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These Filet Mignon Bites with Creamy Horseradish Sauce are the perfect elegant appetizer to serve at your next party. Tender bites of filet mignon are wrapped in bacon and served with a thick and tangy horseradish sauce.
With awards season in full effect, I’ve been thinking of more ways to pair appetizers with wine – besides the typical cheese platter. I wanted to do something fancy enough to match with those Oscar de la Renta vintage gowns and Louboutin shoes. It doesn’t get much more fancy than filet mignon.
These bites of deliciously tender steak are wrapped in bacon… Because:
- The bacon helps to keep the filet extra moist.
- It adds a bit of smoky flavor to the filet.
- Everything is better with bacon.
But, let’s add one more “accessory” into the mix. This creamy horseradish sauce. Think of this sauce as the $1M jewels that are dripping off of Jennifer Aniston’s neck. It’s extravagant – Tangy, spicy horseradish, combined with creamy greek yogurt, a bit of breadcrumbs to thicken things up a bit, and some unsweetened applesauce to add an extra layer and a hint of sweetness to the mix. It’s the best part of this dish – Next to the bacon and filet of course.
And then comes the wine. When we’re hosting company, I like to offer at least a couple of wine pairing options. First, because not everyone has the same taste in wine. Second, because it’s fun to taste a couple different wines with the food, to see how each can compliment the food.
I chose a couple of bottles from Dreaming Tree – A North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon and a California Pinot Noir. Dreaming Tree Wines are a creative collaboration between world renowned musician Dave Matthews and award- winning winemaker Sean McKenzie, a perfect “star” tie-in for awards season. The team launched their lineup of high-quality California wines in the fall of 2011. The collection also includes a Central Coast Chardonnay, Central Coast “Everyday” white blend, North Coast “Crush” red blend, and Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc.
Fun fact: Their bottles are a quarter pound lighter than the average wine bottle, which means it’s easier to walk your recycling to the curb leaving a smaller carbon footprint through transportation.
The Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely a more full-bodied wine, with big tannins, aromas of dark berries and herbal notes. This makes it an awesome match for the rich filet mignon.
For those looking for a lighter bodied wine, the Pinot Noir is where you’ll meet your match. This 2014 Pinot Noir saw a hot and dry growing season, which means it’s a bit of a bigger pinot, making it perfect for pairing with this heavier dish. It’s fruit-forward with earthy notes which makes it an amazing match with the smoky bacon.
Have you tasted any of the wines in the Dreaming Tree lineup? If not, be sure to check out your local retailer for wine tasting demos! Which do you think you’ll love with these Filet Mignon Bites?
- 1 pound beef tenderloin
- ½ pound thin-sliced bacon
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, for basting
- 6 ounces greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Pat tenderloin dry and cut into 1-inch cubes. Cut each strip of bacon in half and wrap around the steak cubes. Secure with a toothpick. Season each side of the steak with salt and pepper.
- Spray a grill pan, or grill with cooking spray, and warm to medium high heat. Sear the steak cubes for a 1-2 minutes on each steak side. Place on a baking sheet with the bacon side lying down. Bake for 2-3 minutes, flip the steak bites over to the other bacon side, and bake for an additional 2-3 minutes, until cooked to your liking. Brush with Worcestershire sauce.
- Combine the greek yogurt, horseradish, breadcrumbs and applesauce in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For more information on Dreaming Tree wines, visit them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.
I'm Erin. Living in the Pacific NW - My favorite things include great food, vineyard visits, beach weekends, and my labradoodle Sammie. ♥ 
I want these right now, Erin, and it’s only 8:30am! These look and sound AMAZING!
I may or may not have eaten some of these (leftover) for breakfast… Totally acceptable in my book!
Wow–this sounds SOOOOO good!! I like your style! 😉
I would never have guessed those ingredients in the horseradish sauce… I can’t eat most of them but I do someday want to learn to make aoli and other fancy sauces, maybe I could do a homemade horseradish base too!
Thank you! It’s quite a decadent appetizer – Perfect for awards season… Or just a Wednesday night 😉
Few things in life are better than bacon-wrapped filet mignon. Soo good. And that sauce looks divine!
You’re right about that Natasha! It was quite the pity when I had to “sample” the recipe and eat about 5 of these “bites” myself… I just called it dinner 😉
Erin—I am so making these for Sunday. We love filets paired with horseradish. This is fablous!
Sunday – Valentine’s Day – What a perfect occasion!
Those sound like such a fun party food! And I love anything with a horseradish dip 😉
Agree about the Dreaming Tree wines. Solid values!
What a genius idea! I love filet! It is my favorite cut of beef. My hubby likes a NY strip but I am not a fan of the fat. The marbling is great for flavor but I don’t like to eat it. These bite-sized portions of deliciousness are making my mouth water! Throw on a kick of horseradish and I will fight someone MMA style to get the last one!
🙂 Filet is my favorite cut too Jennifer – We may be battling over the last one!
This looks delicious and fairly easy to make. ..