Filet Mignon in Mushroom Wine Sauce

Place a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium/high heat and melt in 2 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil. Add thickly sliced mushrooms and cook 5 min until soft. Stir in onion and cook another 3 minutes. Press in garlic cloves then season with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1 Tbsp fresh thyme. Cook another 2 min, stirring constantly until garlic is fragrant, then transfer mushroom mixture to a plate. Wipe the skillet clean with a wet papertowel.

Pat dry steaks with a paper towel and season all over with salt and pepper (we use a total of 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper).

Place the same pan over medium/high heat and add 2 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil. When butter is hot and finished foaming, add seasoned steaks to skillet and saute, turning over once with tongs about 3-5 min per side for medium-rare (I cooked 5-6 min per side for medium doneness). If steak is browning too fast, reduce heat to medium. Use tongs to transfer steaks to the plate with mushrooms.

Add 1/2 cup Merlot and boil until reduced by half (3 min), scraping the bottom with a spatula to deglaze the pan. Add 1 1/2 cups broth and boil until about 2/3 cup liquid remains (5-6 min). Add 1/2 cup cream and simmer until sauce thickens slighly (2 min). Return mushrooms and steak to the pan and heat until warmed through (1 - 2 min). Season sauce to taste with more salt & pepper if desired (I added about 1/4 tsp more salt).