Filet de Bœuf Renaissance

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy lidded casserole just large enough to hold the fillet
• •Larding needle, or a fine metal skewer and narrow paring knife
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •Large melon baller, optional
• •Wide 10 to 12-inch sauté pan
• •Long heatproof serving platter and sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Lard and tie

   Chill the fatback until firm enough to handle. Larder, meaning thread the beef with fat, by making 12 narrow tunnels parallel to the grain with a larding needle or fine metal skewer followed by a narrow knife. Push one fatback baton into each tunnel, spacing them through the roast rather than clustering them at the center. Season with the 1½ teaspoons salt and the pepper, then retie the fillet every 1½ inches so it holds an even cylinder. If a tunnel tears, tuck the fat back inside and place a loop of twine over the tear. Ça se rattrape.

2. 2

   Shape the spring garnish

   Cut the carrots and turnips into pieces of equal size, using a large melon baller if you want the rounded classical shape. Do not sacrifice half a good vegetable chasing perfect grooves; the old spoon-cutter served presentation, not flavor. Keep every vegetable in its own group. Trim the cauliflower into neat portions, match the potatoes for size, and divide the asparagus into four small bundles without tying them yet.

3. 3

   Glaze the roots

   Cook the carrots and turnips separately so neither bullies the other. For each vegetable, combine it in a snug sauté pan with ¾ cup consommé and 1 tablespoon butter. Cover and simmer gently until almost tender, then uncover and roll the pieces through the reducing liquid until they are glacer à blanc, glazed without browning, and wear a thin butter sheen. If the liquid disappears before the centers are tender, add the reserved consommé a spoonful at a time. If the glaze grows salty, add hot water rather than more stock.

4. 4

   Poêle the fillet

   Set up Poëlings (No. 250) in a heavy lidded casserole just large enough for the fillet, then apply that preparation to the seasoned, larded beef. Cook in a 325°F (165°C) oven without adding liquid, basting with its butter as directed. Begin checking after 25 minutes. When the center reaches 118°F (48°C), uncover and continue basting until the surface takes an even bronze and the center reaches 122 to 125°F (50 to 52°C), about 35 to 45 minutes in total. Rest the fillet loosely covered for 15 minutes. If the aromatic bed begins to scorch, move the meat and unburned butter to a clean casserole and lower the heat. Do not pour in stock during the cooking, or poëling becomes braising and the character of the beef changes.

5. 5

   Blanch the green vegetables

   Bring a wide pot of water to a rolling boil and season it with the blanching salt. Cook the vegetables one family at a time: cauliflower for 4 to 5 minutes, beans for 3 to 4 minutes, asparagus for 2 to 3 minutes, and peas for 1 to 2 minutes. Each should be tender but still hold itself. Dip the chives into the water for 10 seconds, then cool everything promptly in ice water and drain it very well. Tie the asparagus into four small bundles with the softened chives. One pot replaces the brigade's row of saucepans, but the separate timings remain.

6. 6

   Cook potatoes in butter

   Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a covered skillet over low heat. Add the potatoes in one layer, season lightly, cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, rolling them frequently, until a knife slips through and their skins are butter-gold. If the butter browns before the centers soften, lower the heat and replace the dark butter with a fresh spoonful from the measured amount. Patience, not fierce heat.

7. 7

   Finish garnish and gravy

   Working quickly in the same clean skillet, warm the cauliflower, beans, peas and asparagus separately with the remaining butter, giving each only enough to leave a fresh sheen. Keep the colors distinct and do not brown them. Warm the clear gravy from Poëlings (No. 250) in a small saucepan, reduce it gently to about ¾ cup, and skim the surface. If it looks greasy, draw a folded piece of paper towel lightly across the top; if it becomes too intense, loosen it with hot water a teaspoon at a time. The gravy should remain lucid, not thick or sticky.

8. 8

   Glaze and serve

   Heat the broiler. Remove the twine and set the rested fillet on a heatproof tray. Mix 2 tablespoons warm clear gravy with 1 tablespoon butter, brush it over the beef and place it briefly beneath the broiler, the home equivalent of the salamander, until the glaze catches the light, 30 to 60 seconds. Set the fillet whole on a warmed long platter and arrange the carrots, turnips, peas, beans, asparagus bundles, cauliflower and potatoes around it in generous distinct groups. Send the remaining clear gravy separately in a warm sauceboat. Carve at the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Renaissance garnish obeys the market. Frozen peas picked at their peak are an honest substitute for fresh, but tired asparagus and woody young roots cannot be repaired by a grand name. If spring has not arrived, choose another garnish and save Renaissance for its season.
• •Use fully cured, ready-to-eat unsmoked fatback for larding. Smoked bacon changes the dish, while raw pork fat is unsuitable inside beef intended to remain rosy. If proper fatback cannot be found, ask a butcher for plain larding bacon.
• •The clear gravy from Poëlings (No. 250) must taste concentrated but remain fluid. A cloudy boil or a spoonful of flour would turn it into another sauce entirely; skim, strain and reduce gently.
• •Warm the platter and sauceboat before serving. A cool platter steals heat from sliced fillet quickly, and this arrangement deserves to reach the table before anyone begins a speech.
• •Pour a mature red Bordeaux or a structured Côte de Beaune. The wine needs enough depth for the beef, but not so much weight that the first vegetables disappear.

Advance Preparation

• •The fillet may be larded, seasoned and tied up to 8 hours ahead. Keep it covered in the cold, then take it out 30 minutes before cooking so the exterior loses its chill.
• •Shape the carrots and turnips up to 6 hours ahead and hold them separately under damp towels in the cold. The potatoes may be scrubbed at the same time, but do not leave them soaking.
• •Blanch the cauliflower, beans, asparagus and peas up to 4 hours ahead. Cool them promptly, drain them thoroughly and keep each vegetable in its own covered container before reheating in butter.
• •The roots may be glazed up to 2 hours ahead and rewarmed gently with a spoonful of consommé. Cook and glaze the fillet only near serving time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 610g)