Gordon Ramsay’s filet mignon is a thick round of beef fillet seared in a cast iron pan, topped with a mushroom gratin and baked for 7 minutes. In the F Word video he calls it “the ultimate indulgence” and says it melts on your tongue like butter. Three types of mushroom give the gratin its depth, each one chosen for a different texture.
His one rule for this cut is to sear it gently. In the MasterChef video he tells the contestant “oil first, no butter until we got the colour,” because butter burns before the crust forms. Once the sear is there, the butter goes in and the basting starts.
Fillet is so lean it dries out fast, which is why he checks doneness by touch rather than time. The fingertip test from his Secrets book works like this: press the top of the steak and feel the bounce. Rare sinks in with no resistance, medium has a slight comeback, and well-done steaks get “no comment.”
Gordon Ramsay’s Filet Mignon with Mushroom Gratin
Course: Dinner, MainCuisine: French, BritishDifficulty: Medium2
servings15
minutes20
minutes520
kcal35
minutesFrom the F Word. Three mushrooms give the gratin its character: chestnuts for their woody crunch, shiitake for their rich depth, and oyster mushrooms for their delicacy. Seared on the hob, gratin spooned on top, Parmesan dusted over, then 7 minutes in the oven. Serves 2 for about £12-15 per person.
Ingredients
- For the steaks:
2 filet mignon steaks (about 200g/7 oz each, 4cm thick)
Olive oil, for frying
15g (1 tbsp) butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the mushroom gratin:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 banana shallots, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100g (3½ oz) chestnut mushrooms, quartered
100g (3½ oz) shiitake mushrooms, sliced
75g (2½ oz) oyster mushrooms, torn
3 tbsp double cream (3 tbsp heavy cream)
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp fresh chives, sliced from the thin tips only
25g (1 oz) Parmesan, finely grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 200C (400F/Gas 6).
- Make the mushroom gratin: Heat olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes until soft. Add all three mushrooms, season and sauté until golden and any liquid has cooked off. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cream, egg yolk and chives. Set aside.
- Sear the steaks: Roll the steaks through the seasoning on the board so it coats all sides, because Ramsay says “30% of the seasoning we lose” in the pan. Heat a cast iron or heavy-based pan with olive oil until smoking. Lay the steaks in and sear gently on all sides: “colour it but don’t brown it too much, otherwise it goes dry.” Add the butter and baste as it foams.
- Top and bake: Transfer the steaks to a baking tray. Spoon the mushroom mixture generously over each steak, dust with Parmesan and bake for 7 minutes.
- Rest and serve: Remove and rest for 5 minutes. Press the top gently with your fingertip: a slight bounce means medium-rare. Serve pink.
Notes
- Ramsay slices only the thin tips of the chives because the flavour lives at the ends, not the thick base. The gratin can be made the day before and kept in the fridge: top the seared steaks and bake when ready.
FAQs
How does Ramsay cook filet mignon without the mushroom gratin?
In the gremolata video he keeps it simpler: salt, pepper, hot pan with olive oil, then garlic, rosemary, thyme, a bay leaf and a splash of chicken stock. The stock is the difference because it keeps the lean meat moist where butter alone cannot. He calls fillet “one of my favourite cuts of all time.”
He rests the steaks in the stock so the meat absorbs it as it cools, then tops each one with a gremolata of lemon zest, parsley and capers. His rule is to rest the steak for the same amount of time it cooked. If the gratin feels like too much for a weeknight, this version takes 15 minutes and the lemon cuts through the richness just as well.
Should you cook filet mignon in a cast iron pan?
Yes. Cast iron holds heat evenly so the temperature does not drop when the cold steak hits the surface. In the MasterChef video Ramsay uses oil only until the colour forms, then adds butter because butter burns at the temperatures needed for a proper sear.
The Secrets book says the same thing: “oil in a heavy-based frying pan, add butter, when it starts to foam, baste.” The foam is the signal that the butter is hot enough to flavour the meat without burning. A thin pan drops in temperature and steams the steak instead of searing it. For more on steak cooking times at different thicknesses, that guide covers every cut.
Why does Ramsay butter-baste filet mignon?
Because fillet has almost no fat of its own. A rib-eye or sirloin has marbling that bastes the meat from inside, but fillet is pure lean muscle. The butter replaces what the cut does not have. In the MasterChef video he tilts the pan and spoons the frothy butter over the steak continuously until it is golden on all sides.
He also rolls the steak through the seasoning on the board before it goes in the pan because “30% of the seasoning we lose.” That tip changes how evenly the crust tastes. For his steak au poivre the butter carries the cracked pepper into the meat the same way.
What is the difference between filet mignon, beef fillet and fillet steak?
Same muscle, different cuts. Filet mignon is the American name for individual thick rounds cut from the tenderloin, usually 4-5cm thick. Beef fillet is the British name for the whole piece roasted as a single joint for a dinner party. Fillet steak is the British name for the same round Americans call filet mignon.
In the F Word he holds up the thick rounds and calls them “fillet of beef, one of my favourite cuts of all time.” The cooking method changes with the size: a whole fillet needs oven time, while individual rounds cook entirely in the pan. The same cut wrapped in pastry with mushrooms becomes his beef wellington, which is the showpiece route for the same money.
What sauce goes best with filet mignon?
Ramsay uses something different every time. The mushroom gratin on this page is his richest option: three mushrooms, cream, egg yolk and Parmesan baked on top. The gremolata version from the F Word is his lightest: lemon zest, parsley and capers with olive oil. In the Secrets book his restaurant serves the fillet with a red wine sauce drizzled over the steak and vegetables.
For a quick pan sauce, deglaze the resting pan with red wine, add a splash of stock, reduce by half and swirl in a knob of cold butter. His steak Diane uses brandy and cream and works just as well on filet mignon. He never wraps this cut in bacon because the gratin or butter baste already adds the moisture and fat the lean meat needs.
