12395 Fillet of Beef with Roquefort Sauce and Mixed Nuts Serves 4 to 5 Wed Aug 06 01:06:18 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 03 10:31:57 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12395 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:31:57 GMT This combination is a specialty of the town of Saint-Juéry in the Tarn. The brilliant sauce is the creation of Gascon chef André Daguin. The method of cooking and racking the fillet is my way of handling roasts and thick steaks. I happened on this method while preparing twenty pounds of beef fillet for a benefit in La Jolla, California. I wanted to be able to present all the fillets at once, perfectly cooked, hot, and at just the moment when my sauce was right. At eleven in the morning, I started searing them, in pairs, in a mixture of near-smoking grapeseed oil and duck fat. Grapeseed oil takes a high temperature without burning and breaking down; duck fat gives wonderful flavor to beef.

So far I was following a normal professional kitchen procedure. The difference came when the fillets had been seared and I was looking for a place for them to rest before their final cooking in the oven two hours hence. Most cooks I know place the seared meat on an upside-down plate set atop a larger dish; any juices that run out collect in the lower dish and are used later in the sauce. The fallacy is that the side of the meat that rests on the plate tends to soften and the beef crust tends to crack, thus releasing quite a bit of juice. I found that when I placed fillets on wire racks, so that air could flow underneath them as well as above, their crusty exteriors remained intact. Out of my twenty pounds of seared fillets, less than half a teaspoon of meat juice was released!

Later, of course, I finished their cooking in the oven, and then, too, no juice was lost. In fact, all the juice remained suspended in the fibers of the beef, keeping it moist, tender, and delicious until the fillets were finally carved.

When ordering a fillet, ask the butcher to give you a center piece so that the thickness will be even from one end to the other. Have him remove all the fat and sinews. Do not have him bard the meat, but do ask him to tie the roast at one-inch intervals so it will keep its shape.

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  • Lightly sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Rub a little oil over the beef. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until 1 hour before cooking. Pat the roast dry with paper towels.
  • In a large heavy skillet, preferably enameled cast-iron, heat 2 teaspoons oil and the fat until very hot. Sear the meat over high heat, turning, until browned all over, about 4 minutes total. Transfer the roast to a wire rack; let rest for a minimum of 20 minutes.
  • Throw out the cooking fat. Add the chopped shallots and Madeira or Port to the skillet; boil until reduced to a glaze. Add the demi-glace or reduced stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a syrupy consistency. Set aside.
  • Crush the Roquefort and the butter to a smooth, creamy paste. Taste the mixture; if it's too salty, add another ½ to 1 tablespoon butter. Cover and refrigerate.
  • About 30 minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 450°F. Roast the beef fillets to 120°F or for 17 minutes for “blue” (very rare); to 125°F or 18 minutes for rare; or to 135°F or 19 minutes for medium-rare.
  • Meanwhile, gently reheat the syrupy sauce in the skillet. Divide the Roquefort butter into 4 or 5 chunks and swirl into the sauce, one by one. Remove from the heat and fold the crème fraîche or whipped cream into the sauce.
  • Spoon the sauce onto a heated serving platter. Slice meat and arrange, overlapping, on the platter. Surround with the toasted nuts mixed with the parsley. Serve at once.
  • Adding 2 tablespoons crème fraîche or whipped cream to a sauce to thicken it sounds rich, but compared to butter enrichment, it isn't. Two tablespoons of heavy cream or crème fraîche is equal in butterfat to about 1 tablespoon butter. It is the consistency of the cream that thickens the sauce. To beat up that small amount of whipping cream may sound ludicrous, but with the hand-held immersion blenders that fit into a small cup, it is a simple chore of 30 seconds.
  • In a nonreactive medium saucepan, combine the white wine, ham, cèpes, and shallots; bring to a boil. Lower the heat and reduce to a glaze, about 30 minutes.
  • Add ½cup of the Madeira and boil down to a glaze. Add the demi-glace and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes to blend the flavors.
  • Strain through a sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth, pressing down on the ingredients to release all their flavor. You should have about 1⅓ cups. (The sauce can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days or frozen at this point.)
  • Reheat the sauce to a simmer. Add any juices from the roast. Add the truffle, if using, and the truffle liquor from the can. Stir in the remaining Madeira. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and swirl in the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main 1 center-cut beef tenderloin (2 pounds; trimmed weight 1¾ pounds)

    ]]>     Salt and freshly ground pepper

    ]]>     Grapeseed or peanut oil

    ]]>     1 teaspoon rendered duck or goose fat or clarified butter

    ]]>     1 tablespoon minced shallots

    ]]>     3 tablespoons dry Madeira or imported ruby Port

    ]]>     ½ cup demi-glace (storebought or homemade—page 406) or 1½ cups unsalted meat stock reduced to ½ cup

    ]]>     1½ ounces creamy Roquefort cheese

    ]]>     3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more if necessary

    ]]>     2 tablespoons crème fraîche or whipped heavy cream

    ]]>     2 tablespoons lightly toasted pine nuts

    ]]>     2 tablespoons lightly toasted walnut pieces

    ]]>     2 tablespoons lightly toasted sliced blanched almonds

    ]]>     1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

    ]]>     2 cups dry white wine

    ]]>     ¼ cup finely chopped jambon de Bayonne, prosciutto, or Serrano ham

    ]]>     ¼ cup crumbled dried cèpes, rinsed

    ]]>     2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

    ]]>     ⅔ cup dry Madeira

    ]]>     1½ cups demi-glace (storebought or homemade—page 406), prepared with the addition of 2 chopped plum tomatoes

    ]]>     1 medium canned truffle, finely diced, and the truffle liquor, optional

    ]]>     2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

    ]]>     Salt and freshly ground pepper

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