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Filet mignon! To many peoples' minds, the words themselves speak of excellence, good living and expensive taste. No wonder. Carefully selected and expertly cut, filet mignon is a steak lover's dream.

Filet mignon is a boneless steak that is cut from the tenderloin of the cow, which, as its name implies, yields the tenderest meat.

The filet itself is usually cut into portions between 1 and 2 inches in thickness. Oftentimes, stores sell such portions pre-wrapped with bacon. The reason for this is that file mignon does not contain as much fat marbling as bone-in steak cuts generally do; the bacon, then, substitutes for the missing fat.

If you prefer your marbling to be natural, or you simply don't eat pork, then look for filet mignon that is pink rather than red--the lighter the color the better, in other words. Lighter color=more marbling.

One key point to remember when cooking filet mignon, whether you broil, roast, grill or pan fry it, is to use high heat in the process. A second key point is not to cook it too long; filet mignon is particularly susceptible to drying out as it cooks.

Keeping those two key points in mind, almost any steak recipe will work for filet mignon. Cookbooks and the Web are overflowing with imaginative things you can do with this royal cut of beef. If you've never cooked filet mignon, though, here are two basic recipes to get you started:

Grilled Filet Mignon

Ingredients

4 filets mignons

Salt

Black pepper

Directions

Heat grill. Grill filets mignons for 3 to 5 minutes per side, which will cook them to medium or medium-rare doneness. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Note: Connoisseurs will tell you that filets mignons can only be properly appreciated medium-rare or even rare. I tend to agree. But if you really can't stand the thought of eating steak that pink, feel free to cook longer. Again, start with high heat so as to minimize the time needed to reach your preferred state of doneness.

Sauteed Filet Mignon

Ingredients

4 filets mignons

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons fresh, chopped rosemary

Cooking oil

Directions

Season the filets mignons with the salt and pepper, then sprinkle rosemary over them. Heat a little oil in a skillet over medium to high heat. Place the meat in the skillet and fry for 3 to 5 minutes per side (for medium-rare doneness).

By the way, a red wine such as cabernet sauvignon or burgundy makes a great accompaniment to filet mignon.

Sarah Sandori is the food and entertaining columnist for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Have you ever wanted to be able to exactly duplicate a favorite dish from a favorite restaurant? Check out Sarah's article where she reveals her source for the most mouth-watering secret restaurant recipes in America: http://www.solid-gold.info/most-wanted-recipes.html