Recipes: Pan-seared filet mignon and roasted chicken

Cook mom a special meal this Mother's Day with tips from Chef Bobby.

Pan searing filet 101 with Chef Bobby and Chef Mike of Hookscs.com

Try pan-seared filet mignon instead when you want a home-cooked filet mignon without the fuss of firing up the grill. It still cooks relatively quickly compared to sous-vide and reverse-searing, but and has equally delicious results. This is how we execute our Filets at Hook. Cook like a pro.

TIPS: 
For the best results, choose filet mignon that’s labeled as Premium Angus, USDA Prime, or Wagyu. These are the top tiers of steak reserved for those with the best marbling, color, and overall quality. Also, look for steaks that have been wet-aged or dry-aged. The aging process occurs over several weeks to enhance the quality of filet mignon.We wet age our filets and Dry age our Strip and Ribeye steaks at Hookscs.com. We only use @creekstonefarms.com prime at Hook.

More Tips:
Don’t Crowd the Pan
Ensure there is enough space between the steaks in the pan to allow for even cooking and proper searing. Crowding the pan can lead to steaming instead of searing.

Resting After Cooking
Filet mignon needs to rest again after they come out of the oven. This 5-10-minute resting period allows the temperature to rise a bit more without more cooking. Juices also reabsorb back into the steak while resting.

Always Check with a Thermometer
We recommend cooking filet mignon to medium-rare, but you’re welcome to cook it to your preferred doneness level, like medium

Ingredients 
• 2 filet mignon steaks, about 1.5 inches thick
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)
• Optional: minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, or other herbs for flavor

Take the filet mignon steaks out of the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This helps them cook more evenly.

1. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil to the skillet and swirl to coat the bottom evenly.
3. Once the skillet is hot, carefully place the filet mignon steaks in the skillet. Make sure they are not crowded; you want some space between them to ensure even cooking.
4. Sear the steaks for about 3-4 minutes on one side without moving them. This will give them a nice crust.
5. Flip the steaks using tongs and sear for an additional 3-4 minutes on the other side. If you prefer your steaks rare, reduce the cooking time slightly. For medium-rare, aim for an internal temperature of 130-135°F when measured with a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the steak.

1. Optional: Add the butter and any minced garlic or herbs to the skillet during the last minute of cooking. Tilt the skillet slightly and use a spoon to baste the steaks with the melted butter and aromatics.
2. Once the steaks reach your desired level of doneness, remove them from the skillet and transfer to a plate. Let the steaks rest for about 5 minutes before serving to allow the juices to redistribute.
3. Serve the pan-seared filet mignon steaks with your favorite side dishes, such as mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables

Day oven roasted chicken rotisserie style cheat

This technique will allow you to have rotisserie texture, juiciness and presentation. If executed correctly, you’ll never buy another rotisserie chicken from the bag meat counter ever again highly recommend purchasing a 4 to 5 pound Amish chicken for this recipe. This will serve 3 to 4. I usually make two chickens because the leftovers are phenomenal, even three or four days later, they still reheat and moist, tender and juicy.

That being said let’s get started

Five sprigs of fresh rosemary, stemmed, and chopped. Reserve stems for placing into the cavity of the bird. 
1 tablespoon of Himalayan salt or kosher salt. 
1 teaspoon of fresh cooked black pepper 
4 fresh or dry bay leaves for the inside of your bird
1 small Lemon cut into quarters
1 lemon for zesting with grater or micro plane. 
6 cloves of garlic
One small onion cut into quarters
A couple tablespoons of unsalted butter cut into quarter inch thick squares. 
3 tablespoons of olive oil

Remove two racks from your oven. Spray one rack with food release around or rub rack with olive oil. 
This will prevent your bird from sticking to the oven grate.

You’re going to place a large cookie sheet or large drip pan underneath your bird on the rack so you’re going to have a rack then your cookie sheet and then you’re going to place a rack on top of that cookie sheet and prepare your bird for the oven.

• Preheat oven to 475F.
• Place chicken on third from top rack. Make sure the bird does not touch the top of the oven. Have a drip pan on the next shelf down below the bird. This way the bird will cook with 360" cooking temp. No need to flip your bird.
• Rinse off bird with ice cold water in the sink. Always salt rub the bird with a liberal amount of salt and rinse cavity with salt and ice water as well. Pat bird dry with paper towels and discard paper immediately. Make sure to clean sink with a bleach and soap. Please be careful to not cross contaminate other areas of your kitchen. I highly recommend utilizing latex gloves or some sort of culinary glove for prepping chicken. Always change gloves after each task. 
• Please keep in mind to keep all areas clean and do not cross contaminate any other cooking areas or utensils.
• Tuck wings behind the back.
• I highly recommend stuffing your lemons, garlic, bay leaves, onions and stems from the rosemary in the cavity of your bird. 
• Also tie drum sticks together with butchers twine or if you don’t have twine you can use skewers.
• Brush or drizzle and rub with olive oil.
• Sprinkle with seasoning Salt, pepper, rosemary, make sure you pat the seasoning on to the bird.
• Take your butter patties and slip them in between the skin in the breast meat of the bird. Careful not to rip the skin on the bird. Mother nature has provided a little tiny layer fat that is between the skin and the muscle tissue of the chicken breast. Be patient and very careful not to tear the skin when putting the butter in. At this time, take your lemon and zest fresh lemon zest over the top bottom sides of the chicken. You may reapply your seasoning if any falls off.

• Bake for 15 minutes at 475F then reduce heat to 375F.
• Continue baking for 60-75 minutes more or until internal temp in the thigh is 170 (use an instant read thermometer).
• Rest for 15 minutes before carving.

This recipe goes well with rice pilaf Greek style, orzo, roasted lemon, potatoes, mashed potatoes, and so many other sides like sweet potato.