Holiday Recipe: Beef Tenderloin, Skip The Bearnaise

BEEF TENDERLOIN OSCAR, SKIP THE BEARNAISE

Servings: 10 to 12

1 whole beef tenderloin, cleaned
2 pounds wild mushrooms
1 pound medium asparagus
1 pound lump crab meat
Butter
Olive oil
1 cup white wine
1 shallot
1 garlic clove
2 quarts beef stock
1 onion
1 carrot
1 celery
1/4 cup red wine
Fresh parsley stems, about 1/4 bundle
6 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
12 peppercorns
1 ounce dried mushrooms
2 sticks cold butter, cut into pea-sized pieces

To prepare duxelles:

1. Mince mushrooms, shallots and garlic.
2. Heat large pan and add olive oil and butter, about 3 tablespoons of each.
3. When the oil and butter mixture starts smoking, add in mushrooms, shallots and garlic. Cook until browned and water has evaporated.
4. Add in white wine and simmer on low heat until most of liquid has dissolved and the mixture becomes like a paste. If necessary, add a small amount of beef stock to help the mixture simmer until it achieves the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

To prepare tenderloin:

1. Remove woody ends of asparagus and blanch for 1 minute in boiling water. Drain and cool to stop cooking.
2. Butterfly the beef tenderloin lengthwise and flatten it out. Spread duxelles over the tenderloin, followed by the crab and the asparagus. Roll tenderloin and truss with kitchen twine.
3. Pan sear the entire outside of the roast and finish in a 400 F oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Use a thermometer to check that it has reached 120 degrees for medium rare. It will to cook outside the oven to a temperate of about 125 F. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

To make the beef sauce:

1. Roughly chop the onion, carrot and celery.
2. Bring 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a medium sauce pan to the smoking point. Add in onions, carrots, celery and cook until they start to brown. Deglaze with red wine, then add in stock and fresh herbs. Let simmer until it reduces by 75 percent. Note that sauce in a larger pan will reduce more quickly. This should take about an hour.
3. Once reduced, strain the liquid with a fine sieve. Gently press on the vegetables and herbs to extract the liquid.
4. While the beef rests, bring the liquid to a simmer. Now turn heat down to the lowest setting and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, adding a piece as the previous one melts. You may not need all of the butter. The sauce will thicken until it is able to coat the back of a spoon. Don’t allow sauce to become too hot. Serve immediately.

This recipe comes courtesy of Horseshoe Grille general manager Brian Shue. You can read more about him and Horseshoe Grille in the November/December issue of Merrimack Valley Magazine. On newsstands now.

Horseshoe Grille
North Reading, Mass.
www.horseshoegrille.com