BEEF TENDERLOIN with MUSHROOM SAUCE

Transcription

1 BEEF TENDERLOIN with MUSHROOM SAUCE Serves 2, increase proportions to feed more. By Dennis W. Viau; modified from a Bon Appetit recipe. I don t cook cuts of beef often, preferring lamb when I want red meat. A rebate check from my credit card was my excuse to spend more than $50 on a package of four beef tenderloin steaks (for two recipes). For this recipe I modified the mushroom sauce to make it better. Ingredients: 5 ounces (140g) shiitake mushrooms 4 tablespoons clarified butter, divided (or safflower oil if using a cast iron stove top grill) 2 green onions (about 1 ounce/28g); chopped ½ cup (120ml) beef broth ¼ cup (60ml) dry red wine ¼ teaspoon (good pinch) herbes de Provence (see Note at end) 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream 4 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon 1 tablespoon dry Marsala 2 beef tenderloin steaks, 6 to 8 ounces (170 to 230g) each (or larger) Directions: Prepare the sauce first, as the steaks will take less time to cook. Remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms, but reserve them. Slice the mushrooms or cut into slivers. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and sauté the mushrooms and green onions until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add the broth and wine to the skillet with the reserved mushroom stems and the herbes de Provence. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer until ½ to ¾ of the liquid has evaporated. Use a slotted spoon to remove and discard the mushroom stems. Add the heavy cream and fresh chopped tarragon to the reduction and blend well. Return the sautéed mushrooms and green onion to the pan. Finish by adding the dry Marsala. Adjust for salt. Season the tenderloin steaks with salt and pepper on both sides and grill (or pan fry) to the desired tenderness and doneness. For medium rare, cook to about 140 F (60 C). Allowing the steaks to rest a few minutes after cooking will bring the temperature up another 5 degrees as the heat at the surface will continue to migrate toward the center of the meat. I prefer my steaks at about 135 F (57 C) and some prefer them cooked a little less. Although the USDA recommends cooking all cuts of meat to 145 F (63 C), many cooks prefer to cook some meat less for a better flavor and texture. Plate the steaks and spoon plenty of the mushroom sauce on top. Serve with green vegetables on the side. The Step By Step guide begins on the following page

2 1 STEP-BY-STEP 2 Although I am using shiitake mushrooms in this recipe, you can substitute with other varieties you might prefer. The safflower oil used here is for the grill. Safflower oil has a high smoke point and is therefore more appropriate for high-temperature grilling 2 Cut or slice the mushrooms. When using shiitakes, it is customary to remove the stems, as they are more chewy than the mushroom caps. Reserve the stems to help flavor the reduction in a later step.

3 3 3 Heat a couple tablespoons of butter in a skillet and sauté the mushrooms and green onions until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. 4 Heat the broth, wine, herbes de Provence, and mushroom stems in the skillet, bringing the liquid to a boil. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.

4 5 4 While the liquid is reducing, chop the fresh tarragon leaves. You could substitute with flat leaf (Italian) parsley, if you prefer. 6 Here is my reduction. As you can see, most of the liquid has evaporated. Use a slotted spoon to remove the mushroom stems and discard.

5 7 5 Add the heavy cream and chopped fresh tarragon to the pan. Add the sautéed mushrooms and green onions. Finish by adding the Marsala. Stir to blend. Set aside until needed. This can be reheated before garnishing the grilled steaks. 8 Season the tenderloin steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill or pan fry them. I am using a stove top cast iron grill because I want my steaks to have pronounced bar marks. For good bar marks, don t move the steaks after placing them on the grill. Leave them in one place until ready to turn over. Moving them around a lot will create lots of bar marks, none of which will be very pronounced.

6 9 6 Here is one of my grilled steaks. Note the pronounced bar marks from the grill. 10 Garnish the steaks with the mushroom sauce and serve with your favorite green vegetable on the side.

7 Conclusion I do not cook beef often. I prefer the flavor of lamb when I have a desire for red meat. So these steaks were a delicious treat. The mushroom sauce made them taste even better. Cooking the steaks on an outdoor grill might have been even tastier. 7 Notes Herbes de Provence is an herb blend said to be traditionally used in Southern France. It typically contains basil, fennel seed, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, summer savory, and thyme. If you can t find it in your local grocery store you can blend your own or use an assortment of similar herbs.