Crab-Stuffed Filet Mignon with Whiskey Peppercorn Sauce

This was an absolutely stunning recipe! Melt in your mouth delicious filet mignon with a cream sauce worthy of this excellent cut of meat. The crab stuffing was wonderful, not too over powering at all. I noticed a lot of complaints about prep time and had a few suggestions. Start by chopping all the ingredients first (the garlic etc) and have that all laid out and ready to go. For measuring the whiskey, it's convenient to use a medicine measurement. You know, like the ones that come on Pepto Bismol bottles. I measured all tsp and tblsp along with ounces in that one cup and it worked out great. I would definitely start the sauce first. You don't need to mess with it and it can bubble along and reduse itself while you prepare the other parts. Cook the bacon for a couple mins in between paper towels in the microwave to minimize mess and effort. Next and while the bacon cooks, start the stuffing and then get the steaks cooked. Once those are done, your sauce will be ready for the final touches. Working in that order, this recipe took less than 40mins start to finish. 5 Stars and thank you so much for sharing!

After reading many of the reviews, I made the following adjustments, made the crab stuffing (doubled) and the sauce the night before because it is time comsuming to waiting for it to reduce. Also, I like my bacon more crisping than soft so I precooked it to the soft-cooked stage before wrapping the filets. You might have to use two strips to wrap a filet if you do this because they have shrinked. The flavor is divine and if you do your prepwork ahead of time, it's worth the effort to put it on the table for company.

I'm giving this recipe 2 stars (for time), flavor deserves 5. BEWARE! It takes much longer than 1 1/2 hours to make. Start it about 3 hours before you plan on serving (2 1/2 if you plan on making nothing to go with it). Also, not a budget friendly recipe. Forget about using shrimp stock. This is an ingredient that you cannot buy at your local grocery store. The crab stuffing was the easiest part of recipe. It was very tasty and would advise doubling the mixture if you wish to have "genorously stuffed" mignons. The peppercorn sauce smells so good while cooking, but takes forever to simmer down. By the way, if anyone is unsure what constitutes "heavy cream", I asked several people (including dairy manager) & nobody knew for sure. Some said "whipping cream" and others claimed "half and half". I found out for sure that it's "whipping cream"! All in all, very tasty. Not quite sure it was worth the effort. Since I was the cook, thrill of eating was gone by the time I was able to sit down. The people I fed it to, loved it. I was over it! LOL! I served it with fried asparagus, baked red taters & crusty Freedom (french) rolls. Will not make again unless a VERY special occasion (extremely hot date, in-laws, etc...) All said, it really is a 5 star recipe (if you have the time).

This is the best recipe I have - I altered it a bit, which reduced the time it takes to prepare and the ingredients. Crab stuffing - sautee minced onion and red pepper, mix with crab meat, bread crumbs, cajun seasoning to taste, a little lemon juice and mayo (until it's formable). I make the crab stuffing and stuff the filets the night before and then just pop them in the oven the next day when I'm making the dinner. On the sauce - to reduce the sauce to the thickness that is ideal, it will take over 30 minutes (to tell if it's ready, dip spoon in sauce and run your finger down back of the spoon - if the sauce recovers then it's not done). I also didn't do any of the bacon, shallots, mushrooms or mustard - kept it simple. It's great served with asparagus and roasted red potatoes quartered and blanched in olive oil w/ rosemary.

I really wish I could give this 100 stars! I didn't make the crab stuffing but I'm rating this for the sauce. It was one of the best things I've ever made from this website. First, let me say, that it is time consuming, but, oh so worth it. When my very fussy, picky husband said it tastes like something you get from a 5 star restaurant (and he'd eaten all over the world) then I know I've got a winner. The method of reducing the sauce takes about 45-50 minutes. I kept checking it but it looked like it was reducing, but finally, it seems in the last 5 minutes it reduced to the most best flavor, thick sauce. Then using the crimini mushrooms was so great and the whiskey was perfect. I will definately be making this again and plan on serving it to guests next time. Thank you so much for posting this recipe.

If you want to impress someone make this recipe. I used pork tenderloin and used bay spice in the stuffing that someone had mentioned. I broiled the stuffed filets to brown them and then finished baking them.....it probably was the best dinner I ever made. My guests raved about it all night.

I have been wanting to try this recipe for some time now, but as others have said, you need to be able to allocate enough time to really do it right. I felt that overall, this dish isn't all that hard to make. It's just a lot of prep work. The flavors are great, and to reiterate everyone else, the sauce was amazing. It tasted like a steak with a crab cake center, which is all it is essentially. The only thing i wish i did differently, was that i would have cut slightly deeper pockets. (I was afraid of ripping through the steak) I highly recommend this recipe. Keep it your arsenal, and whip it out when you need to impress. Like when you're on a date, or the inlaws come over.

5 stars won't do this one justice if my husband had his way with it! Yes, the sauce does make the recipe, without a doubt. I think I'll be making this for my next dinner party. We served it with grill-roasted rosemary potatoes and a field greens salad...My husband will be raving about this one for a while! We seared the filets on the stove first then grilled. We had super-thick filets, though, and my husband was worried they would be undercooked, when in fact he overcooked them. So, our steaks were well done all the way through, but it was still awesome. He's bringing the leftovers to work tomorrow, and as usual his co-workers will ask what he brought for lunch (we are both near-gourmets)...I think they'll be climbing all over each other for a look at this lunch!

I made this for Father's Day, 2005. Both my father and husband said this was one of the best meals they had ever had. My husband said he wished he could have "Tivoed" the dinner, it was just that good! I followed the directions exactly except for the mushrooms. The sauce never thickened for me either, but I simply added some cornstarch to it. Many reviewers raved about the sauce. The sauce is awesome, but the addition of the crab made it five stars for me! This recipe is a winner! Because I was not rushing to prepare the meal, I did not find the prep time to be an issue. I served it with roasted herb potatoes and asparagus. We had the spinach strawberry salad (from this website)also! Every plate wwas clean! If you are looking for a knockout dish, look no further!

After reading other reviews - decided to skip the crab stuffing. Prepared sauce exactly as directed - poured over grilled ribeye steaks - was fantastic. Didn't want to miss out on the bacon -so fried bacon and crumbled into sauce w/sauteed mushrooms - was a huge hit with my husband - who normally doesn't want any sauce on his steak. Definitely a keeper!

Just a personal taste, but I preferred these without the crab stuffing. Not only does the crab stuffing make this dish shoot way up ($$), but I thought it tasted too rich and added a lot more steps of work! The sauce is great, and so I will make this again w/ just the sauce.

Stunning! Made it for my wedding anniversary and everyone wanted seconds (alas, there were none). I only made two substitutions - user whole green peppercorns for the sauce and wholegrain mustard instead of dijon. Oh, and I flambeed the steaks as well. Turned out excellent, thankyou author!

We made this recipe, minus the crab-stuffing, for a small dinner with friends and it was excellent! The sauce was very flavorful, and it tasted just as good as it smelled!! Will definitely be passing this recipe along.

This was fantastic, however I like my filet mignon a little on the rare side. I didn't like the idea of the crab meat on the inside soaking up all the blood and juces from the raw beef and I knew that the bacon wouldn't cook crispy in the time it takes to cook a rare steak. I skipped the bacon completely (c'mon, who needs crab stuffing, cream sauce AND bacon??I just can't handle that much giult in one meal!) instead of stuffing the filets, I seared them on the stove in a hot cast iron pan, then moved them to a foil lined baking sheet, I topped them with the crab meat stuffing, a small pat of butter on top and put them under the broiler until the stuffing browned on top. It was spectacular

The peppercorn sauce was so easy to make and was absolutely delicious although not the best for you! However, the crab stuffing was way too salty and I like my food well seasoned. I also don't think the crab stuffing really complimented the rest. I would rather have these steaks with the sauce and a crab cake on the side.

Great Sauce!! Made original recipe for entire meal first- Used just sauce recipe for grilled steaks ! What I did was use a lesser pc. of steak in the cast iron skillet to get my yum-yums to deglaze for final steps! I made extra sauce for freezing! Sauce is also good on roast beef!! Thanks- PEACE!

This was by far the best steak I have ever prepared. This recipe must be prepared in stages start your peppercorn sauce at least 3 hrs before your dinner is expected, you can prepare the rest of your meal while you wait for your sauce to thicken follow my steps and you won't go wrong. I started the peppercorn sauce first I let it simmer at a slow roll for about an hour after I added the heavy cream I stirred it frequently until it reduced to a creamy consistency. In a large skillet I sauteed portabello mushrooms, shallots, and onion until tender than added the whiskey, peppercorn sauce and dijon mustard( I added 2 tble spoons ). I allowed 1 to 1 1/2 hrs at a slow roll for this to thicken. It was fabulous! I also made the crab stuffing using 2 6oz cans of crab and 1/2 tsp of creole seasoning 1/2 tsp of old bay seasoning. I prepared the stuffing while the peppercorn sauce was simmering. I placed the stuffing in a small baking dish and refrigerated until I cooked the steaks I cooked in the oven @ 350 for 20 min it was divine!!!! As for the steaks, I seasoned with garlic powder, adobo, and cracked pepper. I did not wrap in bacon However, I cooked 4 thick sliced pieces and cut in large pieces I seared my steaks in a combination of olive oil and bacon grease well done 10 min each side. med 6 min each side. I also sauteed some additional potabello mushroom after the steaks were to my desired doneness I topped with sauteed mushrooms and thick bacon planks and than poured the sauce ov

Is this food or heaven? Holy crud this is good. It's a heavy meal but I loved every single torturous bite of it, nearly rupturing my stomach to finish it all :-) I'm not crying about it though.

I made this dish for Valentine's dinner and my boyfriend absolutely LOVED it. He said it was possibly the best steak he had ever had! I don't eat meat so I can only speak from the look on his face and what he told me but DELICIOUS :) I omitted the crab stuffing at the suggestion of a lot of people on here and he didn't seem to miss it. He said it was perfect without it. I will definitely make this again. THANK YOU!

This is a fantastic recipe! It takes a while to make, but it's worth it. I find that using the juice from the canned crab meat works instead of the water or shrimp stock as well. I also use Brandy instead of Whiskey. I'm not much of a whiskey fan, and I find the brandy has wonderful flavor that compiments this sauce well.

I am only rating the Peppercorn Sauce, as I served this on boneless pork chops! The tast was PERFECT and exactly what I was looking for. The sauce did not thicken and I wish the recipe gave some approximations of time for the sauce to reduce. Next time I may add cornstarch or something to thicken the sauce a bit. Thank you for sharing this wonderful sauce recipe!

This was absolutely delicious. By far one of the best recipes I've ever made. The sauce by itself was to die for and deserves 10 stars, it can be used on so many different things. It's a very pricey meal which is why it sat in my recipe box for over 2 years. We made it on Christmas Eve and even though I made the crab stuffing and began the sauce, as well as stuffed the steaks beforehand, it still took forever. I don't think I'll make this again because after all the time it took and the cost of the meal, we might as well have went out to eat. It was very very good, though and kind of made me feel like a chef :) Thanks for the great recipe!

THIS RECIPE WAS GREAT A LITTLE TIME COMSUMING BUT WELL WORTH IT! MADE THE CRAB STUFFING AND SAUCE THE NIGHT BEFORE TO SAVE A LITTLE TIME!

wonderful. Great flavor, great recipe, just have to alot time to make this and it really isn''t that time consuming gj suezinohio you've got my stars

DELICIOUS! This has become an eagerly anticipated semi-annual tradition at our home! It IS time consuming, but a lot of the prep can easily be done in advance. I prepared it in addition to the "traditional holiday ham" for 22 guests last Christmas - AND EVERYONE LOVED IT! I also serve it at least once during hunting season. I've neglected to note that I usually subsitute quality, grain-fed venison tenderloin for the filet mignon, but I realize venison taste and quality varies greatly from one area to another. When preparing this I use heavy whipping cream (rather than half & half), fresh cracked peppercorns, and quality peppered bacon. Make sure you use a cajun seasoning you're familiar with - not too salty as with my first try. I too usually finish the filets on the grill (well worth the extra effort)and I always double the sauce - it's so good!

My daughter-in-law and son made this for my birthday celebration (so I can't speak to the ease of prep.) but it was just wonderful! The crabmeat stuffing was great in the filet and the sauce put it over the top. They served it with a salad and steamed asparagus. Perfect!

I liked this A LOT! Made exactly as directed EXCEPT I used half and half instead of heavy cream.

A great way to prepare filets! This sauce is absolutely delicious. Like others I skipped the stuffing and opted to serve on mashed potatos with roasted asparagus. The sauce worked with everything and there was plenty. Great recipe to entertain with, you can do the sauce ahead and grill the filets for minimal clean-up. Terrific!

Very good, I could actually feel myself gaining weight, but that's the point with something like this, and totally worth it. Very, very, rich, but very, very, satisfying. I'll be making this again, although prob only about once or twice a year.

Very time consuming. If I were to make this again, I would forget about the crab stuffing. Cooked in the skilled and finished on the grill. The sauce was great and would make that again to use on any kind of steak. I think it would also be fine without the mushrooms.

This recipe is Amazing! I added Shrimp in with the crab mixture as well and used jalapenos instead of bell peppers. The sauce takes forever to make but it is well worth the wait! It would save time to start the sauce ahead of time instead of starting with the crab stuffing. Also, when the meat is finished and you return the sauce, mushrooms & Dijon mustard to the pan, it will take another 20 + minutes to thicken. I just added a little cornstarch! This is an excellent recipe that I will use over and over, when I have extra time! I also added Shrimp in with the crab mixture. Also, I only made two steaks but made the full amount of sauce for 4 steaks....We each had just the right amount of sauce, if you want more, double the sauce recipe.

This was a great as a Valentine's Day dinner for two, or for any special occasion. Recommend starting the sauces well in advance for a good reduction.

Just the sauce - def takes hours to reduce. This is very good, but not 5 star. Very rich.

Made this spectacular dish for Valentines day with twice baked potato and lobster tail (I submitted the photo). I followed the advice of a few reviews, prepared the stuffing and sauce reduction the night before. This recipe was not difficult. It surprised and pleased the pallets of all my guests!!

This recipe is one of my family's favorites! We don't bother with the crabmeat stuffing anymore, if I did, I'd probably cut the breadcrumbs by half. But the whiskey peppercorn sauce is out of this world. I slice the filets after cooking, and lay them across some rice, and pour the sauce over top. I love it.

Delicious. Everything blended together perfectly! Only problem I had was it was hard to tell if the steaks were done due to the stuffing and bacon! Thanks for sharing!

This was AMAZING!

Definitely took a long time to prepare the sauce (maybe an hour) but my boyfriend and I loved this. We used Woodford Reserve whiskey and we think it made a big difference. Cooked in the skillet this time but will probably grill the filets next time. Served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. Great for Valentine's Day!

absolutely phenomenal recipe. has a very heavy sauce that does not taste heavy. very very good - we used london broil and it was yummy too

Sorry but this was not liked at my house by 4 people. I will never again wrap filet mignon in bacon (made it taste like ham instead of steak) This was very expensive too make because I used real crab too (didn't even taste it because the bacon flavor and sauce) Will not make again. The stuffing I will though.

Do not, repeat, DO NOT, attempt to make this for the first time BY YOURSELF for a dinner party, especially for your future in-laws. It really is time-consuming, and unless you have all ingredients on hand and ready to prep, plus about 3 hours to pull it all together, you're going to feel like you've gotten in over your head. I would have given this 1 star, except for the fact the the sauce was indeed very flavourful. The sauce, however, was the main thing holding me up (the other reviewers that complained about the reducing time taking so long were right). I used cornstarch in a feeble attempt to thicken it, but stopped after 2 tbs. because I was afraid of what the taste/texture would be. I was too tired to enjoy the meal once it was finally done. Everyone said that they liked it, but I wasn't sure if they were just feeling sorry for me because they saw what I went through, or if they were really telling the truth. Bottom line is, make sure you have a friend or significant other helping you with the prep of this dish and anything else that is to accompany it, because there's nothing worse than finally getting it done and thinking, "oh no, I forgot to do a salad and a side dish." There's no way you're going to be able to keep those steaks warm and tender and not have to serve them with a chainsaw. Good luck to all who make this...I won't be making it again.

Didn't use the crab stuffing. Made the sauce and an onion and mushroom dish in the morning and brought everything to my daughter's home to cook for her birthday. Used Glenlivet scotch whiskey and chopped rather than sliced the mushrooms in the sauce. I seared the steaks in the frying pan then put them in the oven for 14-15 minutes at 350. Came out perfectly cooked and so tender. My idea was to put the mushroom/onion over the filet mignon and the sauce on top of that. Unfortunately, I put the mushroom/onion dish in my 2nd fridge and forgot to bring it to my daughter's. Oh well, still had the potatoes, salad and bisquits to serve with the steak. My daughter commented that the steak and sauce would be something you found in a 5 star restaurant. So good! Thank you so much for this recipe. Will be making it again.

This recipe is spectacularly good. The flavor in the sauce rivals any I've had at high end steakhouses. I agree with a number of the other reviewers that you should allow yourself PLENTY of time for this recipe. It took me just under 3 hours. I think prepping the ingredients the day before for the crab stuffing might help. Prepare for the cream sauce to cook down slowly; it took over 40 minutes on my stove. All that aside, fabulous and will definitely make it again!

The whiskey peppercorn sauce is awesome! I used what I had on hand - a nice thick sirloin in place of the filets and skipped the crab stuffing and mushroom mixture and it was fantastic! I used a little corn starch to speed up the thickening of the sauce at the end. The way I prepared it only took about 30 minutes! I will make this a regular and will add the mushroom mixture the next time. Thanks Sue Z. for a wonderful, divine recipe!!

Excellent! Leftovers are as good as the first day if not better.

Took WAY too much time to make this dish and the taste wasn't anything worth spending so much time on.

This rate is only based on the steak sauce! It is fabulous! I make it for any steak that we have on hand. It makes even the cheaper steaks taste really good!

DH made this for my Mother's Day dinner and it was FABULOUS!!! Thank you for providing the inspiration to his perfectly executed dinner... I feel so spoiled and loving it!

SAUCE ONLY REVIEW: Fantastic! Super-tasty! I never could get the finished sauce to reduce to 1 cup, so I turned up the heat & added about 3T cornstarch to thicken it up. It was GREAT! I also sauteed 8oz of fresh sliced mushrooms in 5T butter & 2t minced onion. When the mushrooms were tender, I added them to the sauce. It was simply fabulous! I topped some steaks with the sauce and my husband loved it. This sauce would be wonderful on fish or chicken too!

Tasty- but very rich. If you like to cook- it's really not that time consuming provided you are well organized. Start the sauce first and as you finish up with the sides- the sauce is done. I seared the filets on both sides and then baked them in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes. I substituted portobellos for the crimini mushrooms and it was great. I served this with pan fried sweet potatoes and a nice romaine salad dressed with balsmaic vinigrette and olive oil. I wouldn't double the stuffing- less is definitely more in this case. A great meal and much less than what you would pay for at a restaurant!

OMG! This is amazing. If making it for a dinner party my advice is start early. Have all ingredients pre-chopped and ready to go. For the crab stuffing I used Old Bay Seasoning. (not the Cajun) It's a seasoning used for seafood in MD, it's great. For the reduction stage of the sauce - be patient, don't rush it. I stirred for 1 hr & 15 min. Grab a book it helps pass the time. The steaks cooked perfectly, and the sauce was delicious. Everyone really enjoyed this dish. Well worth all the work, just wish there wasn't so many calories in it!

This was, quite simply, superb. I made the dish for a special occasion, and gave myself plenty of time to complete it, since I had read so many reviews that were critical of the time required. I think if you accept that it's time consuming right from the start, you'll be better able to appreciate it. I substituted shiitake mushrooms for crimini, because the crimini were unavailable, and I followed other suggestions to increase the amount of crab stuffing, using fresh (rather than canned) crab. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. My guests were astonished at the quality of the meal. I will make this again, when I have the time and a good reason. Thanks!

this was a great recipe. it was A LOT of prep but the sauce was excellent. i would even use just the sauce and steak without the stuffing. great sauce!!!

I made this recipe for a very special occasion. It was worth every minute. I tripled the recipe for 12 filets and didn't waiver a bit on the instructions. I took into consideration other comments and prepared my kitchen for the task. With a little multi tasking the meal with 12 baked potatoes, an asparagus side with an appetizer of fresh tomatoes mozzarella topped with balsamic glaze was prepared in under two hours. It is important to start with the sauce first if time is of the essence. Our guest loved it and were delighted to find the crab.

Very Yummy! I wouldn't omit crab stuffing! The crab gave it a nice sweet taste while the sauce was just perfect - which I double because of other reviews saying is was so good... and they were right. You can use this with any type of boneless steak. What a wonderful birthday dinner for my husband who is a HUGE steak fan. Thanks!

First of all I did not make the crab stuffing part of this recipe. That being said the steak and sauce was phenomenal. I don't ever want to eat steak with out the peppercorn sauce again! You have to be very careful with the sauce I found however because if you cook it for to long it's starts to get very liquidly.

My husband and I both give this recipe 5 stars. The first time I made it was without mushrooms (I don't like them) and was pretty good. I just made it a second time, this time with baby bella mushrooms to see which way is better. It was wonderful. I did skip the bacon this time because it is rich enough without it. I loved the stuffing and sauce and can't wait to make it again. I will never make a filet mignon another way.

I agree with the other reviews, awesome, awesome, awesome meal! Restaurant quality, but I am so tired after making this meal. I would buy all the ingredients already minced, and I personally would skip the mushrooms. I also made potatoes and asparagus to go with it. Tasted great! I used J.Daniels for the whiskey. I was confused about cooking the filet, but I placed it in the skillet and turned it over about three times and then placed it in a 350 degree oven for about ten minutes. Turned out perfectly medium. Put the thick cut bacon in the oven on 450 for about ten minutes, keeps it's shape better in the oven when you cook it what way. My filets were about 3 inches thick, so adjust time accordingly. Great, great recipe, terrible to make on a work night :(

Fantastic! Maybe I'm more comfortable in a kitchen than some but I couldn't figure out what all the whining was about regarding the prep for this dish. Sure you have to chop up a bunch of stuff but once that's done, everything goes together easily. I started the sauce while the stuffing was cooking and everything was set when the steaks were ready to be stuffed and sauted. We've even prepared this dish ahead of time (all except cooking the meat) and brought it over to a friend's house and completed it there. The stuffing was great and the whikey peppercorn sauce was incredible. My husband lurked around the kitchen and could not believe there were no mushrooms in the sauce as it was reducing. It smelled great and tasted even better. My only advice is to precook the bacon for a few minutes (4-5)in the microwave to prevent it from being soggy if you're cooking the filets to medium rare.

First let me say I rarely give a 5 star. Second I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I grilled Porterhouse steaks and placed the sauce into the mushroom mix and placed on the steak. Not bad but a little peppery. The sauce took right at an hour to reduce and make. Overall, a pretty nice recipe. Thanks!

Amazing, it even tasted good with the $5 fillets in a package from Walmart.

I was dissapointed! For all the work and such a fancy-sounding title, I had hoped for better flavor. There are better steak recipes on this site.

I found this recipe VERY time consuming but it's EXCELLENT. At the end I got bored and added cornstarch to the sauce instead of bringing it down to a cup and I used shrimp instead of crab. I also chopped the mushrooms and used a little extra. My hubby loved it!! I may cook it again if I had a full day to cook.

Awesome! Didn't change a thing!

Only made the sauce. Won't make it again, as was told there wasn't a bold enough flavor.

This was Excellent! I made it for our anniversary last night - and it was absolutely the best steak I have ever made - the sauce was to die for ! Thanks!

Wow! Great recipe! My husband kept pouring more and more of the whiskey peppercorn sauce on his filet. Loved it and will definitely make it again.

i have prepared this dish for years. we have a large family and i cook alot. my 5 boys can't get enough of this and it always ends up the birthday request meal. although time consuming - this is more than worth the effort. since you will be stuck in the kitchen anyway, don't use canned crab. large chunks of king crab legs make it that much more special and eliminates the salty/fishy flavor some have mentioned. the sauce - by far - the most outstanding. make this!

I made this recipe just as Sue wrote it and found it to be perfect! If there was alot of prepping, I never noticed! It was well worth any time I put into making it. I made this as a special dish for my husband for Valentine's Day. It was outstanding! My husband loved it! I will make this again and again. Thank you for a keeper recipe!

I read some of the other reviews EVEN BEFORE I made it and I should have heeded. The crab is just overkill for an otherwise perfect dish. We had steamed broccoli and a parmesan risotto with ours. I will definetly take the time to make this again. BTW you should double the sauce recipe if you cut out the crab. Very rich and decadent but fabulous!

This recipe is phenomenal! I reserve it for special occasions only, as it does take some time. The crab stuffing is great, but i prefer to put it on top of the steaks and drizzle everything with the sauce before serving. I also suggest partially cooking the bacon before attaching it to the steaks, it just makes it a bit crisper at the end. The sauce does take a while to simmer down, but if you start it first, and let it go while you do the rest of your cooking and prep work, its not so time consuming. During the final simmer, just keep your steaks warm and get your vegetable side or salad ready, then it doesn't feel like it took forever. I like to serve it with mashed potatoes to soak up any leftover sauce on the plate! Wonderful dish, I highly recommend it, especially if your trying to impress!

EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT!!!! My husband made this for me for Valentine's Day dinner at home and it was the BEST steak I've ever had! Melted in my mouth, better than any steak house! Whoever down rated this recipe b/c of preparation, should be ashamed!

YUM! Not sure where to start with this one really. It was all great, the sauce is incredible, the crab stuffing was amazing, and put it all together and you end up with one fan-tab-ulous dish! I would say, as others have noted, that you do not need the crab stuffing to "make" this. The star really is the sauce. I did not use bacon, even though I love bacon...just thought it was rich enough and not neccessary. Did follow one reviewers though on preparing the sauce well in advance and letting it sit to thicken. As it was doing this, I did add butter to sauce which seemed to add to the richness. There are a dozen different things to use this sauce for and just as many ways to change around the prep of the dish and how you serve it. With or without bacon, with or without the crab stuffing, and so on. Another thing I did, was seared the filet in hot pan then finished off in the oven. As I said, I made th esauce in advance and in that I left the shallots and mushrooms. Did not take long to prepare or put on the table and hubby said it was way better than anything we could have ordered out. ENJOY!!

We had this same recipe last year in Dublin at a Restaurant called the Lobster Pot, being from Maine we skipped the Lobster and went for the steak, having for two weeks indulged ourselves with the finest seafood in the world....bar none, Ireland is tops for all things coming out of the ocean. This dish does have a lot of steps and ingredients but if your fixing it for company you can do everything ahead of time and put it in holding pattern.....till it's time to sear the steaks, which really goes fast. This dish may also be fixed with a top-grade sirloin like they do in Ireland, but be aware their restaurant grade sirloin is far superior to ours, so buy the best or stick to a filet mignon tucking a scant teaspoon of frozen butter in with the crabmeat. This is absolutely my favorite meat dish...decadent! It is so rich, avoid the temptation of having rich side dishes, herbed/buttered string beans and a pretty salad w/pears/currents/chevre with a dash of Cherry Basalmic....oh my!

It does take some time but its worth it. Very yummy!

tasteful - next time I wouldn't stuff with the crab though. Maybe just put it on top of the meat unless you like your meat well done. We are rare - medium rare people and the blood just sat on top of the crabmeat. The sauce was excellent. Would make this one again.

wow! this was great. the prep wasn't near as bad as i thought it might be. hubby loved it. i made the stuffing the night before and used shitake mushrooms. fabulous!

I can't even begin to describe it. Cooked as ordered, but in a little different order for times sake. Maybe an hour total cooking and prep by this order: sauce, stuffing, steak. It takes awhile to reduce the sauce right, but what a difference. Hands down, this is the best thing I have ever cooked.

Fabulous!! Although I would cut the amount of beef broth by 1/3 and thin later if necessary. But was a wonderful meal. The crab stuffing great I used lump crabmeat NO IMITATION CRAB. I will make again. Be sure filets are good and thick.

Wow! Company worthy and restaurant quality. We did not do the crab stuffing as we enjoy filet and did not want to detract from the beef. Yes, the sauce takes a while to make, but there is no need to reduce the broth and pepper over med stirring constantly>>> I boiled it down on high in a minute or 2. But before you put the cream in let it cool a minute, and that's when you need to take your time. We enjoy mushrooms with our steak and doubled the mushroom mixture>> can't imagine it would be enuf otherwise!!(used button mushrooms) and surprisingly I did not need to double the sauce. I'm surprised there were no instructions on actually cooking the filet. I used a piping hot cast iron skillet it to sear it (same one I did the mushrooms in), reduced heat a little and cooked til desired doneness (a couple we put under the broiler). Served with asparagus. Outstanding, will make this again and again.

This came out very salty for me. So much so, I couldn't even taste the stuffing in the meat. If I make it again, I will try a low-sodium broth. Thanks.

for the meat we skipped all of thise prep- we sprinkled Montreal steak seasoning and wrapped in bacon and then BBQed. Made the crab mixture as described (from fresh crab legs) and served on top with sauce but had to thicken with flour . Very good - but it was lots of work

This is one of the best steaks I have ever had! All 12 guests have requested the recipe and said that it was the "best steak they had in years!" Here is what I did different and recommend: I subtituted lobster for crab. I used two large tails which was plenty for the 12 filets. I also used butter and olive oil to saute the lobster stuffing. The sauce does take forever to reduce and thicken so in the future I will make earlier in the day. I didn't wrap the steaks with bacon since I realized that I didn't have enough on hand and don't feel that it was missed at all. Between the richness of the sauce and the lobster stuffing you don't need the bacon. I also modified the sauce and served it as is at the end of the 2nd step ( I omitted the last step of adding mushrooms,etc. as my husband doesn't like them.) Instead, I sauteed an assortment of wild mushrooms in butter, wine and thyme and served this as a sidedish. It was so fabulous that I am making it again on Christmas Day!!

I made this for my boyfriend's birthday and he was floored. This recipe truly rivals any four-star restaurant's best offering. I would advise against making the sauce the day before, however. By the time I used it the next day, it had separated a little. Fabulous recipe!

The sauce was very good,but very Time consuming, and like others, didnt use the crabmeat..end result tasted just like my swiss steak sauce i make with mushroom soup, fresh mushrooms, onions, etc. but with a cheaper piece of meat, sirlion or even round steak.....was a waste for my expensive filet mignons, tasted like any other steak...will not make again...filet mignons are great on grill with little of nothing....but thanks anyhow...

Took a while longer to prepare than noted, but it was well worth it. We thought it was very good, quite delicious & worthy of preparing again.

Very good recipe. Took less than 2 hours from start to finish. Start the sauce first before anything so that it has time to reduce down (took me about an hour). If I were to make it again, which I'm sure I will for a special night, I will stuff the meat with the crab mixture the day before and keep in the fridge. That way, all I will need to do is make the sauce and whatever else to go with dinner and not have so much work to do in one night. Thanks for the great recipe!! Glad I tried it!!!

I made this for Valentine's last night and it was amazing! The only thing that didn't go quite right was that my sauce did not thicken as much as I expected it to. Also, I thought the pepper taste was a little overpowering; maybe next time I wouldn't put any extra pepper on the steaks for seasoning because the sauce adds plenty of flavor. Nevertheless, it was a delicious and very special meal.

This is amazing! My favorite part of it was the peppercorn sauce. Next time I am going to skip the crab stuffing, and just have the steak with the sauce and lots of good bread to soak it up!!!

amazing! i made this for valentines dinner, and my boyfriend loved it so much he nearly proposed lol. the only thing i did differently was to deglaze the pan with two parts beef broth, one part whiskey. it gave it a bit more of a nicely salty flavor without overdoing it with the alcohol. i served it with roasted red potatoes and asparagus. it was sooo good. we about licked the sauce off our plates it was that tasty lol. def. a keeper.

Absolutely amazing. I made it last night, using two 6 oz. filets that I stuffed with the crab mixture. I made the full amount of stuffing, but it was more than I needed for two filets. I'd say it's the perfect amount for three well-filled filets, but you could stretch it to fill four filets. We ate the extra in the bowl. It was that delicious. I started the sauce early, since I read that it takes a while to reduce. So it worked perfectly. The sauce was ready the same time that the filets were done. About 45 minutes from start to finish, but not labor intensive. I made our other dishes while the sauce was reducing. Really delicious with a wonderful sauce.

Recipe is wonderful, but rather than the complicated crab stuffing, I used jumbo lump backfin crab meat placed on top of cooked filet, then the peppercorn sauce, which I made ahead of time and reheated. I feel keeping the ingredients true to themself enhances any recipe. Why take wonderful flavors and add bread crumbs?

A few things about this recipe, parts of it are delicious but very time consuming. I made this for my husband and I on Valentines day thinking it would be a nice dinner. I think it took 2 1/2 hours to complete. My husband enjoyed it, but I didn't as much. I thought there were too many flavors for this dish. If you decide to make this dish, I recommend skipping the crab stuffing. I LOVED the whiskey sauce reduction, but the crab stuffing overpowered the rest of the delicious flavors (in my opinion.) I also recommend skipping the bacon wrapping, unless your meat isn't as nice of a cut. I feel this was an unnecessary use of calories as the whiskey peppercorn sauce has enough flavor on its own! In any case, just know that it takes more time than it says.

INCREDIBLE! It really isn't difficult to make, but comes out very impressive. We stuff our filets with the crab mixture, wrap in bacon, and put them on the grill. YUM

This was absolutely delicious! The whiskey sauce is to die for! I will however use the author's tip of browning first and then finishing off on the grill the next time. It was hard to tell when they were finished by cooking completely in the pan on the stove. Also next time I will use reduced sodium beef broth as it did seem too salty and use more mushrooms.

4.5 stars... While the crab mixture was tasty, I just don't think it was necessary to stuff the filets with it. My guests didn't really taste it - I think it would be better on the side or crab cake style. I cooked the bacon 2 minutes, wrapped around the filet and threw on the grill 8 min. each side. I doubled the sauce, let it reduce almost 2 hours... it was fantastic. I think I put a little too much dijon in, but my guests were in awe of it. Yes, its time consuming... but just start the sauce and while that is reducing, do the rest. You can pre-stuff the filet, and get all your side dishes done in that waiting period and it really isn't too bad. Once you make it once, you'll realize you can work around it. Happy eating!

I love this recipe and have made it many times. I agree with the last review that a good filet should be able to stand alone without a heavy sauce. That being said though, if you're looking for a little something extra, this is it! Worth the extra work and just as good as many of the 5 star restaurant steaks I've eaten! I usually skip the crab stuffing and just make crab cakes with it to accompany the steak or skip that part alltogether.

SAUCE REVIEW ONLY: Yes, it takes a long time, but it is not involved. It really is worth it, great sauce! I prepared it for Valentine's Day for my husband and served with a Filet Mignon, Roasted Asparagus, Baked Potato, and Crab Cakes (I opted to make a different Crab Cake recipe to serve verses stuffing the steak with the Crab Stuffing). Next time I will prepare the sauce with a Boneless Ribeye as the Filet Mignon isn't what makes it special. You really should try the sauce recipe, you won't be disappointed. Just allow at least 2 1/2 hours for it to do its thing. And I did heed warnings and used lower sodium Beef Broth. Was a good idea indeed.

My whole family loved this dish! I started the sauce way before hand as suggested which worked out great! I didn't stuff the filets because some people in home do not like seafood of any kind, but I made the stuffing and put it on top of the filets and broiled it for a minute just to heat the crab a little bit more. This dish was the best thing I have ever cooked!! Thank you for sharing it.