Chef Central
With a 25-year history of serving elegant Southern eclectic food in one of the most gracious settings to be found in Southwest Florida, The Veranda has an enviable reputation to maintain; and executive chef William Murray is upholding the culinary mantle. The 39-year-old Buffalo native is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park) and has lived in this part of Florida for the past 18 years. His recipe for Bourbon Street fillets is a favorite on the menu at The Veranda and a standby for Murray at home. The Veranda 2122 Second St., Fort Myers. 332-2065.
The Veranda Bourbon Street Fillets (Serves four)
Ingredients
4 (6-ounce) tenderloin fillets of beef
1 cup fresh mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh shallot
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
3 ounces Kentucky sour mash bourbon
4 tablespoons butter
12 ounces demi glace (available in jars at specialty markets such as Blue Pepper)
3 tablespoons each butter and oil for frying fillets
Heat sauté pan with butter/oil. Just before smoking point, add the medallions of tenderloin. Sear both sides and remove from pan. Finish to desired doneness in a 400-degree oven. With pan still hot, add mushrooms, garlic, shallots and fresh rosemary. Toss about three minutes and deglaze with bourbon. Let the alcohol burn off and add the demi glace and finally the four tablespoons of butter to give the sauce a glossy sheen. Finish with a twist of cracked black pepper and pour over the beef. Serve immediately.
As printed in the March – April, 2006 issue of Ft. Myers Magazine
