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.

Herb and Garlic Crusted Beef Tenderloin

We dusted off a tried and true recipe for dinner Saturday night:

Herb and Garlic Crusted Beef Tenderloin

- 1 beef tenderloin

- Olive oil

- 6 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 ½ tablespoons minced fresh rosemary

- 2 ½ tablespoons minced fresh thyme

- Salt and pepper to taste

- Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Mix 6 tablespoons of olive oil together with the garlic, rosemary and thyme in a small bowl and set aside.  Rub a tablespoon of olive oil over the tenderloin, then sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste.  Heat a large non-stick skillet over high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, then cook the tenderloin on all sides for about 5 minutes.  Remove the beef from the skillet and place it into an iron frying pan.  Coat the top of the tenderloin with Dijon mustard, and then pat the garlic and herb mixture onto the beer.  Roast the meat until its internal temperature is 125F.  Immediately remove the tenderloin from the oven and place it on a platter.  Cover loosely with foil and let the beef rest for 10 minutes. 

Cut the tenderloin into ½ inch thick slices and serve.

Pesto and more

This is a recipe for pesto.  But really it's a story about community disguised as a recipe.  It's a long story but a good story.   I will start at the end and work backwards.

Over Labor Day, Marj and her husband Paul came for a visit. They are both visionaries and entrepreneurs, as organic gardeners and owners of the world's best body care, Mirror Lake Organics. 

When they came to the cottage for the weekend, they brought food picked from their garden.  Marj made an amazing tomato salad, orzo with fresh asparagus, and corn.  To say the food was good would be useless.  I would only say that I wanted to come home, sell my house, and start a farm of my own. 

Later in the week, I went to the Oscoda Farmer's Market and met a woman who had a farm herself.  She said that she had the largest farm in Alcona County and picked the food herself.  I tasted one of her tomatoes (at her urging) and bought two boxes.  I don't even like tomatoes.  I also bought potatoes and green beans.  For the next three nights my dinner consisted of her green beans, tomatoes, and potatoes.  They were magnificent. 

I also bought a large bunch of basil.  For $1, I thought if nothing else my car was going to smell wonderful for the ride home.  I saw on fb my VP at work, Henry had also purchased basil and was going to make pesto.  Perfect.  He posted the recipe for me.  I made pesto. Thank you Henry.  Your time was perfect.  :)

From Pesto

And more inspiration....

Earlier in the summer, I wrote about my friend (and executive chef) Tamara and her recipe for salmon.  The flavor and the experience can't be transcribed into words.  Suffice it to say it was exquisite. As is she.

She got me thinking about food and being brave with unique combinations. I wouldn't think about crystallized ginger (who would really?  Apparently someone because stores sell it). She is fearless in her recipes and has me thinking about what else might be fun to do, to make, to try. 

And my friend Karen who by day is an HR rockstar; at night and on weekends, she bakes.  She bakes works of beauty.  It's great fun to watch what she is making, er baking next.  No, she doesn't ship.  Yet. 

It's great fun to find community in unlikely places.  What I will do with the pesto is yet unknown.  This I know for sure ... I am grateful to all you who inspire, share, and help.  I know that will make many more trips to the local farmers market, experiment wildly, and continue to admire good baking from across the country. 

Pesto (courtesy of Allrecipes)

3 cups packed fresh basil leaves
4 cloves garlic
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts

Combine basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and nuts in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Blend to a smooth paste.

From Pesto

From Pesto

From Pesto

Will be certain to let you know what I do with the pesto. 

Marj's famous dressing

Ingredients (no amounts - just "to taste")
Olive Oil
White Wine Vinegar
Garlic clove(s)
Dijon Mustard
pinch of sugar
fresh ground pepper

Directions
Add crushed garlic, vinegar, sugar, pepper & a bit of Dijon mustard and mix with fork or small whisk until well blended and creamy. Add olive oil to above mixture and blend well

You can also add dried herbs if desired.

We had this over tomatoes from her farm's garden.  Here is how she made it: For the tomato salad, I just tossed together chopped tomatoes, diced fresh basil, "potato peeler" slivers of Parmesan and the dressing.

Staple now.  SO good. 

Green beans

I love vegetables.  I love farmers' markets.  I have fresh green beans, pine nuts, and feta cheese.  Together, it all sounds really good to me.  So this recipe is adapted from several other recipes.  Yum.  

Ingredients
1/3 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed, blanched in boiling salted water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Sprinkle of feta cheese

Directions
 
Drain green beans well and pat dry.

Toast the pine nuts. When toasted, add the green beans with a little butter and toss to coat evenly. Cook just enough to warm through, about 1 minute. Add the lemon juice, sprinkle with feta cheese, and serve immediately.

Broccoli

I love broccoli. A friend (on fb) shared a wonderful recipe for baking it.  I could eat this every night.

I rinse, then pat dry, the broccoli.  I put it on a glass pie plate and drizzle the broccoli with olive oil.  Then, I sprinkle a little of Mickey and T's Taste of France seasoning.  It makes it.

From Broccoli Dish

Into a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes.  When done, remove and cover with Parmesan cheese.  Broil for 2-3 minutes.

From Broccoli Dish

So, so, so delicious.  Eat your vegetables.  They are good for you.  :)

Chopped Salad

I originally posted this in 2008. It's still delicious.  We had it last night with some ribeyes.

Salads I think are the most overlooked component of a good meal. When we lived in San Diego, one of our very favorite restaurants was Sammy's Wood Fired Pizza. The name was a misnomer, as some of the BEST items on the menu were salads. And pasta. But salads are the focus here. I loved their chopped salad and worked to replicate it, just as deliciously but not as much work. So here is my very best knock off. Enjoy.

Salad

* 1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped (for two people 1/3 - 1/2 head is PLENTY)
* 12 leaves basil (or more) chopped (I use way more ...)
* 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
* 1/2 cup salami, cut into thin strips (optional)
* 2 tablespoons scallion, chopped (optional)
* Black olives (optional)

From 2012-08-04

I can't replicate the dressing but I can do one better. (Paul) Newman's Own Dressing Classic Oil and Vinegar is the best for it. Using sparingly. This salad doesn't keep so eat up!