Beef Fillets in Peppercorn Sauce with Roasted Pepper

Method

For this dish you can purchase the beef fillet as four steaks or preferably as one whole piece of fillet. Slice the meat into rounds about 6mm thick, lay on a tray or plate and season with salt and pepper.

To prepare the peppers firstly slice of the tops about half a centimetre from the top. Remove the pips and pith from inside the pepper and trim any stalk so that it is neat. Brush with oil and roast in a hot oven on a tray for about 10-15mins until soft.

Deseed the chilli, peel the shallot and finely chop up, fry off in a little oil and add the rice, season with thyme and cumin. Season with salt and pepper and fill into the peppers. Arrange the peppers so that they stand up and place the lid on top. Keep them warm.

Heat up a frying pan with oil and a knob of butter into which the beef fillet is going to be cooked. Place the meat into the pan and cook the pieces quickly allowing the meat to brown a little on each side. The meat cooks very quickly and when after turning the meat small droplets of blood start to appear on top of the meat the meat is cooked sufficiently. If you don't like undercooked meat you can cook it a little longer in the sauce later.

Remove the meat from the pan and keep to one side. Pour off excess oil from the pan return to the heat and add the peppercorns. Mix well and add the brandy be careful allow the brandy to flame. This will burn off the alcohol.

Pour in the gravy and the cream boil up allow to reduce and thicken. When the consistency is just right return the meat to the sauce then serve immediately.

Arrange the stuffed peppers in the centres of your plates and the meat around spoon over the sauce with a few of the peppercorns onto the meat.