Filet Mignon with Garlic Shrimp Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 (4 ounce) beef tenderloin filets, 1 1/2 inches thick
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup Chardonnay wine
• 1/2 pound uncooked shrimp – peeled, deveined, and cut into 3 pieces
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat a heavy steel or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of each filet with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Gently place the filets into the hot skillet, and cook until they start to become firm and are reddish-pink and juicy in the center, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 130 degrees F (54 degrees C). Set the filets aside to rest, covered loosely with foil.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet over medium heat until the foam subsides from the butter. Cook and stir the shallot and garlic until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in the wine, and cook and stir until the wine reduces by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in the shrimp, cream, 1 tablespoon of butter, and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Cook and stir until the sauce is thickened and velvety and the shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes.

To serve, place filets on serving plates, and top each with half the shrimp sauce. Sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.