Tenderloin Châteaubriand

For the Sauce:

Warm the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the mirepoix (carrot, celery and onion) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are browned but not burned; about 6-10 minutes depending on your heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the remainder of the sauce ingredients, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the mixture for an additional 45 minutes. Then strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a medium saucepan, pressing down on the solids to release as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.

Return the mixture, now in a medium saucepan and devoid of all solids, to the burner. Again, gently boil and then simmer, uncovered. I have had this process take as much as 3 hours or more. You are reducing the liquid to less than a cup. When it’s ready, it will coat the back of a spoon. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

You can make the sauce ahead and easily reheat it. The extra also freezes well; we like it on plain potatoes. Remember, this sauce is a ‘reduction’, so at no point should you have a lid on your pan.

For the Beef:

I prefer 6 ounce filets that are about 2 inches thick, but you can use any size you like; you will just need to adjust your cooking time based on the thickness of your filets. Choose filets that are nicely marbled and even-looking.

Preheat your oven to 375°F. If you are not using a silpat, I would cover a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and lightly spray the foil with Pam cooking spray wherever you plan on placing the tenderloins. It will prevent their crumbed bottoms from remaining on the pan when they are finished cooking!

Trim the tenderloin filets well…be sure all silver skin is removed. Ready whatever breading you would like; I prefer half and half of Progresso Italian Style bread crumbs and Ian’s Panko bread crumbs, but Progresso by itself will be fine. You can certainly make your own, but they need to be fairly fine.

Once the breadcrumbs are on their plate, I coat the tenderloins in Grey Poupon Country Dijon. You can use regular Dijon, but I really like the more rustic country style. Expect to use about 1 tablespoon per filet or more. Really coat it on there! Then roll the filets in the crumbs on all sides. I roll them over and over; I want as many crumbs as possible to soak up in the mustard. Please, don’t be afraid of the mustard here! Truly, it only adds an acid note that balances the sweetness of the reduction. This doesn’t taste like tenderloin with mustard!

You will need to keep a close eye on the steaks. I have found for a 2 inch thick 6 ounce tenderloin, 25 minutes in a 375° oven and about 5-10 minutes of “resting” on a sideboard will give me a filet prepared medium (warm pink center). I personally prefer rarer, but that gives you a good starting point. A good thermometer will help you reduce guessing; my favorite, while pricey, is fab for so many things…including accurate temps for puppy formula in the syringe and water for yeast. It’s called a “Thermapen” and is available for about $100 from King Arthur Flour. It’s easily paid for itself in the steaks it has saved, especially on our grill. If you have a guest who prefers their tenderloin medium well or well, it would be advisable to butterfly their tenderloins, or you may end up with scorched crusts.

Once the steaks are to your preferred doneness, remove them from the pan with a stiff metal spatula or long handled tongs to a wooden cutting board to “rest” for a few minutes. If you tent the steaks with foil, they will rise in temperature, so be careful!

Pour a few tablespoons of the reduced sauce on a warmed plate, and place the tenderloin on the sauce. This sauce is fabulous on potatoes, too! Honestly, I think it would make an old tire taste palatable, but that’s just me. ENJOY!!!