while the steak cooks

Julia Child apparently said, "The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook."

Obviously, it's not exactly my motto, but for the past few months I've been making an effort to occasionally splurge on foods that I would generally steer clear of. Gone are the three diet cokes I used to drink every morning (I know, gross), and lately I've been all about the occasional decadent filet.

To cook this, I used the simplest technique that even the smallest kitchen owners can replicate. Just sear for a couple of minutes on either side of the filet, and then polish it off in the oven for ten minutes. You could sear these an hour or two ahead of time if you have guests coming over, and then finish them off as soon as you're ready to serve.

The trick to making really great meat at home is all in the quality of the steak you're buying. Shop around until you find a butcher or market that you really trust before you order a tenderloin that feeds fourteen!

Easy Peppercorn Steak

INGREDIENTS

2 approximately six ounce filet mignon or tenderloin steaks

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp black peppercorns, freshly cracked

Sea salt

DIRECTIONS

Press butter into the filets on both sides, and then sprinkle salt and pepper generously over them. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and then add the steak, and sear for about 3 minutes on each side. Set aside until ready to finish.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. When preheated, bake the steak for about ten minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers at least 125 degrees. Allow the steak to return to room temperature before cutting into it.