Dinner Sunday Night...

"I got some steaks at a gift exchange."

It's safe to say that most of you won't here that phrase anywhere this Christmas. But then you aren't at the gift exchanges I'm at. I was at out annual Christmas party with our close friends and got 4 filet mignons as a part of the "guy" gift exchange. Meat is always a winner.

So last night I decided to cook dinner. Here was the menu:

• Filet mignon topped with herbed butter and crumbled bleu cheese
  
• Elk bratwurst (recently harvested and processed)
  
• Bacon-wrapped green beans
  
• Mashed potatoes
  
• Hand-dipped garlic bread
  

The table was set in red and green at lit with Christmas candles. It was awesome. After dinner we walked around the neighborhood and looked at Christmas lights. What a night!

Filets

1. Marinate filets in a homemade vinaigrette for at least one hour. For extra flavor, add lots of fresh pressed garlic and brown sugar to the vinaigrette.
   
2. After marinating, wrap filets in bacon. Secure bacon with kitchen twine.
   
3. Season with fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt.
   
4. Sear steaks over wood grill. Sear for 1-2 minutes, then rotate 90 degrees and sear for another 1-2 minutes. Flip steaks and repeat on the other side.
   
5. Move steaks to cooler area of grill. Cover grill and cook until medium rare (10-12 minutes).
   
6. Top with herbed butter (see below) and crumbled bleu cheese.

Herbed butter

1. Soften 1 stick of butter
   
2. Add 4-8 tsp. fresh minced chives.
   
3. Add 2-4 cloves crushed garlic.
   
4. Add fresh cracked pepper to taste.
   
5. Mix and spoon onto plastic wrap.
   
6. Roll into tube and freeze.
   

Beans

1. Blanch fresh green beans for 2-3 minutes.
   
2. Plunge beans in ice bath to cool.
   
3. Toss beans in olive oil, fresh pressed garlic, fresh cracked pepper, and kosher salt.
   
4. Make bundles of 5-7 beans. Wrap bundles in bacon.
   
5. But bean bundles on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or until bacon is cooked.
   

Bread

1. Melt 1-2 sticks of butter. Add 6-8 fresh garlic, crushed.
   
2. Halve a sourdough baguette horizontally.
   
3. Place on grill to brown.
   
4. Remove bread from grill and slice.
   
5. Dip slices of bread into garlic butter.