Fillet steak from local beef with port wine and fig sauce
Gourmet recipe by Alexander Forbes Jr., head chef at Hotel Berghof St. Johann im Pongau
This exclusive fillet steak recipe by Alexander Forbes Jr., head chef at Hotel Berghof St. Johann im Pongau, combines regional products with modern gourmet cuisine: tender beef fillet, aromatic port wine and fig sauce, creamy potato and pear purée, and delicate winter vegetables from the oven. Perfect for festive occasions, New Year’s Eve, or a special dinner at home – this is what Alpine cuisine tastes like today.
Preparation time: 2 hours
INGREDIENTS
Fillet steak
- 4 beef fillets, 180 g each
- Salt, Szechuan pepper
- Oil for frying
- 40 g butter
Port wine and fig sauce
- 300 ml veal jus
- 100 ml red port wine
- 50 g shallots
- 10 g oil
- 25 g fig mustard
- 40 g cold butter (for assembling)
- Thyme, bay leaf
Potato and pear purée
- 400 g floury potatoes
- 100 ml milk
- 100 g butter
- 100 g pear purée
- Salt, nutmeg
Oven-baked leeks
- 320 g leeks (whole)
- 30 ml vegetable stock
- 20 ml olive oil
- Bay leaf, rosemary, thyme
- Salt, pepper, a little honey
Oven-baked onions
- 4 onions with skin
- Sea salt
Garnish
- Fresh garden herbs or cress
PREPARATION
Fillet steak
- Season the fillets with salt and Szechuan pepper.
- Sear on all sides in hot oil.
- Cook in the oven at 160 °C for approx. 8–9 minutes (core temperature: 54 °C).
- Finally, fry briefly in foamed butter.
Port wine and fig sauce
- Sauté the shallots in oil until translucent, deglaze with port wine and reduce by half.
- Add the veal jus, thyme, and bay leaf and reduce again.
- Pass through a fine sieve, then whisk in cold butter and fig mustard.
Potato and pear purée
- Peel the potatoes, cut into pieces, and boil until soft.
- Pass through a ricer or sieve.
- Mix with milk, butter, salt, nutmeg, and pear purée until creamy.
Oven-baked leeks
- Wash the leeks and cut into pieces.
- Cover and braise in the oven for 25 minutes with stock, oil, herbs, salt, pepper, and honey.
- Optional: Lightly brown with a blowtorch.
Oven-baked onions
- Spread sea salt on a baking sheet.
- Place the onions on top and bake at 160°C for approx. 40 minutes until the inside is creamy.
- Then remove the outer skin.
Arrange the fillet steak with sauce, purée, oven-baked leeks, and oven-baked onions on plates, garnish with fresh herbs, and enjoy!
