Recipe Website Research

Filet Mignon with Red Wine Sauce

My recipe page will focus on an steak dinner with a red wine and balsamic reduction. I want the final design to feel homey and sophisticated, while still making the recipe easy to follow.

Recipe Content

This recipe combines pan-seared filet mignon with a rich red wine and balsamic sauce. The steak is first seared for a browned exterior, finished in the oven, and served with a reduced sauce that adds sweetness and acidity.

Serves: 2
Total time: about 25 minutes
Original recipe: Kitchen Swagger — Filet Mignon with Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 filet mignon steaks, about 8–10 oz each
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 whole garlic clove
  • Optional chopped parsley or rosemary for garnish
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
  • Pinch of salt and pepper for the sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 415°F and let the steaks sit out for about 30 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat a light coating of oil in an oven-safe skillet over high heat. Sear the steaks for about 2 minutes on each side.
  3. Add rosemary, garlic, and butter if desired, then move the skillet to the oven. Cook until the steaks reach your preferred doneness.
  4. Remove the steaks and let them rest for 5–10 minutes.
  5. For the sauce, combine the wine, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
  6. Lower to a simmer and cook until the sauce reduces by about half and thickens, then spoon it over the steak.

Source attribution: Recipe by Shawn Williams, Kitchen Swagger. This research page summarizes the original recipe in my own words.

Sample Imagery

I am interested in combining food photography with hand-drawn or illustrated elements. These references show how ingredients, typography, and recipe information become part of the overall composition instead of feeling like separate pieces.

Illustrated chicken ramen recipe with hand-drawn ingredients and typography
I like the hand-drawn ingredients and the way the illustration moves vertically through the page. This could inspire illustrated steak, rosemary, garlic, wine, or cooking-tool elements in my final design.
Blue and orange illustrated ramen recipe poster
I like the limited color palette, loose line work, and clear separation between ingredients and instructions. This is a good reference for making the page feel designed without losing readability.

Recipe Website References

Smitten Kitchen

I like the imagery on Smitten Kitchen because the food photography feels approachable while still looking polished. I also like the amount of detail included around each recipe, which makes the instructions feel personal and helpful rather than like a basic list of steps.

Half Baked Harvest

I like the layout because there is a lot of information, but the photography, headings, and categories help organize it. The site also has a strong lifestyle feeling, which is something I could use to make my recipe page feel more styled and atmospheric.

Bon Appétit

Bon Appétit feels more like an editorial magazine than a standard recipe website. I like the large photography, bold type hierarchy, and mixture of headlines with smaller supporting text, which could help me organize my own page in a more visually interesting way.

Non-Recipe Website References

Aesop

I like Aesop's restrained visual style and the way it uses typography, spacing, and a limited palette to make the page feel sophisticated. I could use a similar approach so the recipe feels upscale without adding too many decorative elements.

Kinfolk

Kinfolk is a strong reference for editorial layouts because it gives photography a lot of space and uses simple typography around it. I like how the content feels calm and curated, which could help my steak recipe feel more like a food story or magazine feature.

Oatly

I like Oatly because it uses playful typography, illustration, and unexpected visual details to give the brand a recognizable personality. The hand-drawn feeling could inspire the illustrated ingredient elements in my recipe while showing me how to keep a strong visual identity across the whole page.