Filet de Bœuf Perigourdine

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Larding needle, or a slim boning knife and bamboo skewer
• •Butcher's twine
• •Snug heavy lidded casserole for Poëlings (No. 250)
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small heavy saucepan with lid
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Pastry brush
• •Long oval serving platter
• •Warm sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Lard and tie

   Take the beef from the cold 45 minutes before cooking. Chill the pork-fat batons until rigid. With a larding needle, draw them lengthwise through the fillet so each future slice carries a little fat. Without one, make narrow channels from both ends with a slim boning knife, keeping the blade pointed away from your supporting hand, then guide the batons through with a bamboo skewer. If the fat bends or the beef begins to tear, stop and chill both for 10 minutes; cold fat passes cleanly. Season with the salt and pepper, then tie the fillet at 1-inch (2.5 cm) intervals to give it an even cylinder.

   Use unsmoked cured back fat, not bacon. Smoke would compete with the truffles, and the larding should enrich each slice without announcing itself.
2. 2

   Poële the fillet

   Carry out the home-scaled Poëlings (No. 250) with the tied fillet, keeping its proportions and method intact. Begin checking the center after 20 minutes, then every 5 minutes. Remove the beef when it reaches 120 to 122°F (49 to 50°C) for a final rosy medium-rare temperature after resting. If the pan contents smell sharply burnt before the beef is ready, move the fillet and the clean cooking fat into a fresh snug pan at once; leave every blackened scrap behind and continue the poëling.

3. 3

   Cook the truffles

   While the fillet finishes, place the whole truffles in a small saucepan with ¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g) of the Madeira and the fine Mirepoix (No. 228). Cover and hold at the barest tremble for 12 to 15 minutes, turning the truffles once, until they are heated through and deeply aromatic. The Madeira should bathe them gently, never boil hard. If its level falls too quickly, add the reserved Madeira a spoonful at a time. Whole preserved truffles are already cooked, so warm them for only 5 minutes.

4. 4

   Rest the fillet

   Transfer the fillet to a rack set over a warm plate and rest it loosely covered for 15 minutes. Its center should rise to about 129 to 131°F (54 to 55°C), while the juices settle back through the meat. If it reaches that temperature sooner, uncover it completely. Do not return it to the oven for reassurance; the final glaze will warm its surface without driving the center further.

5. 5

   Glaze the truffles

   Lift out the truffles and keep them covered. Strain their Madeira liquor through a fine sieve without pressing the Mirepoix, then reduce the clear liquid in a clean saucepan until about 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 45 g) remain and it lightly coats a spoon. Take it off the heat and swirl in the cold butter, then roll the truffles through this glaze. If the glaze turns greasy, whisk in a teaspoon of reserved Madeira and keep the pan off the heat. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Reduce the meat glaze

   Take the strained, degreased poëling stock produced by Poëlings (No. 250) and reduce it in a small saucepan until glossy enough to cling to the beef in a thin coat. If fat gathers on the surface, let the pan stand for a minute and spoon it away before reducing further. If the stock tastes too salty before it reaches a glaze, stop reducing and use a little of the truffle Madeira glaze instead. Brush the hot glaze over the rested fillet twice, waiting a few seconds between coats.

7. 7

   Warm the sauce

   Warm the finished Périgueux sauce over very gentle heat, stirring from the bottom, until it flows from a spoon in a broad glossy ribbon. Do not let it boil. If it tightens too far, loosen it with cold water one teaspoon at a time; if fat beads at the edge, take it off the heat and whisk in another teaspoon of cold water until smooth. Transfer it to a warm sauceboat.

8. 8

   Arrange and serve

   Remove the strings and set the glazed fillet lengthwise on a heated oval platter. Arrange the four whole glazed truffles around it, carrying every drop of their Madeira glaze onto the platter. Bring the fillet whole to the table and carve it into thick slices there, giving each person one truffle. Send the Périgueux sauce separately so the cook's glaze remains visible and each guest can spoon sauce beside the beef. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Fresh black Périgord truffles are the first choice when their perfume is full. Outside their season, good whole preserved truffles are the classical pantry's honest answer, though their aroma is quieter. Truffle oil and paste cannot replace them here; this dish requires the substance and texture of whole truffle.
• •Ask a butcher or charcutier for ready-to-eat unsmoked cured pork back fat. The larding remains because a center-cut fillet is tender but lean, and those narrow seams of fat protect and season it from within. Ordinary smoked bacon changes the dish.
• •Keep the Périgueux sauce apart until serving. Pouring it over the whole fillet would hide the glaze and blur two deliberate parts into one brown blanket.
• •A 2 lb (900 g) center-cut fillet gives four generous portions and cooks evenly. A thin tail piece will overcook before the thicker end is ready, so fold and tie any narrow end firmly underneath.
• •Serve a mature Cahors or a supple red Bordeaux. The wine needs enough earth and depth for truffle and Madeira, but not such fierce tannin that the fillet disappears.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the fine Mirepoix (No. 228), stage the home-scaled Poëlings (No. 250), and finish the Périgueux sauce before beginning the beef. The linked preparations remain separate, exactly as the source intends.
• •The Périgueux sauce can be prepared one day ahead, chilled promptly, and reheated over gentle heat. Keep it separate from the poëling stock and truffle Madeira glaze.
• •The fillet may be larded and tied up to 6 hours ahead. Keep it covered in the cold, then bring it out 45 minutes before cooking so its center loses its chill.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)