Recipe(tried): Warm fillet Mignon & Apple Dessert

This certainly looked strange to me as it's sort of "east-meets-west" kind of dish. But it is not too bad! Since it's quite rich, I only serve it w/ simple green salad w/ red rine vinaigrette & some white bread rolls. A bottle of Henschke 1994 Keyneton Estate went well w/ the meal. The dessert was simple as well, Swiss-Style Apple Dessert w/ brown basmati rice did just fine... (As chris' bro seems can't do w/out rice in any meal!) ** I only made 1/2 amoount of both recipes as there r only 3 ppl. ps: i am going to make some asian stuff (boring!) tonight as we have had too much western food (not according to me)or else chris' bro will go mad soon!! ^_^
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WARM FILET MIGNON WITH SESAME MAYONNAISE
Yield: 4 servings
2 star anise or 1/4 teaspoon five spice powder
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 pounds, (net weight) filet mignon trimmed of all fat and tied
1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 to 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 bunch watercress, stems removed
1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
Salt, pepper and crushed red pepper

Place star anise, soy sauce, garlic, sugar and rice vinegar in a small skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for a minute or until only 1/4 cup remains. Strain out star anise and reserve. If you are using five spice powder instead of star anise, add it to the liquid now. Let it cool while you boil the beef. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil. Add beef and boil for 15 to 18 minutes. (depending if you like it very rare or just rare.) Remove the beef from water and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes while you finish mayonnaise.

Mix cooled reduced star anise liquid with mustard and mayonnaise. Add sesame oil to taste, 1/2 teaspoon salt and crushed red pepper. Thin mayonnaise with just a teaspoonful of water to make it spreadable.

When the beef is cool, slice it vertically, with the grain, into 1/2-inch wide slices. Then slice the long slices, across the grain into 3-inch long by 1/2-inch wide strips. Spread some mayonnaise on a dinner plate. Center a clump of watercress in the center of your plate. Surround watercress with a wreath of beef slices and sprinkle meat with coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper and chives. Drizzle more mayonnaise on beef edges if you wish (or for a more professional look, transfer mayonnaise to squirt bottle to drizzle over beef edges)
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Swiss-Style Apple Dessert
Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

4-6 Red baking apples, cored, sliced in thin wedges (leave mostly unpeeled)
1 cup apple juice
1 pinch ground anise seeds
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups cooked rice (preferably brown Basmati)

Method
Place all ingredients but vanilla and rice in a 3-quart pot. Simmer uncovered (stir a few times) for about 20 minutes or until apple wedges are soft. Remove from heat and let stand a few minutes. Stir in vanilla. Pour over rice and serve.

Per serving: Calories 236; Fat 1.5 gms; Saturated Fat 0.3 gms; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 5.5 mg; Carbohydrate 56.5 gms; Dietary fiber 5.6 gm; Sugars 32.7 gms; Protein 2.3 gms. This recipe is 6% fat