• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Living The Gourmet logo

  • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Featured
    • Writings
  • Recipes
  • Wines
  • Interviews
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

Espresso Brava Filet Mignon & Kurobuta Ham

Apr 28, 2015 ·

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Since early this year, I had been planning to do something special on or around Mothers Day, either for the holiday itself, or as a sort of ‘close of spring’ event. I wasn’t quite sure how I would go about it, but I knew I wanted to put together a truly special seasonal spread.

As fate would have it, the representatives of one of the highest regarded producers of beef in the US, Snake River Farms, contacted me last month in regards to precisely that subject – Mothers Day. As it turns out, they wanted to know if I would be interested in sampling their Kobe beef and Kurobuta ham, and then sharing my thoughts.

Needless to say, I agreed.

Living the Gourmet: Espresso Brava Filet Mignon & Kurobuta Ham

The meats arrived in a crisp and unblemished box, inside of which I found a neatly sealed envelope resting on top of a small foam cooler, bearing the ensign of Snake River Farms. Curious, I opened the envelope, and was greeted by a full-color primer on the suggested preparation methods for both the beef and the ham.

Given my own emphasis on presentation, it goes without saying that I was instantly pleased.

Opening the cooler, I examined each of the steaks through their clear vacuum seals, and have to admit that I was quite surprised at how well marbled each piece was. Thus far, the Kobe was already living up to its prodigious reputation, and I hadn’t even opened it yet. The moment of truth, however, was still a few hours away.

Living the Gourmet: Espresso Brava Filet Mignon & Kurobuta Ham

With the meat delivered, it was time to tend to my own preparation and presentation. However, I wanted to do something a little different. While exquisite tablescapes are the very essence of a well plated meal, they are often only food for the eye, framing rather than accompanying what is on the plate.

This time, I wanted to essentially make the tablescape a part of the meal itself, I wanted to prepare and plate side dishes or accompaniments that would in and of themselves create the atmosphere, and that taken together would make for a classic spring or summer presentation.

Living the Gourmet: Espresso Brava Filet Mignon & Kurobuta Ham

To achieve this, I first prepared a platter of grilled pineapple with olive oil and freshly ground black pepper. This was accompanied by side of feta and dill enhanced watermelon and oranges. Aside from adding color, these are season appropriate fruits, and would later help to balance out the main course with fruity acidic and fresh notes.

After this, I set out a basket of fresh ciabatta bread, complimented by platter of sliced tomatoes prepared with extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, oregano, sea salt, and fresh Italian parsley. A small platter of Asiago cheese with spice infused olive oil added a second layer of complexity.

Arranged together on the table, they made for a festive and colorful combination.

As for the meat itself, I decided to put a spin on the Fusion Espresso Brava seasonings that the steaks came with, and added orange marmalade, paprika, garlic powder, and dried oregano. This lent the meat a slightly sweet dimension, but at the same time imbued it with rustic Mediterranean notes, allowing it to harmonize all the more perfectly with the tomato and olive oil spreads. I then grilled the steaks stovetop on the griddle, charring perfect grill lines into either side of both. However, given the quality of the meat, I decided to cook them rarer than I usually prefer.

Living the Gourmet: Espresso Brava Filet Mignon & Kurobuta Ham

The steaks featured a very smooth texture, boasting a rich red color in the outer layers, which melded into a deep, almost wine red complexion towards the center. Moist and pliable in the mouth, the Kobe was easy on the palette, lacking the overwhelming and generally unpleasant ‘grittiness’ of lesser cuts.

I will admit that I came to the Kurobuta uncertain of what to expect, as while as I had heard of Kurobuta ham before, I had never had the pleasure of trying it. I seasoned the ham the same way I did he steaks, and then cooked it as prescribed. The ham carried a very fresh, notably ‘clean’ taste, with the flavor of its curing and outer seasonings featuring prominently on the aftertaste, lingering briefly in the mouth. On a side note, the ham went excellently with the grilled pineapple, with the warm acidity of the counterbalancing the natural hardiness of the meat.

With both the steaks and the ham forming the centerpiece of my setting, I couldn’t have been more pleased with how this Mothers Day dinner turned out. As a result, I can wholeheartedly recommend Snake River Farms Kobe beef and Kurobuta ham to my readers as the perfect Mother’s Day gift.

Living the Gourmet: Espresso Brava Filet Mignon & Kurobuta Ham

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Espresso Brava Filet Mignon & Kurobuta Ham


  • Author: Living the Gourmet
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 Kobe Beef Filet Mignon
  • 1 Kurobuta Ham

Rub for the Ham and Filet Mignon:

  • Fusion Espresso Brava – (Naturally Flavored Sea Salt and Coffee)
  • 1 tbs. orange marmalade
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 2 – 3 tbs. olive oil

Instructions

For the Kurobuta Ham:

  1. Combine all of the above ingredients for the rub in a small bowl and mix.
  2. Rub the ham with the Espresso Brava rub and refrigerate for at least one hour.
  3. Preheat Oven 350 degrees F.
  4. Place the ham in a baking dish.
  5. Bake 45 – 50 minutes.
  6. Let the ham rest a few minutes before carving.

For the Filet Mignon:

  1. Rub the steaks with Espresso Brava rub and let rest in the refrigerator for an hour.
  2. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and let sit for at least 10 minutes before cooking.
  3. Heat a grill or griddle. Drizzle a little olive oil over the griddle and place the steaks on the hot griddle.
  4. Do not poke, press down or slice into the steaks while they are cooking!
  5. The firmness of the meat tells how it is cooked; soft is rare, semi soft is medium and firm is well done.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @LivingtheGourmet on Instagram and hashtag it #LTGfood

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

Living the Gourmet: Espresso Brava Filet Mignon & Kurobuta Ham

Special Offer: Send your mom (or yourself!) one of these Mother’s Day gifts and you’ll get free shipping by using the code: LOVEMOM. Click here for Mother’s Day Gifts.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Snake River Farms/Double R Ranch. The opinions and text are all mine.

More from my site

  • Chicken Cordon BleuChicken Cordon Bleu
  • Honey and Rosemary Ham featuring Hatfield®Honey and Rosemary Ham featuring Hatfield®
  • Roasted Herb Chicken featuring Israeli WinesRoasted Herb Chicken featuring Israeli Wines
  • Sweet and Savory Stuffed Pork Loin and Grilled Vegetable CrostiniSweet and Savory Stuffed Pork Loin and Grilled Vegetable Crostini
  • Spicy Seafood Marinara with PastaSpicy Seafood Marinara with Pasta
  • A Village Harvest Winter Feast featuring Sage and Rosemary Cornish Hens & Arborio Rice PuddingA Village Harvest Winter Feast featuring Sage and Rosemary Cornish Hens & Arborio Rice Pudding
0

Beef, Pork filet mignon, ham, main dish, mother's day, snake river farms, sponsored

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to LTG

The heart of our home lies within the kitchen. For us, it is so much more than a place where meals are created; it is where memories are made over meals that are meant to be shared. It was from this belief that Living the Gourmet was born. Read More...

Looking for Something?

Subscribe to the LTG Newsletter

Find Your Influence

Copyright © 2021 · Cravings Pro

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

Living The Gourmet
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.