Chef Juliette
Châteaubriand, Fillet Steak, Tournedos
One tenderloin heart, three classical portions: roast Châteaubriand for carving, bifteck de filet for one, tournedos two to a plate, all with braised endives and a red-wine pan jus.
Culinary Explorer
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Tournedos Arlésienne
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 1079, Tournedos Arlésienne, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Tender tournedos meet a Provençal ring of golden aubergine and sautéed tomato, each steak crowned with fried onion. The lesson is timing: prepare the garnish, then give lean fillet one hot, quick pan.
Main Dishes
French
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
Date Night
25 min
Active Time
40 min cook•1 hr 5 min total
Yield4 servings
Tournedos Arlésienne (butter-fried beef fillet with aubergine, tomato, and onion) teaches timing above all. Tenderloin is lean, quick to cook, and unforgiving of delay, so the generous vegetable garnish must wait for the beef, never the beef for its garnish.
The grand kitchen assumed several hands, clean pans appearing on command, a hot dish waiting at the pass, often a saucier beside a stockpot never off the fire and a salamander overhead. This entry calls on none of their sauce or broiling work; its hidden brigade luxury is simultaneity. At home, one skillet works in sequence, a low oven holds the aubergine and onion, and four tournedos cook last. Only the order and scale have changed. The butter-and-oil frying, alternating border, and onion crowns are the dish, and they stay.
When it lands correctly, the beef is deeply bronzed and rosy within, the aubergine is tender under its golden face, and the tomato has softened without surrendering its shape. Prepare every garnish and warm the platter before the tournedos meet the pan. That is the one step that decides the evening.
À l'Arlésienne points directly to Arles, where the lower Rhône meets Provence and aubergine, tomato, and onion belong naturally to the local larder. Tournedos came from the grand French dining room, and classical cooks carried it south in name by surrounding the beef with those vegetables, turning a place-name into a precise garnish rather than a vague Provençal sauce. The alternating border and onion crown matter because Arlésienne here is an arrangement as much as a list of ingredients, a distinction often lost when the name is reduced to tomato alone.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
center-cut beef fillet tournedos
Quantity
4, 5¼ oz (150 g) each
cut 1½ inches (4 cm) thick and tied around the circumference
aubergine
Quantity
1 large, about 1 lb (450 g)
sliced crosswise into 8 roundels ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick
small firm tomatoes
Quantity
4, about 14 oz (400 g) total
halved crosswise
yellow onion
Quantity
1 medium, about 6 oz (170 g)
cut crosswise into 4 intact roundels
neutral frying oil
Quantity
½ cup (120 ml / 110 g)
divided
unsalted butter
Quantity
6 tablespoons (90 ml / 85 g)
divided
fine sea salt
Quantity
2 teaspoons (10 ml / 12 g)
divided
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
¾ teaspoon (3.75 ml / 1.5 g)
divided
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| center-cut beef fillet tournedoscut 1½ inches (4 cm) thick and tied around the circumference | 4, 5¼ oz (150 g) each |
| auberginesliced crosswise into 8 roundels ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick | 1 large, about 1 lb (450 g) |
| small firm tomatoeshalved crosswise | 4, about 14 oz (400 g) total |
| yellow onioncut crosswise into 4 intact roundels | 1 medium, about 6 oz (170 g) |
| neutral frying oildivided | ½ cup (120 ml / 110 g) |
| unsalted butterdivided | 6 tablespoons (90 ml / 85 g) |
| fine sea saltdivided | 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 12 g) |
| freshly ground black pepperdivided | ¾ teaspoon (3.75 ml / 1.5 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
- •Rimmed sheet pan fitted with a wire rack
- •Broad metal spatula or fish slice
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •Kitchen twine
- •Oven-safe oval serving platter
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the service
Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and place a wire rack over a rimmed sheet pan inside. Warm an oven-safe oval serving platter on a lower shelf. Tie each tournedos neatly around its circumference so it keeps its round shape, pat the meat thoroughly dry, and leave it uncovered while you cook the garnish. Keep the aubergine, tomatoes, and onion separated beside the stove. Once the beef enters the pan, there should be nothing left to slice or fetch.
- 2
Fry the aubergine
Heat ¼ cup of the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Season the aubergine lightly, then fry it in two uncrowded batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until each roundel is golden and tender but still holds its shape. Transfer the slices to the rack in the oven. If the aubergine drinks the pan dry, lower the heat slightly and brush a little oil onto the next pieces instead of flooding the skillet; already oily slices can drain on the rack. Ça se rattrape.
- 3
Brown the onion
Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter to the skillet. Fry the intact onion roundels over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning them carefully with a broad spatula, until bronze at the edges and tender through the centre. Move them to the rack with the aubergine. If a round separates, fry the rings as they are and stack them loosely on the beef at service; nothing is lost.
- 4
Sauté the tomatoes
Add 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter and raise the heat to medium-high. Season the tomatoes, set them cut-side down, and sauté for 60 to 90 seconds until the cut faces take colour. Turn them for another 30 seconds, just long enough to gloss the skins, then lift them onto a plate. If they begin collapsing or shedding juice, take them out immediately and hold them cut-side up. They need only keep enough shape to alternate with the aubergine.
- 5
Fry the tournedos
Wipe the skillet clean of vegetable fragments and return it to high heat. Season the dry tournedos generously with the remaining salt and pepper. Add the remaining oil and half the remaining butter; when the butter foams and begins to subside, lay in the beef with space between each piece. Fry without moving for about 3 minutes, until a strong brown crust releases cleanly from the pan. Turn, add the remaining butter, and baste for another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the tournedos at 125°F (52°C) for medium-rare or 130°F (54°C) for medium; their temperature will rise as they rest. If the butter blackens before the meat is ready, lift out the steaks, wipe away the burnt fat, and resume over slightly lower heat with a little fresh oil and butter. Burnt butter is bitter, but the beef is not ruined.
- 6
Rest and dress
Rest the tournedos for 5 minutes, then remove the strings. Set all four in the centre of the warm platter. Surround them with alternating roundels of fried aubergine and sautéed tomato, keeping the border close and generous, then place one fried onion roundel on each tournedos. Spoon the clear resting juices over the beef, leaving the vegetables distinct. Serve at once. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Ask for centre-cut beef fillet of even thickness. Four matching pieces cook together; tapered ends do not. Tying each one is useful home scaffolding, not ceremony, because it keeps the tender meat thick enough to brown outside before its centre overcooks.
- •Choose an aubergine that feels heavy and has taut, glossy skin. Fry it in batches and let the rack carry away excess fat. Paper towels trap heat underneath and soften the golden surface you worked for.
- •Firm ripe tomatoes make the cleanest border. If the fresh ones are pale and woolly, drain good whole canned plum tomatoes on a towel, halve them gently, and brown only one cut face. They will sit more softly, but their flavour will be better than a sad fresh tomato.
- •Pour a supple red from Les Baux-de-Provence or the southern Rhône. The aubergine welcomes the wine's savoury depth, while tender fillet wants fruit and freshness rather than stern tannin.
Advance Preparation
- •The tournedos may be tied and dried, uncovered, in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours. Bring them to the counter 20 minutes before frying and season only when the skillet is heating.
- •The aubergine and onion may be fried up to 1 hour ahead. Cool them on the rack, then rewarm at 200°F (95°C) for 8 to 10 minutes. Cook the tomatoes shortly before the beef; fillet itself cannot be cooked ahead without surrendering the point of the dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 350g)
Calories
600 calories
Total Fat
44 g
Saturated Fat
15 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
25 g
Cholesterol
125 mg
Sodium
1280 mg
Total Carbohydrates
15 g
Dietary Fiber
5 g
Sugars
8 g
Protein
36 g
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