Beef Tenderloin

This was the main course for dinner on Saturday night.  It is a keeper.

Ingredients:
- 1 (3- to 4-pound) beef tenderloin roast
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 to 2 tablespoons coarse salt
- 2 tablespoons coarsely-ground black peppercorns
- 1/2 cup red wine (your favorite red wine)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
- 1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat your oven to 450F.

Using individual pieces of kitchen twine/string to truss the roast. Tie the string around the tenderloin roast with equal spacing between each truss. Tie the meat firmly, but not too tight.

From Beef Tenderloin November 2012

From Beef Tenderloin November 2012

Pat the beef dry with paper towels (this is important as surface moisture will interfere with good browning).  Lightly oil outside of the roast and sprinkle with coarse salt; pat ground peppercorns all over the meat, pressing into the meat with the palm of your hand.

From Beef Tenderloin November 2012

Heat a large cast-iron frying pan over high heat. Without adding any cooking fat, sear the roast on all sides (about 3 rotations, approximately 1 minutes each). NOTE: Resist the temptation to constantly turn the beef from side to side and you'll be rewarded with a beautifully browned crust. When browned, immediately remove from heat.

From Beef Tenderloin November 2012

Place the seared roast in a large baking pan or cast iron skillet and cook uncovered. Roast in oven approximately 20 to 40 minutes (depending on size of your roast) until a meat thermometer registers desired temperature.  We the roast until it was 125F for medium-rare.  We used a cast iron skillet to cook the roast.

When the roast reaches your desired temperature, remove it from the oven and place the roast on a cutting board and cover loosely with aluminum foil to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Pour the red wine into the baking or roasting pan to deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits.

From Beef Tenderloin November 2012

In a large frying pan or cast-iron frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the mustard and cream and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Add the cutting juices and the red wine mixture to the cream sauce.  Stir to combine, then pour the sauce into a heated serving bowl to serve with the sliced roast.

Cook's Notes:  This was an incredibly easy and elegant recipe.  Our roast was done after 21 minutes in the oven.  The wine sauce has a very subtle flavor.  Next time, we might chop up some shallots and throw then into the sauce.