Filet de Bœuf Provençale

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Narrow stiff paring knife, as the home equivalent of a larding needle
• •Heavy lidded casserole or Dutch oven just large enough to hold the fillet
• •1-quart (1-liter) wide saucepan
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Shallow broiler-safe gratin dish
• •Pastry brush
• •Long warmed serving platter
• •Small warmed sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Lard and shape

   Keep the fatback cold and firm. Working from both ends of the fillet with a narrow, stiff paring knife, make 12 slim channels running with the grain, then push a lardon into each one. This does the larding needle's work without buying a tool that will spend the rest of its life in a drawer. If the fat bends or smears, stop and chill it again for ten minutes; ça se rattrape. Tie the fillet at 1½-inch (4 cm) intervals, dry it thoroughly, and season evenly with the salt and pepper.

   Distribute the lardons through the whole cylinder rather than crowding the center. Their purpose is to protect the lean meat from within, not to form one fatty seam.
2. 2

   Build the half-glaze

   Bring the brown veal stock to a lively simmer in a wide saucepan and reduce it to about 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g), skimming only if necessary. Whisk in the tomato purée and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until the tomato is plainly perceptible and the sauce reaches nappe, meaning it coats the back of a spoon in a glossy film. This is the home tomatéd half-glaze, a reduced gelatin-rich stock replacing the saucier's standing sauce without changing its intent. Take it off the heat and whisk in the cold butter. If it looks oily, whisk in a teaspoon of cold stock away from the heat; ça se rattrape. Reserve 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 35 g) for glazing and keep the remainder barely warm.

   If the sauce runs like broth, reduce it further. If it becomes sticky or salty, loosen it a spoonful at a time with unsalted stock. Never boil it after the butter goes in.
3. 3

   Poële the fillet

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Set the larded fillet into the prepared Poëlings (No. 250) vessel, cover it, and follow the referenced poëling method, basting the meat with its aromatic butter as it cooks. Do not add stock, wine, or water. That absence of liquid is the distinction between poëling and braising, and it concentrates the fillet's savour. After about 18 minutes, uncover the vessel and continue cooking for 8 to 15 minutes, basting twice, until the surface is richly bronzed and the center reaches 138°F (59°C). Because pork fat has been carried into the center, don't treat this as an untouched rare steak. Rest it loosely covered for 12 to 15 minutes, during which it should reach 145°F (63°C). If the temperature arrives before the colour, lift the fillet into a very hot skillet with a spoonful of poëling butter and brown it quickly without cooking the center further.

4. 4

   Gratinate the garnishes

   While the fillet rests, complete the final gratin on the Tomates Farcies à la Provençale (No. 2266) and Champignons Farcis (No. 2075) under a hot broiler. This is your salamander. Keep the dish several inches from the heat and watch closely for 2 to 4 minutes, until the crumbed tops are golden and the edges glisten. If the crumbs colour before the centers are hot, lower the rack and shield the darkest spots loosely with foil.

5. 5

   Glaze and arrange

   Remove the strings from the rested fillet. Reheat the reserved tomatéd half-glaze until syrupy, then brush a thin, even coat over the meat at the last possible moment. If it slides off, reduce it for another minute; if it has become too sticky to brush, loosen it with a teaspoon of stock. Set the whole fillet lengthwise on a warm platter and alternate the stuffed tomato halves and mushrooms around it exactly as the dish requires. Pour the remaining sauce into a warmed sauceboat and send it separately, preserving the crisp gratins while letting every guest spoon generously. Carve at the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for an evenly thick center section of fillet and unsmoked cured fatback suitable for larding. Streaky bacon is too lean in places, and its smoke would trample the tomato and garlic.
• •Use unsalted brown veal stock with enough natural gelatin to set softly when cold. A salty boxed stock becomes punishing after reduction; if good veal stock is unavailable, an unsalted gelatin-rich beef stock is the honest cousin, though its flavour will be darker.
• •The platter must be warm. This dish is assembled from several hot elements, and a cold platter steals their heat before the carving knife reaches the table.
• •Serve with a red Bandol or another firm, savoury Provençal red. The dark fruit suits the beef, while the wine's herbal edge meets the tomato and garlic without turning the plate sweet.
• •Leftover fillet is better served at room temperature than reheated until grey. Warm the sauce and garnishes separately, slice the beef, and let the hot sauce provide the contrast.

Advance Preparation

• •The brown veal stock can be reduced with the tomato purée a day ahead, cooled, and chilled. Reheat it gently and whisk in the cold butter only at service.
• •Prepare the stuffed tomato halves and mushrooms through filling several hours ahead according to their referenced recipes. Keep them covered in the cold, then complete their gratins while the fillet rests.
• •The fillet can be larded, tied, and salted up to 6 hours ahead. Refrigerate it uncovered so the surface stays dry, then take it out 30 minutes before cooking.
• •The listed working time assumes the cross-referenced garnishes are prepared through filling and ready for their final gratin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 425g)