Why hassle with the crowded restaurants this weekend when you can prepare these special Valentine Filet Mignons with Bordelaise right at home for your favorite someone. There is nothing more romantic than a couple of tender filet mignons perfectly seared and topped with a pan sauce of shiitake mushrooms and red wine, and Triple L Ranch has the finest cuts of grass-fed grain-finished beef tenderloin for your romantic dinner. Place each filet mignon on a bed of Nicoletto’s fresh garlic pasta with a side of Delvin Farms shaved organic Brussels sprouts, and you and your valentine will enjoy a delicious meal raised locally and with lots of love.

From L to R: Delvin Farms Brussels sprouts, Nicoletto’s fresh pasta, Hatcher Family Dairy sweet cream butter, Bloomin’ Shrooms, LLC, shiitake mushrooms, Triple L Ranch filet mignons. Not pictured: Triple L Ranch whole cream, Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese asiago reserva

Triple L Ranch filet mignon is grass-fed, grain-finished, and raised with no antibiotics or hormones.

Begin by allowing your Triple L Ranch filet mignons to reach room temperature on the counter for 30 minutes before searing. Heat a cast-iron skillet on high with 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Liberally salt and pepper each filet, add them to the hot skillet, and immediately turn the heat down to medium-high heat. Do not touch for 3 minutes. The filets will develop a beautiful dark crust which is what you want! After 3 minutes, flip you filets over and let sear for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest on a plate with a foil tent on top.

Perfecting a good sear on a locally raised filet mignon is a very attractive quality and quite romantic.

Next, turn the heat down to medium heat and in the same skillet add 1 tablespoon Hatcher Family Dairy sweet cream butter and 1/4 cup of minced shallots. Cook for 3 minutes before adding 1 quart-size container of sliced Bloomin’ Shrooms, LLC, shiitake mushrooms to the pan. Sauté until soft (about 10 minutes).

Beautiful sliced shiitakes from Bloomin’ Shroom, LLC, make a savory mushroom bordelaise sauce.

Next, deglaze your skillet with 1 cup cabernet sauvignon (or any red wine you have on hand) and be sure to scrape up all the good browned bits (known as the fond) from the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 cup good beef stock, a sprig of thyme if you have it, and let the mushroom bordelaise simmer until it has reduced by a bit more than half(about 10-20 minutes). To finish, crank in some freshly ground black pepper, add another knob of Hatcher butter and swirl in a little cornstarch slurry to thicken and set aside.

Then for the pasta. Pasta is always an excellent choice for a romantic dinner (think Lady and the Tramp), and we simply love the fresh garlic pasta from Nicoletto’s Pasta Company. But to begin, you must build the perfect cream sauce, and no cream sauce is better than one built with Hatcher Family Dairy whole cream. Start with 1 tablespoon Hatcher butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan set to medium heat. Add 1/4 cup minced shallots (any type of onion would work well, too), and 1 minced clove of garlic. Sauté until soft (about 3 minutes). Then add 1 cup of your favorite white wine and 1 cup of a good chicken stock and let simmer and reduce for 10 minutes. Then add 2 cups of Hatcher Family Dairy whole cream and 1 cup graded Kenny’s Farmhouse Asiago Reserva cheese from the MoonShadow Farm booth and let the temperature reach a simmer again. Let bubble for another 5 or so minutes until thick. Remove from heat.

Find all the Kenny’s cheese at the MoonShadow Farm booth.

Hatcher Family Dairy whole cream is used in this perfect yet simple cream sauce.

Next, boil a large pot of salted water and add 1 package of Nicoletto’s Pasta Company fresh garlic pasta. Boil this pasta for only 2 minutes, then remove to finish cooking in the cream sauce (Italian style). Swirl the noodles around in the cream sauce for another minute or two on medium heat. Voila! Perfect fresh pasta in the simplest cream sauce ever.

Nicoletto’s fresh garlic pasta swimming in a sea of love.

At this point, your Triple L Ranch filet mignons should have had plenty of time to rest and reach medium rare. Serve the filet mignons on top of the pasta and cream sauce, topped with the shiitake mushroom bordelaise and a nice side of Delvin Farms shaved Brussels sprouts that have been sautéed in extra virgin olive oil, salt a, and pepper, and you’ll have a romantic meal made with love. Happy Valentine’s Day, you locavorian lovebirds!

Delvin Farms organic shaved Brussels sprouts.

A couple of Triple L Ranch filet mignons — the perfect romantic dinner for Valentine’s Day.