Cheese...stinky cheese! You really have to like bleu cheese to really enjoy this recipe. You can omit the stilton butter, but really?? Why would you do that?

Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs. Actually, I like all fresh herbs, but I will put rosemary on or in almost everything. When I was in high school, I dated a chef who claimed to despise the herb. Needless to say, that didn't last :o) I do credit my culinary awakening to him, and we are still friends, so not all was lost! There's just something about pulling fresh herbs right out of the garden. The scent is stronger, the flavor more powerful, and knowing that you grew it yourself give a little sense of reward. At least to me it does. I have a brown thumb. I managed to keep my basil alive all winter, only to forget it out in the cold one night and lose all three plants.

Enough ramble, and more food! This dish is something that I've been making for years. There used to be a steakhouse up the street from Waters Edge Resort (where I worked at the time) that served a rosemary balsamic filet, that I fell in love with. This is my take on it:

Ingredients:

2-4 Petite Filets (This recipe can be expanded to make any number of filets)
5 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
5 Cloves of Garlic-Minced
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt & Cracked Black Pepper
Crumbled Stilton-I'd guess 1/4 cup
1 Stick of Sweet Cream Butter-Softened

Side:
Bundle of Fresh Asparagus
Hand full of Pignoli Nuts (Pine Nuts)
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

*I made this with saffron risotto. I didn't particularly like the flavor medley when it mixed with all the other strong flavors in the dish. I would suggest a wild rice, plain Parmesan risotto or a mild rice/orzo mix.

**Also, I make this in a cast iron skillet. This fairs just as well on a grill. It's your choice!

Pre-Heat your oven to 450 degrees. Place your cast iron skillet on the middle rack and heat while you prep your ingredients. With a fork, pierce the top and bottom of your filet, sparingly, to absorb the vinegar. If you are planning to marinate for longer than a half hour to an hour, skip this step. Lightly dust your file with salt and pepper on both sides.


On a clean cutting board, mince your garlic and finely chop 5 sprigs of your rosemary. Along with the filet, place all three ingredients into a plastic freezer bag. Pour in a generous amount of balsamic vinegar; enough to mix with the rosemary and garlic and not be a sludge. Allow to marinate in your refrigerator for half an hour to an hour.


In the meantime...


In a small bowl, mix 1 stick of butter with about half the amount of stilton cheese. A stick of butter is 1/2 a cup, so a quarter cup to 2/3 of a cup is ample. More or less depending on your taste for bleu cheese. Pour your mixture onto parchment or plastic wrap and form a new stick of butter. Put in the fridge to firm up while you cook. This is enough to feed an army, so feel free to freeze it for the next time you make this dish!


Since you'll have some time while you're marinating the steak, let's make some asparagus! This is super simple! Wash your asparagus and break off the woody bottoms. If you bend the asparagus, they will break right where they need to! Coat them with olive oil, kosher salt, cracked pepper and hand full of pignoli nuts.


When your filet is ready, move your cast iron skillet to a medium/medium high burner. Put your asparagus into the oven to roast (no more than 10 minutes). Sear your filet for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove your asparagus from the oven and cover with tin foil. In the meantime, move the cast iron skillet, with your filet, into the oven and roast until you reach your desired doneness:

135 Degrees-Rare
145 Degrees-Medium Rare
160 Degrees-Medium
170 Degrees-Well Done

 You can also use the thumb test

I usually remove them around 5 degrees below the desired doneness, because you want them to rest for 5-10 minutes to allow the juices to distribute throughout the meat. This is a good time to put your asparagus back in the oven for a few minutes if they've cooled down substantially.


Once your filet is cooked, it's time for plate up. You can go all fancy, or you can just put the filet on your plate and cut a 1/4 inch round of stilton butter and let it melt over the top.  Add a small dash of vinegar, a little more kosher salt and pepper to taste and VOILA, you're done!

As I mentioned before, I didn't like the strong scent of saffron with all the other flavors. Lesson learned! Don't choose pretty over taste. Always go with your gut!

This is also a great marinade for Porterhouse steaks and pairs well with Cajun Shrimp Skewers. Just a thought!

**Please note that you don't need that much balsamic vinegar on the finished product. I took out the doo-hicky on the top of the bottle that restricts how much comes out...well, that bit me in the butt, as it poured out faster than I expected. No worries, though. I just tilted the plate and poured the excess off after the picture was taken!