Valentine’s Day in my house is always a meal enjoyed at home. And whenever I’m cooking (aka always), it’s Valentine’s Day Beef.
We dine out so many other nights of the year that the token jacked-up-price, impossible-reservation, pre-fixe meal that is February 14th for some reason doesn’t appeal. Especially when we’re talking about Valentine’s Day beef dishes- those steaks are always overpriced!
Cooking at home also meals I can be a little bit more mindful of all the butter, cream and salt in my meal that may make me feel a wee bit too bloated for… um, well, anything other than passing out.
This recipe is a Valentine’s Day home run because it feels indulgent, it really is so easy to pull off, it utilizes ingredients you’ll want on hand for Valentine’s Day anyway (aka. chocolate and wine), and it tastes better than that $40 steakhouse filet.
Introducing my Valentine’s Day Beef Tenderloin with (wait for it)… Chocolate Port Sauce!
Since this really is a pretty simple Valentine’s Day beef recipe, the key is to use really good ingredients. If you’re not excited to drink the rest of your bottle of port, don’t use it in the recipe.
Same with chocolate. If you wouldn’t snack on it all on its own, it shouldn’t go in the sauce.
I use my go-to brand, Green & Blacks Organic 85% Dark Chocolate to yield a luscious bitter-sweet sauce to complement the earthy rosemary and meaty beef. If you’ve never considered cooking savoury dishes with chocolate before, this will be your gate way drug.
Have you ever tried to cook using chocolate in savoury meals before? What do you think of the idea of a Valentine’s Day beef tenderloin with chocolate? Leave me a message below on some of your successes and failures and I’ll try to give them a go myself!
Rosemary Rubbed Beef Tenderloin with Chocolate Port Reduction
Ingredients
- 1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary minced
- 1/2 tsp mustard
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 filet mignon filets 5 oz filets, trimmed
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup good quality port wine
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium beef stock
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary finely minced
- 1/2 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
- 20 g Green & Blacks Organic 85% Dark Chocolate
- 1 tsp butter
- Salt and pepper to taste, Fleur de sel for garnish
- Rosemary for garnish
- Parsely for garnish
Instructions
Steak
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a small bowl, mix together the pepper, rosemary, mustard, garlic and salt. Pat the filets dry and then season on both sides with the rub.
- Heat the oil over medium high heat in a medium nonstick or cast-iron skillet. Add the beef filets and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
- Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until an instant read thermometer reads 125 F for rare (or to your desired cooking temperature).
Sauce
- While the steaks finish in the oven, add the port, beef and rosemary to the pan the steaks were cooked in, and raise the heat to medium high. Scrape up any beef bits from the pan and cook until well reduced to a light syrup.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the balsamic, the Green & Blacks Organic chocolate, butter and salt and pepper to taste.
Assembly
- Remove the steaks from the oven, and transfer to serving plates. Drizzle with the port chocolate sauce and garnish with a pinch of fleur de sel and fresh rosemary or parsley.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: This recipe was developed in paid partnership with Green & Blacks Organic, however, as always, all opinions are genuine.
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
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