NOTE:  I normally do all my steaks on a Weber kettle grill with charcoal but it has been raining all weekend so the oven or stove top will get you by in a pinch.  I am a firm believer that a charcoal steak is the best and that is solely my opinion but shared by millions!  I have broiled and pan fried steaks with excellent success also.

Start your Pinot Noir blackberry sauce ahead of the filet mignon since it will take a little longer to complete the sauce.  Sauté onions and shallots over medium high heat in a little olive oil until soft and golden taking care not to burn them.  Over medium high heat, heat up wine and vinegar.  Boil until liquid is thick, about 10 minutes.  Add stock, thyme and 1 cup of the berries.  Bring to boil and simmer until reduced to 1 cup.  Using a fine mesh strainer, strain into medium saucepan, pressing solids to extract flavors.  This can be made several days in advance and kept in the refrigerator.  When ready to serve, return sauce to a simmer.  Whisk in 1/4 cup butter.  Remove from heat.  Add remaining berries to garnish.  Serve with grilled, baked or broiled meat, chicken or fish, sprinkling a handful of reserved whole berries around the serving plate is you desire.

Serve the filet mignon with your favorite sides such as a baked potato or loaded mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and salad of your choice.  My bride and myself did the loaded mashed potatoes which had some of the peeling left on a few of the potatoes and I did a medley of red, yellow and green bell peppers, fresh baby Bella mushrooms and onions sautéed in extra virgin olive oil seasoned with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper corns and served with a toss salad and Texas style garlic toast.  The Pinot Noir wine was sipped along the way and enjoyed a great meal with a wonderful person, my bride of 41 years.  I have been a firm believer that a good steak does not need a sauce but some sauces do take a steak to the next level of flavor enhancement and the pinot noir blackberry sauce is outstanding.  I drizzled the sauce over the steak and went back for a couple extra applications of the sauce before finishing off the filet mignon.  You will either like it or not and will not know unless you try it.

IMPORTANT:

After desired cooking temperature is reached, remove meat from heat source and let stand 10 to 15 minutes before carving. The amount of time required for resting varies with the size of the cut of your meat. During this resting time, the meat continues to cook (meat temperature will rise 5 to 20 degrees after it is removed from the heat source) and the juices redistribute.

Cooking thermometers take the guesswork out of cooking, as they measures the internal temperature of your cooked meat and poultry, or any casseroles, to assure that a safe temperature has been reached, harmful bacteria have been destroyed, and your food is cook perfectly.

A cooking or meat thermometer should not be a "sometime thing." Use it every time you prepare foods like poultry, roasts, hams, casseroles, meat loaves and egg dishes.

If you don't regularly use a thermometer, you should get into the habit of using one.  A thermometer can be used for all foods, not just meat.  It measures the internal temperature of your cooked meat and poultry or any casseroles, to assure that a safe temperature has been reached and that harmful bacteria like certain strains of Salmonella and E. Coli O 157:H7 have been destroyed.  Foods are properly cooked only when they are heated at a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria that cause food-borne illness.