At our little castle in the sand over the holidays we were very spoiled by the food.

Great meals just kept on coming.

One night we enjoyed bacon-wrapped filets with oven-baked potatoes and veggies.

Most of us in the house were in at the word “bacon.”  But, then, we were treated to buttery-tender filets that were to-die-for.

There was, however, a word of warning on the box that I must show you . . .

The Kansas City Steak Company totally had our number. They knew they were dealing with pigs who would just dive right in — pin and all. Thanks, guys! You saved us an emergency trip to the dentist in a state none of us live in. Appreciate ya.

To start the meal, first, Sandy pan-seared the filets after sprinkling each filet with the seasoning that came with the steaks.

She also cooked the bacon a bit and re-wrapped them. You can see them above being placed on aluminum foil and then sent out to the grill to be manned by the cutest griller around. (Okay, it was my husband.)

Why the foil? Because we don’t trust other people’s grills. Remember, this was a rented house. Plus, that grill had seen better days and we weren’t taking any chances with this meat.

Some in our group like their filets pretty well-done and not so thick. So we simply cut one in half so we had two filets that were half as thick. Voila!

While those were grilling we worked on the sides. We made oven-baked potatoes that were quickly cooked in olive oil, salt and pepper in a skillet and then baked in the oven.

Here is the final product (after the pins were removed). This baby didn’t last long after the picture was taken.

By the way, this was our Christmas Eve dinner. A special and exciting night for us all. Can you imagine a better meal?

Well, wait ’til you see what else we cooked that week . . .

Over the holidays, we had a total of 18 people staying in a rented beach house. Plus, other visitors who did not stay overnight.

So . . . food had to be ready and available at all times. We couldn’t keep enough of it around.

There were so many stomachs to feed and I heard the phrase “Salt water makes you extra hungry” more than I can count.

Thus, appetizers seemed to rise high on the totem pole fast because it appeared to tame the beast for a while.

Nothing like 18 fussy people on your hands.

We DID NOT want that.

We were there at the oceanside, so crabcakes seemed a fun thing to try. And they were a hit!

That’s the only good photo I got because as soon as we put them out they got eaten. Well, devoured.

Here were the instructions for preparing these:

Preparing Crabcakes

Remove cakes from vacuum pouch and place on a plate. Put plate in refrigerator and allow cakes to thaw for 1 hour before cooking. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of oil or margarine. Place cakes in pan and allow to cook for 6 minutes on each side or until the outside of the cakes is golden brown and the inside is hot.

And that’s exactly what we did. They were yummy. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.

Here’s what they’re supposed to look like if you don’t have 18 impatient people salivating over the plate . . .

Nice, huh? Try ’em next time you have guests to feed.

They’ll thank you by leaving you a plate full of crumbs.

Bottom photo and preparation instructions courtesy KansasCitySteaks.com.

While we were on our holiday vacation Sandy prepared a number of meals that dazzled us all.

I helped if you count handing her a spatula and stirring sauces while sneaking tastes as “helping.”

Sandy seasoning the meat

I did soak it in and I learned quite a bit — as I always do around her. So, she’s written down her “tips” for making the most tender of tenderloin tips in a delicious red wine sauce. Now we can all refer back to her thoughts when we’re in our own kitchens trying to recreate the yummy goodness she masterfully put together.

These really were so flavorful and the smell filled the house with great anticipation before the meal was ready. We didn’t have to find anyone to tell them dinner was on. They were all salivating around the periphery of the kitchen, waiting to pounce.

May your crowd do the same!

Here’s what Sandy says . . .

This is one of those really flavorful quick dishes that you can prepare pretty easily with a great cut of meat like tenderloin tips.  This recipe can also be prepared with a tougher cut of meat (i.e. stew meat) but the meat would have to simmer for 2-3 hours in the sauce in order to tenderize it.  In the following recipe, the tenderloin tips are browned first in batches to insure a good crust on each piece of meat.  When the sauce is totally finished and the side dishes are completed, table set, etc. the meat is added to the sauce just for a few minutes to re-warm and to cook to desired doneness.

When browning the ingredients, using a lower (medium) heat is intended to prevent the bottom of the pan from getting too brown or burning.  If at any point the fond (that brown stuff on the bottom of the pan) is getting really brown, go ahead and use a little wine to deglaze the pan.  Just pour in a little, use a wooden spoon to loosen all the brown bits.  Pour this liquid in the casserole dish with the ‘done’ items – it will become part of the delicious sauce.  If the fond gets really dark, smells burned or even just starts to burn, use water to deglaze the pan, and just dump this little bit of liquid into the sink.  Clean the pan well and then add fresh oil, heat to smoking and begin again.  You never want to cook meat in a pan that already has burned on the bottom, and you don’t want to make a sauce from a burned fond.  You are building up layers of flavor, and the burned flavor will overpower all. 

Beef ready to be added to sauce

If you do choose to prepare with a different cut of meat which requires longer cooking, reserve the bacon, adding it just before serving (or leave it out).

Tenderloin Tips with Red Wine Sauce
 

(Serves 10)

6 slices bacon, cut into 1 in pieces

1 large onion, diced

8oz mushrooms, sliced

Canola or vegetable oil as needed

3 # Tenderloin Beef Tips, cut into like-sized pieces

Kosher Salt, pepper

1-2 cups of a nice quality fruity red wine, i.e. Merlot or Pinot Noir

2 ½ cups good quality well seasoned beef stock (2 cans Campbell’s Beef Consommé)

3 Tbsp Flour

4 Tbsp Water

In a heavy-bottomed large pan over medium heat, brown bacon pieces.  When they are crispy and brown, remove to a glass casserole.  Add onions to the bacon fat mixture and cook until golden brown.  Add mushrooms, seasoning with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper.  When mushrooms are thoroughly cooked, remove to glass casserole dish with the bacon pieces.   Turn heat up to medium high and add about a teaspoon of canola oil, or enough to lightly coat bottom of the pan.  Season beef with salt and pepper, add first batch of beef pieces, only enough to barely cover bottom of pan.  Each piece should have its own piece of pan ‘real estate’ to cook in.  Allow to brown on first side for 1-3 minutes, or until nice and brown, then turn carefully with tongs.  When beef is brown on all sides, remove to casserole dish.  Repeat with remaining beef until it is all browned.  At any point, if the fond in the pan is too brown, clean the pan as directed above.

This is what was happening outside while we were cooking

 

Add remaining wine to the pan and cook over medium heat, using a wooden spoon to help deglaze the pan.  Cook a few minutes until wine is reduced by half.  Add beef stock.  If using a canned product, I usually add a few small pieces of carrot and onion to the stock at this point to remove the canned flavor.  Cook the sauce 15 minutes or so at a gentle simmer, tasting for flavor.  If you want, remove carrot and onion pieces from sauce before serving. Meanwhile, prepare either egg noodles or mashed potatoes or rice to enjoy with your beef tips.  Prepare a green vegetable.  Have a glass of wine. 

To thicken the sauce, prepare slurry from the flour, slowly adding the water and stirring until no lumps remain.  Add more water until the slurry is the consistency of heavy cream – then add this mixture to the simmering sauce.  Stir constantly until the slurry is mixed into the sauce.  It will begin to thicken as soon as the sauce boils, but should be gently cooked for an additional five minutes or so to cook out the flour taste.

5 minutes before serving, add beef, mushrooms, meat juices, bacon and onion to the sauce mixture to re-warm and complete cooking.  5 minutes should be about right for medium doneness – test.

Serve over buttered noodles with a green vegetable for a gorgeous and flavorful company-worthy meal.