Filet Steak with Bearnaise Sauce

A classic Steakhouse dish. An institution in some parts of the world. The famed and delicious Filet Steak with Bearnaise Sauce is perhaps the epitome of classic French Bistro cooking. A beautifully cooked piece of medium-rare Filet Steak that just melts in your mouth is a treat for any occasion. But, to make the dish even more spectacular, try pairing it with the classic Hollandaise-based Bearnaise Sauce for an indulgent and delicious meal. In this recipe we’ll show you how to make this famous dish easily at home

How to make a French Bistro-style Filet Steak with Bearnaise Sauce

For this recipe we’ll start with the Sauce. Always an underappreciated component of cooking, but what truly sets restaurant-quality dishes apart from home cooking is the sauce making. Bearnaise Sauce is a wonderful sauce that’s grounded in Hollandaise Sauce, one of the 5 famous ‘Mother Sauces’

For our Bearnaise Sauce we’ve got a sure-fire way to make rich, creamy, and indulgent Bearnaise Sauce every time, and it couldn’t be simpler. In fact, all you need is a blender and a handful of basic ingredients and you’ll have homemade Bearnaise Sauce in no time at all

How to make an easy Bearnaise Sauce at home

A Bearnaise Sauce is basically a Hollandaise Sauce that’s been fancied up with the addition of Shallots, White Vinegar, and Tarragon. The flavor is rich and luxurious, and one of the most popular Steakhouse sides to be served with a delicious cut of Beef

To make our Bearnaise Sauce we begin by separating the Egg Yolks from the Egg Whites. Discard the Whites and place the Egg Yolks into a blender along with Lemon Juice, a pinch of Salt, and some finely diced Tarragon

Tarragon is an amazing herb that is criminally underrated when compared to some of the more popular herbs out there. It carries a slight anise flavor that adds a level of depth and sophistication in cookery, and works great in sauces

Cook down some Shallots with White Vinegar and Wine

Finely diced a Shallot to produce about 1 tbsp. of them and then place them into a Saucepan over medium heat with equal parts (1 tbsp) of White Vinegar and White Wine along with a little more Tarragon

Cook this all down while stirring until the liquid has completely dissolved and the Shallots. All this mixture to cool (best to do so by removing them from the saucepan) before adding them to the Blender

Adding some melted Butter completes the Sauce

The final step for our Bearnaise Sauce is to cut 140g / 5 oz. of Unsalted Butter into cubes and warm it slightly in the microwave (or stovetop). The Butter is used to emulsify the ingredients together in the blender, so it will need to be liquid so you can pour it straight into the Blender while it’s running

That’s literally the final step, simply crank your Blender and use the opening in the top to slowly pour the Butter in. Once you’ve added all the Butter, allow the Blender to continue to run for about 30 seconds to finish the Sauce

Now, you’ll find that the Sauce may be slightly runny, that’s ok. As the Butter begins to cool down the Sauce will thicken, producing that wonderful texture we’re all familiar with for a good Bearnaise Sauce. So, while the Sauce is cooling it’s the perfect time to begin cooking your Steak

Cook a perfect piece of Filet Steak

It’s important that you nail the cook on the Beef for the perfect homemade Filet Steak with Bearnaise Sauce. The good news is this is also so easy to do, as we’ve got a surefire technique that guarantees perfectly cooked medium rare Beef Filet every time

This technique works for larger cuts of Filet Steak, about 6 oz. pieces. For smaller pieces you can just reduce the cooking time by 30 seconds on each side. So, simply heat a pan over high heat with some Neutral Oil until hot

Season the Steaks generously with Salt and Pepper before placing onto the pan. Be sure to press down on the Steak to ensure the entire side makes good contact with the hot pan. Set your timer for 2 minutes and leave it alone

After 2 minutes, rotate the Steak 90 degrees. This helps to ensure an even cook throughout the entire Steak. If you’re cooking on a grill, rotating the Steak will ensure you achieve those wonderful scorch marks on the crust

After another 2 minutes, flip the Steak over and repeat the process. Then, spend about 20 seconds to sear each of the 4 sides before setting the Steak aside for 5 minutes to rest. If you like you can Butter Baste the Steak, but there’s plenty of Butter in the Bearnaise Sauce so that step isn’t really needed for this recipe

Plating and serving

With your Sauce and Steak done it’s simply a matter of plating. I like to cut the Steak into slices and then pour an ample amount of the Bearnaise Sauce on top. You can also simply serve the Sauce on the side, allowing people to add as much Sauce as they want

You can enjoy the Steak as is, or serve it with some nice sides. A classic French pairing is with some beautiful grilled or steamed Asparagus. I also like a nice and simply Tomato Salad to help to break through the richness of the dish

If you have any leftovers, you can store the Sauce in the refrigerator for about 1 day. It’s best to enjoy as soon as you’ve made it. For reheating the Bearnaise Sauce you will need to be careful to not heat it too much, as the Eggs in the sauce may curdle

The best way to reheat is to slowly heat it in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring constantly. Add a little extra Butter to give the Sauce its lovely texture and gloss back and it’ll be perfect

Filet Steak with Bearnaise Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. Fresh Tarragon, finely chopped
• 4 Egg Yolks
• ½ tsp. Salt
• 1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
• 1 heaped tbsp. Shallots, finely diced
• 1 tbsp. White Wine
• 1 tbsp. White Vinegar
• 140g / 5 oz. Unsalted Butter
• 2 6 oz. Filet Steaks
• 1 tbsp. Neutral Oil (Vegetable or Canola Oil)
• Salt and Pepper
  
  

Equipment needed: Blender

Instructions

1. Place half the Tarragon, Egg Yolks, Salt, and Lemon Juice in the Blender
2. Heat a saucepan over medium heat then add Shallots, White Wine, Vinegar and remaining Tarragon. Cook stirring until the liquid has completely evaporated. Cool and then add Shallots to the Blender
3. Cut Butter into cubes and melt it in the microwave or stovetop until it just turns into liquid
4. Place Blender on high and very slowly pour the melted Butter in through the opening at the top. Continue to blend for 30 seconds and then pour the sauce into a serving jug / container
5. Season Steak generously with Salt and Pepper and then heat Oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Once hot, Cook Steaks for 4 minutes on each side (8 minutes total), then for an additional 20 seconds each to sear the remaining sides
6. Allow Steak to cool before slicing and serving with the Sauce and your choice of sides (Asparagus, Salad, or Potatoes work great)
   
   

Recipe Notes

• The sauce may seem too runny once it comes out of the blender, but as the Butter cools it will thicken
• You refrigerate the Sauce for a day after it’s been made. Reheat it over a low heat while stirring constantly, adding a little more Butter if needed
  
  

This amazing Filet Steak with Bearnaise Sauce is an easy recipe to recreate the famous French Brasserie dish at home. The flavors are immense, yet the dish itself is so simple to make

For more tasty French-inspired recipes such as this one, check out these delicious dishes:

• Classic French Onion Soup
• One Pot Coq au Vin
• French Omelette
• Filet Steak with Bordelaise Sauce
  
  

Happy Cooking!