Steak Tenderloin with Sour Cherries, Port Wine Reduction & Goat Cheese

Romance is not a big part of my life, unless you count my deep and abiding love for historical romance novels. In order to have romance in your life, you need to be partnered with a planner. My husband is not in this category and that is just fine. It would certainly be nice if he planned out an evening, thought a little outside the box when it came to our anniversary, but that is not part of his skill set. You see, I’m married to a very good man so I do not want to try and change him. If for his own personal growth he wants to surprise me with some jewelry and a weekend getaway to Montreal, I’m totally down with that though.

My husband works hard and is incredibly supportive of me and what I do, day in, day out. He is always trying to think of ways to help me achieve my goals because they have become his goals as well.

I can’t even begin to convey what a great dad Simon is. He gets up in the night to feed the baby, sleeps in a recliner chair when our older son has the flu, and is down on the floor wrestling with Timothy or building with Lego daily. As I wash the dishes from the evening’s dinner, I can hear him animatedly reading Timothy a story after his bath. He has endless patience with Timothy, sometimes to a fault since he puts up with a lot more than I would like before he latent disciplinarian in him comes out. I am quick to lose my temper, so Simon balances the household out.

I’ve made this steak dish a few times now and it is by far Simon’s favourite thing I’ve made in a long time. This may be on the menu on Valentine’s Day this coming weekend as a special treat. We don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day as most things are over-priced and we aren’t much for cards. I admit that I live in hope that he will surprise me with some romance but if it doesn’t happen, its ok. I will be content with a nice bottle of wine and my choice of movie for the evening. It will actually be a lot like most of our evenings.

This recipe is for my husband and to all the other good men out there. I’m grateful to know many of you.

Steak Tenderloin with Preserved Sour Cherries, Port Wine Reduction & Goat Cheese

Christina Austin

Steak tenderloin cooked in a cast iron pan with a savoury port wine and sour cherry sauce topped with creamy goat cheese.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• 2 steak tenderloins 2" thick
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 garlic clove thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup Port Wine
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1/3 cup preserved sour cherries in syrup
• 4 tbsp goat cheese
• salt and pepper

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven 400 degrees F.
• Generously season the steaks with good salt, preferably Maldon salt, and freshly cracked black pepper on all sides of the steaks.
• Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan over a medium high heat until it is just starting to smoke. Sear the two steaks on all sides and turn the heat down to medium as the pan will hold quite a bit of heat. Only turn the steaks over when it is deep brown and moves easily without a hint of sticking.
• While that sears, slice the garlic thinly.
• Take the steaks and place them on a baking sheet and turn the heat off from under the cast iron pan. Put the steaks in the oven and cook for approximately 5 minutes for medium rare. Use a meat thermometer to monitor how well done the steaks are.
• Put a tablespoon of butter in the still hot cast iron pan and the sliced garlic.
• Let the garlic cook gently while the steak continues to cook in the oven.
• When the steak is to the desired doneness, set them on a plate on the counter and cover tightly with foil.
• Turn the heat back on under the cast iron pan and pour in the port and red wine. Use a wooden spatula to get any cooked bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the preserved cherries and some of the juice from the jar. Cook until the sauce begins to take on a syrupy consistency.
• Plate up the steaks with desired side dishes and top with goat cheese. Drizzle the sauce with the cherries on and around the steaks. Serve and enjoy.