# Am I missing something with this recipe?



## nostalgia (Jan 30, 2005)

Disclaimer: I'm not a professional chef, but an ambitious home cook trying to learn.

Last night I tried a Tyler Florence recipe, listed here:

Food TV Link

So I got my filet mignon loin, cut two steaks for the wife and myself, and went to town. The recipe calls for 2, 8oz steaks.

What confused me was the fact that the recipe calls for a whole pound of mushrooms, and 2 cups of Pinot Noir. I thought that was excessive for 2 people, and halved the recipe. I put the Pinot to much better use in my wine glass 

In the end, I was still left with enough sauce that I made a cup of rice and mixed it together for lunch today.

Also, the recipe doesn't say anything about reducing the sauce down. I let it reduce a bit after deglazing the pan, anyway.

So what do you think? Should I have left the recipe as is? I would have preferred the sauce to be thicker, but maybe that wasn't Tyler's intention? I'm thinking it would have made stew instead of sauce if I had used the full amount of wine 

Oh, and it was delicious  The steaks were gorgeous - nice crust on top, medium rare on the inside. *droooool* I did learn to be more careful with my rag when taking the pan out of the oven - the very tip of the handle got the meat of my palm. Ow.

-Joe


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## nowiamone (Jan 23, 2005)

I looked at the recipe site, and it doesn't clearly state the intent. I suggest next time you pour the pinot in your glass that you put some Frank Sinatra on and when in doubt.........hum a few bars of "I did it my way" and go for it! After all, that's what cooking is about.

But I would have reduced the sauce down and wouldn't have been afraid to have used the 2 cups to do it. We actually make two sauces with a wine reduction. One's a Port with bleu Cheese crumbles; the other is a heavy red wine with blasmic vinager.


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## ironchefin'06 (Jun 27, 2006)

Don't be afraid to use quite a bit of wine when it comes to beef. I have reduced an entire bottle of red wine down to 6 0z so that it has a syrup like consistency and just drizzle a little on the plate. It would never turn to stew like gravy without the addition of roux or corn starch.

Peace,

Chef Mike


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## nostalgia (Jan 30, 2005)

All right, good to know! I'm really enjoying learning, as I have to rely less on recipes and more on knowledge. My wife and I are looking at taking some classes at ICE this summer.

Thanks 

-Joe


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## cjdacook (Apr 5, 2006)

Did you add the demi-glace?? That would have thickened up your sauce somewhat. But, not a bad idea to put some of that pinot in your glass, either...


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## nostalgia (Jan 30, 2005)

Weeelll, yes and no. I didn't have prepared demi-glace on hand, so I used concentrated beef stock paste, reasoning that they should have a similar flavor. The flavor was great, but I think I should have let the sauce reduce further. Being the first time I tried this recipe, I wanted to stay close to the directions to see what happened.

Do you keep demi-glace on hand? How do you store it?

Thanks!

Oh and yes, the pinot was a most excellent idea in my glass  I finished the rest of the bottle myself.

-Joe

Edit: Never mind; I see there's an active demi-glace thread upstairs. I'll check it out.


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

I read the recipe and I would say it was a definite typo. More likely the amount of wine was supposed to be 2 oz. It said nothing about reductions. Instead you were to deglaze the pan with the wine, add the demi and the steaks. Add the butter and spoon over the steaks. That would have made the right amount of sauce for the steaks which should only be a couple of tablespoons each just to coat them not have something to pour over potatoes!.


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## mudbug (Dec 30, 1999)

Nostalgia,

Did you actually see the video segment?

Did you read the reviews?

So basically, the recipe "as originally written" would yield less than 8 0z serving of mushrooms and less than 1 C wine per person for the dish. Sounds fine to me.

Always a good method. But assuming the recipe is written properly (and perhaps it should be more detailed for those who did not view the video segment) - if you change the quantity by halving the recipe and start substituting ingredients - you're walking right into not having the originally intended results.

I don't consider 2 cups too much wine, there may be more than you think evaporating from the pan and as mentioned above, the demi-glace would thicken the wine in order to create the sauce. Certainly not anywhere near enough to make a stew which would require quarts of liquid. Beef paste, which is an excellent choice by the way to use over bullion cubes or granules would not thicken a liquid.

Mushrooms cook down significantly so you lose quite a bit of volume, it's never as much as the volume you start with.

I don't think it was a typo. A couple of tablespoons of sauce wouldn't be enough for me for a couple bites! If the sauce is good, I'd cut my bite size piece and coat the surface area with the sauce before it reached my mouth. So I'd definitely need more than a couple of tablespoons of sauce.

Another reason I don't think it was a typo is because most of the people who review the recipe are viewers who've seen the show. And out of 30 reviews, only one thought the sauce was too "wine like" which makes me suspect that was user error, and another review actually said they would double the amount of sauce because they liked it so much. But none of the reviews say anything about the quantity in the recipe being incorrect from what they used in the video segment. I agree with ironchefin'06, don't be afraid to use wine.

The show will re-run sometime, just bookmark the page and keep checking for a new air date.

There is really little substitute for a true demi-glace which is rich, complex, and delectable. Here is another thread you may wish to read. There is a product called Demi-Glace Gold which you can use if you don't want to make your own from scratch. Sometimes gourmet groceries and butchers will offer demi-glace as a product. Ask around, you won't be sorry.

So if you're missing anything, it's having a bit of faith in the recipe as it is written and the demi-glace. Always read the reviews by others who have tried it. They often have suggestions and insights.


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

I stand by what I said.


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## diane (Mar 24, 2006)

Y'know chrose, when I see sauce, and good sauce too, blobbled around a plate it really does give me the pip. May be alright for a bit of deco., but useless for a person who wants to taste the d*amn stuff. I am in favour of a (gravy) sauce boat, or, I have little barrels with a pouring lip that would hold about 60-90 mls. I tuck them onto the plate to be used as wanted. They are not intrusive. I Am a sauce person myself, but some are not.


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## mudbug (Dec 30, 1999)

And you should.


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## nostalgia (Jan 30, 2005)

I did not see the video segment. I was looking for a new recipe to try, and it looked interesting and well-reviewed, so I thought I'd give it a go.

Following the recipe as written - with the exception of halving the mushrooms and wine - yielded a sauce that was water-thin. Would the tablespoon of demi-glace have thickened 2 cups of wine on its own? The recipe makes no mention of allowing the sauce to reduce.

Thanks,

-Joe


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## mudbug (Dec 30, 1999)

I saw this segment last week. The sauce is cooked down on the stove after coming out of the oven to about 2-3 tablespoons worth. The demi glace is added and it is cooked until dissolved. Tyler had cooked it down so much and it got so thick he actually had to _add_ water back to the pan. He ended up with about 2-3 tablespoons of sauce at a gravy consistency.

Looked pretty darn good too.


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