Coffee Crusted Filet Mignon with a Jalapeno Coffee Reduction

Every year Ms Cocktail’s family gets together to celebrate several of the birthdays that occur in a relatively short timeframe. This year, the kind folks of her family have decided that since I like to cook, I should be chef during these gatherings. So for the next several days I’ll be posting up some of the recipes that I have prepared for the family.

Yesterday was my brother-in-law Rob’s day and since he is a fan of steaks, I thought I’d do something a bit different for him. The full menu was a coffee crust filet mignon with a jalapeno coffee reduction, grilled Yukon Gold potato slices and maque choux. I first introduced coffee crusted steaks to the family last year and they were a huge hit. I’ve since refined this recipe and added the reduction. Enjoy!

Coffee Crusted Filet Mignon with a Jalapeno Coffee Reduction

8 Filet Mignon steaks, 8 oz. each

Dry rub
1/2 cup ground coffee
1/4 cup ground black pepper
2 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs kosher salt
1 Tbs brown sugar

Reduction
1 cup brewed coffee
1 cup beef stock
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

To prepare the steaks: Combine the coffee, black pepper, garlic powder, brown sugar and salt in a bowl. Coat all sides of the steaks with the coffee mixture and let rest for 30 minutes.

To prepare the reduction: Heat a small sauce pan over medium heat and add 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil. Add the jalapeno and sauté for two minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until reduce to 1/4 of its original volume.

Prepare the grill for direct high heating. Grill the steaks to desired doneness. Remove the steaks from the grill and let rest for 2-3 minutes before serving. Plate with 1 Tbs of the reduction for each steak.