was disappointed and
> underwhelmed. The sauce was too plentiful and too
> sweet and didn't cook down enough (which could
> have been my fault). Was Marsala the wrong wine?
> I wanted a deeper, richer, more concentrated
> peppercorn sauce. The steaks were tender and tasty
> (used strip steaks) but the sauce needs mega
> improvements. Any suggestions?

I'd skip the Marsala -- in fact, I'd probably improvise something
along these lines: deglaze the pan with
inexpensive-but-still-drinkable brandy/cognac/armagnac (or calvados,
which is quite delightful, although I usually do that with chicken);
add green peppercorns of your choice (dried [in which case you should
crack them] or packed in brine) to taste; a bit of mustard of your
choice (I'd use Dijon), if desired; add heavy cream and simmer until
thickened, then correct seasonings with salt and pepper. Quick,
simple, tasty, and similar to what my favorite restaurant in Brussels,
Restaurant Vincent -- http://www.restaurantvincent.com/ -- does with
steak (great place -- the meat's hanging in the front window and you
enter through the kitchen).

And don't forget the frites.
-j

jacqui{JB} wrote:


> I'd skip the Marsala -- in fact, I'd probably improvise something
> along these lines: deglaze the pan with
> inexpensive-but-still-drinkable brandy/cognac/armagnac (or calvados,
> which is quite delightful, although I usually do that with chicken);
> add green peppercorns of your choice (dried [in which case you should
> crack them] or packed in brine) to taste; a bit of mustard of your
> choice (I'd use Dijon), if desired; add heavy cream and simmer until
> thickened, then correct seasonings with salt and pepper. Quick,
> simple, tasty, and similar to what my favorite restaurant in Brussels,
> Restaurant Vincent -- http://www.restaurantvincent.com/ -- does with
> steak (great place -- the meat's hanging in the front window and you
> enter through the kitchen).
>
> And don't forget the frites.
> -j
>
>
Oh yesssssssssssss... those wonderful steaks I
used to eat in Europe with the crispy frites!!
THAT is exactly the steak I was craving!!
My peppercorns were dried green ones (from
Penzeys) but you mentioned the brine packed ones?
Can you tell me more about them? You're the second
person to mention cognac (Calvados in particular)
so I take that as a good recommendation.
Thanks for the input
Goomba

"Goomba38" > wrote in message
...

> Oh yesssssssssssss... those wonderful steaks
> I used to eat in Europe with the crispy frites!!
> THAT is exactly the steak I was craving!!

Heh. Me too.

> My peppercorns were dried green ones (from
> Penzeys) but you mentioned the brine packed
> ones? Can you tell me more about them?

Same thing, only not dried. Green peppercorns are the underripe
berry, and then they're dried or preserved in brine or packed in
water. I like the brined ones, myself, although I rarely go through a
jar before they spoil. Dried peppercorns keep better.

> You're the second person to mention cognac
> (Calvados in particular) so I take that as a
> good recommendation.

I *love* Calvados -- good Calvados is ... well, truly spectacular.
It's what every apple aspires to be (if, I suppose, one doesn't aspire
to be in a beautiful cider or pie or ... hm, I think I could get
carried away a bit here). The very essence of apples. Bad/cheap
Calvados can leave you in doubt of what type of fruit it was made
from, or if there was fruit involved at all.

> Thanks for the input

A pleasure.
-j

"Goomba38" > wrote in message
...
> Made this tonight and was disappointed and underwhelmed. The sauce was too
> plentiful and too sweet and didn't cook down enough (which could have been
> my fault). Was Marsala the wrong wine? I wanted a deeper, richer, more
> concentrated peppercorn sauce. The steaks were tender and tasty (used
> strip steaks) but the sauce needs mega improvements. Any suggestions?
>
> * Exported from MasterCook *
>
> Beef Fillets with Green Peppercorn Sauce
>
> Recipe By : Southern Living, November 2003
> Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :1:00
> Categories : Beef
>
> Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
> -------- ------------
> --------------------------------
> 4 8 ounce beef tenderloin fillets
> 1/2 teaspoon salt
> 1/2 teaspoon pepper
> 1 teaspoon butter
> 1 teaspoon olive oil
> 2 cups marsala wine
> 1 cup fat free, low sodium chicken broth
> 20 green peppercorns
> 15 ounces fat free evaporated milk
> 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
> italian parsley -- for garnish
>
> Sprinkle beef fillets evenly with salt and pepper
> Melt butter with olive oil in large non-stick skillet over medium high
> heat. Add beef fillets, and cook 6 minutes on each side, or to desired
> degree of doneness. Remove fillets from skillet and keep warm.
> Add wine, broth, and peppercorns to skillet: Cook 20 minutes or until
> liquid is reduced by half. Stir in evaporated milk and mustard; Cook, over
> low heat, 5-7 minutes or until slightly thickened.
> Return fillets to skillet and serve with parsley garnish.
>

Marsala is sweet, of course, and I do not see a sweet sauce going with
fillet and green peppercorns. Or evaporated milk either for that matter.
There is a recipe for steak with green peppercorns on my recipe page that
takes a different approach - I think it is excellent.

http://www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm#St...%20peppercorns

Peter Aitken

Peter Aitken wrote:

> Marsala is sweet, of course, and I do not see a sweet sauce going with
> fillet and green peppercorns. Or evaporated milk either for that matter.
> There is a recipe for steak with green peppercorns on my recipe page that
> takes a different approach - I think it is excellent.
>
> http://www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm#St...%20peppercorns
>
Peter, I was surprised by the mention of Calvados
because of the sweetness? Is that something common
to a steak with reduced sauce? Otherwise a cognac
wouldn't be as sweet, is it? (I don't have much
experience with cognac?)
Goomba

"Goomba38" > wrote in message
...
> Peter Aitken wrote:
>
>> Marsala is sweet, of course, and I do not see a sweet sauce going with
>> fillet and green peppercorns. Or evaporated milk either for that matter.
>> There is a recipe for steak with green peppercorns on my recipe page that
>> takes a different approach - I think it is excellent.
>>
>> http://www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm#St...%20peppercorns
>>
> Peter, I was surprised by the mention of Calvados because of the
> sweetness? Is that something common to a steak with reduced sauce?
> Otherwise a cognac wouldn't be as sweet, is it? (I don't have much
> experience with cognac?)
> Goomba
>

Hi,

Calvados is not sweet but it has a nice subtle apple flavor. Cognac is not
sweet either. Either would work well.

Calcados is apple brandy and I think some people confuse it with the sweet
fruit brandies that are available. They are totally different. Calvados is
made like cognac except the wine is made from apples instead of grapes. Then
it is distilled to create the calvados. Unfortunately it is one of the few
things that is not carried by the North Carolina state liquor stores.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

Goomba38 wrote:
> Made this tonight and was disappointed and
> underwhelmed. The sauce was too plentiful and too
> sweet and didn't cook down enough (which could
> have been my fault). Was Marsala the wrong wine? I
> wanted a deeper, richer, more concentrated
> peppercorn sauce. The steaks were tender and tasty
> (used strip steaks) but the sauce needs mega
> improvements. Any suggestions?
>
<recipe snipped>

I would lose the Marsala and use a red wine (1 cup wine to 1 cup of
chicken broth). I make a similar recipe and it calls for a Beaujolais.
I would also get rid of the milk. That just doesn't seem right. Add
some sauteed garlic and/or shallots, as well, possible a little
Worcestershire.

Pat

Cryambers wrote:


> I would lose the Marsala and use a red wine (1 cup wine to 1 cup of
> chicken broth). I make a similar recipe and it calls for a Beaujolais.
> I would also get rid of the milk. That just doesn't seem right. Add
> some sauteed garlic and/or shallots, as well, possible a little
> Worcestershire.
>
> Pat

Worchestershire would have added a nice bit of
tang and salt, which it needed. I agree about
getting rid of the milk... cream sounds so much
better.
Goomba

Goomba38 wrote:

> Made this tonight and was disappointed and underwhelmed. The sauce was
> too plentiful and too sweet and didn't cook down enough (which could
> have been my fault). Was Marsala the wrong wine? I wanted a deeper,
> richer, more concentrated peppercorn sauce. The steaks were tender and
> tasty (used strip steaks) but the sauce needs mega improvements. Any
> suggestions?
>
> * Exported from MasterCook *
>
> Beef Fillets with Green Peppercorn Sauce
>
> Recipe By : Southern Living, November 2003
> Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :1:00
> Categories : Beef
>
> Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
> -------- ------------ --------------------------------
> 4 8 ounce beef tenderloin fillets
> 1/2 teaspoon salt
> 1/2 teaspoon pepper
> 1 teaspoon butter
> 1 teaspoon olive oil
> 2 cups marsala wine

This is a huge amount of marsala for such a small recipe. I'd cut it
to maybe 1/2 cup at most.

> 1 cup fat free, low sodium chicken broth
> 20 green peppercorns
> 15 ounces fat free evaporated milk
> 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
> italian parsley -- for garnish
>
> Sprinkle beef fillets evenly with salt and pepper
> Melt butter with olive oil in large non-stick skillet over medium high
> heat. Add beef fillets, and cook 6 minutes on each side, or to desired
> degree of doneness. Remove fillets from skillet and keep warm.
> Add wine, broth, and peppercorns to skillet: Cook 20 minutes or until
> liquid is reduced by half. Stir in evaporated milk and mustard; Cook,
> over low heat, 5-7 minutes or until slightly thickened.

This recipe produces something over 5 cups of sauce to be reduced to
half. It's a lot for 4 smallish steaks.

Too much marsala, lose the (also too much) evaporated milk. Broth is
fat-free by definition. 20 green peppercorns in this much volume of
liquid won't give you much flavor. The scant quantity of fat in the
sauce means that it'll taste like a whole bunch of separate
ingredients. Here's how I'd balance the flavors and quantities:

Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Cook
meats to suit yourself (undercook because you're going to be returning
them to the hot pan).

Meanwhile, simmer the 20 peppercorns in 3/4 cup of beef stock and 1/4
cup of marsala for 10-15 minutes letting the volume reduce to 1/2. Add
1/4 cup cream and 1 teaspoon mustard whisking to combine. Remove the
steaks from the skillet and add the sauce fixings to it, cranking up
the heat to bring it to a full boil to reduce and thicken slightly.
Mount with 1 tablespoon butter. Deglaze the pan, add steaks to coat
and serve.

The fats will smooth both the texture and flavors of the sauce.
Evaporated milk contains all the lactose it started with, but in a
smaller volume. It's sweeter than whole milk and much sweeter than
cream. More mustard will make the flavors sparkle.

Pastorio