In Julie Child’s Menu Cookbook from 1978, she speaks about how French bread “begs to be cooked this way.” Sliced thin, brushed with butter and baked to golden brown, the “croutes” became a hard toasted bread perfect for appetizers. The modern day version is crostini, toasted sliced baguettes used for popular plates like Bruschetta and mascarpone, prosciutto and fig on crostini Hors d’oeuvres.
For this recipe I’m taking a cue from Julia:
“Suppose the boss is coming for dinner—a formidable personage whom you want to impress and whose taste in food runs to the conservative. What to serve? For someone like that I immediately think of beef.”
This recipe for Filet with Sautéed Mushrooms combines the use of beautifully baked toasts sprinkled with grated cheese and then topped with thin slices of flavorful filet topped with a small mound of sautéed mushrooms and onions. If you invite your boss to your next party and serve up these, you just might get a raise!
(This is a great summertime light meal and all steps can be made ahead and assembled when ready to serve. Serve mushroom mixture warmed.)
| Servings |
- 2 pounds Filet or Sirloin, cooked medium rare, sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 large sweet yellow onion, sliced in thin pinwheels (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 large clove garlic, minced fine
- 1 package white mushrooms, sliced thin (8 ounces)
- 1 package Crimini mushrooms, sliced thin (8 ounces)
- 1/2 teaspoon Balsamic Reduction Glaze, optional (not balsamic vinegar)
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon sea or grey salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 large loaf French baguette, sliced in ¼ inch slices
- olive oil for drizzling
- 1 1/2 cups grated gruyere or hard cheese of your choice
Ingredients
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- Cook filet or sirloin to medium rare and let rest for 15 minutes. (I drizzled a little olive oil into hot skillet and seared both sides, salt and peppering both sides, and cooked to medium rare.) Let rest on cutting board for 15 minutes. Slice in 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices. In a large skillet, melt butter and olive oil. Add sliced onions and garlic. Mix and stir for a few minutes to soften. Add white and Crimini mushrooms. Cook for about 10 minutes on medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Add balsamic reduction, parsley, salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Slice baguettes in ¼ inch slices and lay on baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle grated gruyere (or hard cheese) on each baguette slice and bake for about 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees or until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted. Assemble. Lay a slice of beef over top of bread with melted cheese. Place a heaping teaspoonful of mushroom-onion mixture over top of beef. Garnish with tiny amount of parsley.
