Filet de Bœuf Orientale

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) ovenproof skillet or shallow roasting pan
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •One ¼-cup (60 ml) dariole-mould or straight-sided ramekin, reused eight times
• •3-quart (3-liter) heavy saucepan and deep-fry thermometer
• •Potato ricer or sturdy masher
• •Immersion blender and fine-mesh sieve
• •Long warmed serving platter and saucière

Instructions

1. 1

   Bake the sweet potatoes

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Prick the sweet potatoes and bake them directly on a tray until completely tender and beginning to collapse, 40 to 50 minutes. Baking rather than boiling keeps the flesh dry enough to hold a cork shape later. Leave the oven on for the beef.

   A knife should pass through the thickest part without resistance. Firm pockets become lumps in the croquette base and tear the coating during frying.
2. 2

   Reduce the tomato sauce

   While the sweet potatoes bake, melt 1 tablespoon of the sauce butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until tender but not browned. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute, then add the canned tomatoes, bay leaf, cayenne, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper. Simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often, until concentrated but still pourable. Remove the bay leaf, blend the sauce smooth, and press it through a fine sieve if the seeds remain coarse. Hold it off the heat; the remaining cold butter goes in only at service.

3. 3

   Make the croquette base

   Split the sweet potatoes while they are hot, scoop out the flesh, and pass it through a ricer or mash it until perfectly smooth. Stir in the croquette butter, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper. Let the purée cool for 5 minutes, then beat in the egg yolk. Spread it in a shallow layer and chill for 20 minutes. If the cold mixture still slumps instead of holding a mound, ça se rattrape: work in 1 tablespoon of the measured flour and chill it for another 10 minutes. Add no more unless truly necessary, because flour dulls the sweet potato.

4. 4

   Shape and crumb

   Divide the cold sweet-potato mixture into 8 equal portions. With lightly floured hands, roll each into a compact cork about 2 inches (5 cm) long and 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Set the flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs in three shallow dishes. Coat each croquette first in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing gently so no cracks remain. Chill them until the moment of frying. This is not decoration: the close coating is what keeps the purée inside the croquette instead of in the frying oil.

5. 5

   Sear and roast

   Pat the fillet thoroughly dry, then season it all over with 1½ teaspoons of the salt and ¾ teaspoon of the black pepper. Heat the high-heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet until it shimmers. Sear the beef on every side, including both ends, for 6 to 8 minutes total, leaving each face against the pan until a deep bronze crust forms. Add the beef butter only after the crust has developed, then baste for 1 minute. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the centre reaches 122 to 125°F (50 to 52°C) for medium-rare, about 18 to 25 minutes. Rest the fillet uncovered or very loosely tented for 15 to 20 minutes. If the crust is dark before the centre is ready, lower the oven to 375°F (190°C) and finish gently. Do not wrap it tightly, or that hard-won crust softens.

6. 6

   Build the timbales

   While the beef rests, warm the prepared Riz à la Grecque (No. 2253) gently in a covered saucepan. Melt 2 tablespoons of the tomato butter in a wide skillet. Season the tomato halves with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper, then cook them cut-side down for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn and spoon the butter over them for another minute; they should be glossy and warmed through, not collapsed. Arrange them cut-side up around a warmed long platter. Brush a ¼-cup (60 ml) dariole-mould or straight-sided ramekin with the remaining tablespoon of butter, pack it firmly with rice, and invert it onto a tomato half. Re-butter lightly and repeat for all 8 halves. If a timbale sticks, set a warm cloth against the mould for a few seconds and loosen only the rim with a thin knife.

7. 7

   Fry at the finish

   Pour the frying oil into a heavy saucepan, filling it no more than halfway, and heat it to 350°F (175°C). Fry the croquettes in two batches until evenly deep gold and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes, keeping the oil between 340 and 350°F (170 and 175°C). Drain them on a rack. If one cracks, lift it out at once. Ça se rattrape: bring the oil fully back to temperature, patch the remaining croquettes with flour, egg, and crumbs, then fry again. Cool oil and a broken coating cause bursting; hotter oil is not the answer.

8. 8

   Mount sauce and serve

   Reheat the tomato sauce to a lively simmer and stir in any juices released by the resting beef. If it is thin, reduce it until it lightly coats a spoon; if it is too tight, loosen it with a spoonful of water. Take it off the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of cold sauce butter, one piece at a time, until glossy. If the butter separates, don't pour it out. Ça se rattrape: whisk in 1 teaspoon of cold water until the sauce comes together. Set the whole fillet lengthwise on the warm platter and alternate the 8 rice-crowned tomato halves with the 8 sweet-potato croquettes around it. Pour the highly seasoned tomato sauce into a warmed saucière and pass it separately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for the even centre section of the tenderloin, not the tapering tail. An even roast cooks at one pace; if the butcher leaves a thin end, tuck it underneath before tying so it doesn't dry while the centre catches up.
• •Fresh tomatoes here must be firm enough to carry the rice. When the season offers only woolly tomatoes, use firm Roma or greenhouse tomatoes for the halves and good canned tomatoes for the sauce. The classical pantry solved this problem long ago.
• •The platter waits for the croquettes, never the reverse. Have the beef resting, the sauce reduced, the tomatoes dressed, and the rice moulded before those croquettes meet the oil; crispness is measured in minutes.
• •Pour a structured red with clean acidity, such as a Cabernet Franc-led Loire red or a restrained claret. The wine needs enough freshness for the tomato sauce and enough backbone for the fillet.

Advance Preparation

• •The tomato sauce can be reduced, blended, and chilled up to 2 days ahead. Reheat it during the beef's rest and mount it with the cold butter only when serving.
• •The sweet-potato croquettes can be shaped and breaded up to 1 day ahead. Keep them covered and cold, then inspect the coating for cracks before frying.
• •Have the Riz à la Grecque (No. 2253) prepared as its own finished component before the fillet meets the pan. The listed timing assumes it is ready to warm and mould, not re-derived inside this recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 800g)