NORWALK, Conn., December 14, 2021 — As the temperature outside decreases, sales of filet mignon heat up at Stew Leonard’s. Filet mignon is the number one selling item year-round at Stew’s, and during the week leading up to Christmas, sales increase 60 percent. Customers line up in the meat section to have one of Stew Leonard’s 60 expertly trained butchers custom-cut their beef tenderloin to their exact specifications.
Stew Leonard’s filet comes direct from ranchers in the Midwest. “Stew Leonard’s butchers and I have personally visited our ranchers throughout the Midwest, and we’ve met their families,” said Stew Leonard Jr., president & CEO of Stew Leonard’s. “You won’t believe the buttery melt-in-your-mouth fork-tender texture! This is restaurant-quality beef.”
When shopping for tenderloin, a good rule of thumb is one pound of untrimmed filet will feed one person.
When picking a whole untrimmed tenderloin, squeeze the meat and make sure it is soft—this means there is not a lot of fat. The softer it feels, and the more it bends, the better. A tenderloin that feels hard inside the package or does not bend as easily is higher in fat. Soft fat usually means less fat.
Store the tenderloin in the coldest part of the refrigerator—usually this is on the bottom shelf. Be sure to cook and serve the filet within a week to ensure its freshness.
There are five ways to purchase a tenderloin at Stew Leonard’s:
Untrimmed Tenderloin: Using a good, sharp knife, customers can remove the tenderloin’s fat and silverskin at home before roasting. The silverskin is a tough connective tissue that will not dissolve during cooking.
Trimmed Tenderloin: The fat is trimmed away from the tenderloin by our expert butchers.
Oven Ready Filet Mignon Roast: Our best-value and easiest option! Stew’s butchers hand-trim and package an uncooked tenderloin, garnished with rosemary, that’s ready for cooks to season and roast at home. Available as a grab-and-go option in our meat department.
Oven Ready Tenderloin: Stew’s butchers hand-trim the whole tenderloin and then hand it off to our chefs to season it with olive oil, freshly chopped garlic, rosemary, cracked black pepper, and Kosher salt. It is completely ready to roast at home in your oven to your desired doneness and sliced to your preferred thickness. Available as a roasted Naked filet and as well as an uncooked filet StewsCatering.com.
Filet Mignon Dinner for 8: Featuring an oven-ready filet as well as an extra-large shrimp cocktail platter, choice of two sides, snowball rolls, and a decadent cheesecake sampler for dessert. Also available as a Dinner for 2 and Dinner for 4 through StewsCatering.com.
Stew Leonard’s Ranchers’ Famous Filet Mignon with Garlic
While customers love to purchase filet mignon for holiday entertaining, the most frequently asked question is how to prepare it. When Stew Leonard Jr. visited Kansas, his rancher friends suggested a great recipe for filet: the garlic browns on the outside of the beef and gives it a very special flavor, making it the perfect centerpiece for your holiday table.
Ingredients:
1 Stew Leonard’s Filet Mignon, hand trimmed by our expert butchers
Kosher salt (use 1 teaspoon per pound)
Chef’s note: Be sure to use coarse-grain Kosher salt and not a fine or flaky sea salt when salting the meat before cooking. Fine salt (like table salt) or flaky salt (like Himalayan Pink Salt) won’t hold up in the oven and can leave the tenderloin tasting salty.
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic (or more to taste)
Chef’s note: Don’t skip seasoning the meat. It’s important because tenderloin has a lower fat content (unlike a rib roast), so there’s less flavor.
3 Tbsp. Stew Leonard’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1/2 for the garlic mixture, ½ for using in the pan.)
Directions:
Salt the tenderloin all over. Let rest, uncovered, for at least 40 minutes before cooking. This creates a drier surface for better browning and develops a crust.
Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position.
Preheat the oven to 425° F.
Pat the tenderloin dry with paper towels.
Combine the chopped garlic, 1½ Tbsp. of olive oil, and black pepper.
Generously rub the garlic mixture over the filet.
Add the remaining olive oil to the roasting pan.
Place the tenderloin in the roasting pan. Insert the Meater thermometer into the center of the roast.
Roast, uncovered, for 35 – 40 minutes or until the thermometer registers 135°F for medium-rare.
Transfer the tenderloin to a cutting board and cover with foil. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. The temperature of the meat will rise 10°F during the standing time.
Don’t worry about trying to cut the meat against the grain. Just slice into medallions and place on a plate with your warmed up sides.
About Stew Leonard’s
Stew Leonard’s, a family-owned and operated fresh food store founded in 1969, has seven stores in Norwalk, Danbury, and Newington, Conn.; in East Meadow, Farmingdale and Yonkers, N.Y.; and in Paramus, N.J. Stew’s earned its nickname, the “Disneyland of Dairy Stores” because of its country-fair atmosphere, with costumed characters and animated entertainment throughout the store that keep children entertained while parents shop. Stew Leonard’s legion of loyal shoppers is largely due to the stores’ passionate approach to customer service: “Rule #1 — The Customer is Always Right”; Rule #2 – If the Customer is Ever Wrong, Re-Read Rule #1.” This principle is so essential to the foundation of the company that it is etched in a three-ton granite rock at each store’s entrance. The company’s culture is built around an acronym for S.T.E.W.: Satisfy the customer; Teamwork gets it done; Excellence makes it better; WOW makes it fun. For more information, visit Stew Leonard’s website at www.stewleonards.com.
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