Christmas Eve Dinner - Sous Vide Filet Mignon and Lobster Tail

Holidays are probably the most challenging as a vegan. It is not the fact that I cook meat but rather it is difficult not try the food that I'm eating. I do taste/nibble the food that I cook to ensure that everything is well seasoned. There are times I'm tempted to eat more than a nibble :)  A good example is a lobster tail! I have to admit being a daily meat eater for 46 years of my life I am still tempted at time to eat meat. I love being vegan knowing that it is a more healthy lifestyle, I can maintain a healthy weight, and it is a way to detox my body. As I mentioned before it is not a moral reason that I am vegan or else I wouldn't be cooking meat at all.  My friend Jen gave me a nickname that was quited suited for me, "Versatile Vegan". It is a great nickname that really describes who I am -- Thanks Jen! 

Okay, enough about me.  I asked my wife earlier in the week what she wanted for dinner on Christmas Eve. She was in the middle of cleaning the garage so I am not sure if I caught her at the best time but I asked anyways. I gave her a few choices -- surf and turf, seafood hot pot, or some form of lamb. She chose the surf and turf. I wanted to cook it differently so I decided to sous vide both the filet mignon and lobster tail. Both were difficult to find since it was close to Christmas and I wanted stay away from most grocery stores. I did manage to make it to Trader Joes to pick up the filet mignon and QFC for the lobster tail.  I was not pleased with the end results because the filet mignon was a bit odd tasting (vegetarian diet) and had a different texture between the two pieces that I cooked. TJ is not always known for the best quality meat.  The lobster tail was from the Dominican Republic. I find these type of lobster to be a bit bland. A cold water lobster tail like from Maine or from Australia tend to be sweeter. 

For the lobster tail, I sliced the 8 oz tail in half and added a couple of slices butter and vacuumed sealed it. I sous vide the tail in a water bath at 140 degrees for 30 minutes.  Any longer would produce a mushy texture. I wanted to make a gourmet version of a lobster roll so I used a sliced of herb seasoned french bread w/ butter and toasted in a oven for about 10 minutes. I made a saffron cream sauce using chopped onions, chopped garlics, chicken broth, heavy cream, and a pinch of saffron. It wasn't exactly low calories but it was Christmas Eve!

I can't imagine how this would have tasted with a cold water lobster tail! Btw, have I mentioned that I was vegan? ;) 

The filet mignon I sous vide at 130 degrees for 2 hours seasoned with just salt and pepper. After taking the meat out of the vacuum pack it looks unappetizing! This is common with sous vide cooking. Generally I would take a blow torch to it or sear it on high heat. That evening I decided to sear it at high heat for about 90 seconds on each side. I added a demi-glaze sauce on top of the meat.  Yum!!

I also made some Yukon gold potatoes seasoned with crushed garlic and Cajun seasoning baked in the oven for 50 minutes at 400 degrees and asparagus that I also baked in the oven at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.  I topped the asparagus with a bread crumb recipe that my friend Joey gave me:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon thyme (chopped, or sage)
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated)
• 1 pound green beans (trimmed, steamed)


Heat the oil in a pan. Ad garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about one minute. Ad the breadcrumbs and parmigiano reggiano and saute until golden brown and toasted. Remove from heat and toss with the steamed green beans.

Note: This was for my wife and my step-daughter only. I had leftover tofu and cabbage over brown rice :)
 
Enjoy!!