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Filets Mignons with Herb-Shallot Butter

These filets are easy enough to prepare for a weeknight dinner and impressive enough for a last-minute gathering with friends. You can make the herb-shallot butter in advance and refrigerate; bring to room temperature before serving. Round out the meal with fingerling potatoes and a corn, tomato and arugula salad (see related recipes at left).

By williamssonoma · From Open Recipes · 8 ingredients
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Filets Mignons with Herb-Shallot Butter

Why it works: Tarragon and chervil match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 824 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Filets Mignons with Herb-Shallot Butter

Serves 4.

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

238Calories
1 gProtein
25 gFat
4 gCarbs

Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Shallot1 tbsp minced (10g)7
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Tarragon1 tsp dried (0.5g)2
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Chive1 tbsp (3g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Chervilnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By williamssonoma. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Tarragon + cherviltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together824 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Chive + cherviltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together370 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  3. Shallot + cherviltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together266 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  4. Shallot + chivetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  5. Shallot + tarragontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together602 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, butter, shallot, chive, tarragon, chervil, canola oil):

  1. Capersfits better
  2. Parsleythe original
  3. Thymefits about as well
  4. Fennelfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, butter, shallot, chive, tarragon, chervil, canola oil. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.