The Royal Chef At Home: Easy Seasonal Entertaining

BURGUNDY, BALSAMIC BEEF TENDERLOIN

I’M CONVINCED THIS TENDERLOIN RECIPE WILL MAKE YOU AN IMMEDIATE CONVERT TO SOUS VIDE COOKING. Below I’ve given you instructions for roasting the beef in the traditional manner and cooking it via sousvide. (Of course, you will need a sous-vide machine). You decide. SERVES 6

3 pounds beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat and silver skin

1 small carrot, peeled and chopped 2 slices bacon, chopped 3 teaspoons flour 1-2 teaspoons of “Better than bouillon” (chicken base)

1 extra large ziplock bag 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 bottle Burgundy wine 1 cup balsamic vinegar 4 bay leaves 6 cloves of garlic, crushed 6 sprigs fresh thyme

FOR THE SAUCE 1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup tomato puree ½ cup chopped chives

1 medium onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped

1 In a large zip lock bag, place the tenderloin, wine, vinegar, bay leaves, garlic and thyme. Seal and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. 2 PREPARE THE SAUCE In a large pan add the olive oil, onion, celery, carrot and bacon. Sauté until the vegetables start to soften and the bacon gets a little brown. Stir in the flour and tomato puree and let cook for a minute. Remove the tenderloin from its marinade and set it aside. Add all the reserved marinade (including all the flavoring herbs and garlic) to the sautéed vegetables and bring to a boil, reduce the sauce by half. Add "Better than bouillon," whisk in to sauce and taste for seasoning. Strain the sauce through a sieve and discard the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper if needed and set it aside to keep warm. 3 Sous Vide Method: Set the sous vide waterbath to 139ºF. Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper well, place it in a polyethylene plastic bag

and vacuum seal. When the water bath reaches 139ºF, place the tenderloin in the bath and set the timer for one hour. You may leave the beef in the sous vide machine for up to 4 hours without it overcooking or spoiling. Remove the tenderloin from the plastic bag, dry with paper towel, rub it with olive oil and quickly sear the tenderloin on top of the stove, or under a broiler, watching it carefully so it doesn’t burn. Slice and serve with the warmed burgundy balsamic sauce. 4 Traditional Method: Dry the tenderloin with paper towel; rub the olive oil over the tenderloin and season with salt and pepper. Grill the tenderloin to desired doneness or sear in a large frying pan and roast at 400ºF for about 35 minutes or desired doneness. 5 Let the meat rest for 15 minutes before slicing and spooning the sauce over. Garnish with the chopped chives.

124 THE ROYAL CHEF AT HOME