Black Pepper Crusted Filet Mignon with Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper-Ancho Salsa

Ingredients

Roasted Red Pepper and Ancho Salsa:

• 2 ancho chiles
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 grilled red bell peppers, cut into 1/4-inch thick strips
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Black Pepper Crusted Filet Mignon with Goat Cheese:

• 4 filet mignon, 8 ounces each
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 8 ounces fresh goat cheese, cut into 4 slices
• Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Roasted Red Pepper and Ancho Salsa:

Directions

Place the ancho chiles in a medium bowl, cover with boiling water and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Remove the chiles from the soaking liquid, stem and coarsely chop, and combine in a blender with the garlic, pine nuts, honey and 1/4 cup of the soaking liquid. Blend until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the bell pepper strips, vinegar, cilantro, salt and pepper. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before serving.

Black Pepper Crusted Filet Mignon with Goat Cheese:

Heat your grill to high.

Brush the filets with the oil and season both sides of each filet with the salt and 1 side of each filet with the black pepper. Place the steaks on the grill, pepper side down and grill until lightly charred and crusty, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the steaks over, and grill for 2 to 3 minutes longer for medium-rare.

Turn the steaks, once more so that the pepper side is facing up and top each filet with a slice of the cheese. Close the cover and grill until the cheese begins to melt slightly, about 1 minute.

Remove the steaks from the grill, let rest for 5 minutes. Top each filet with the roasted red pepper-ancho salsa. Garnish with cilantro leaves, before serving.