Tournedos Béarnaise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Outdoor grill or 12-inch / 30 cm cast-iron grill pan
• •12-inch / 30 cm sauté pan with lid
• •10-inch / 25 cm heavy skillet
• •3-inch / 7.5 cm round cutter
• •Small heatproof bowl and saucepan for the sauce bath
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Wire rack
• •Butcher's twine
• •Warm oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Set the temperature plan

   Set the finished Béarnaise Sauce (No. 62) in a heatproof bowl. Warm a small saucepan of water to about 105°F / 40°C, remove it from the heat, and rest the bowl over it without letting the base touch the water. Stir occasionally and hold the sauce between 100°F and 110°F / 38°C and 43°C for no longer than 45 minutes. If a greasy rim appears or the sauce begins to separate, take the bowl away from the warmth. Ça se rattrape: whisk 1 teaspoon of the measured tepid water in a clean, cool bowl, add a teaspoon of the broken sauce, and then whisk in the remainder gradually once the emulsion turns creamy again. Never return it to direct heat.

   Tepid means pleasantly warm against a fingertip, not hot. The tournedos provide the heat on the plate; the Béarnaise provides silk.
2. 2

   Cook potatoes in butter

   Arrange the peeled potatoes in one layer in a wide sauté pan. Add the unsalted butter, ¾ cup / 180 ml of the measured water, and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cover and hold at a gentle simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, rolling the potatoes occasionally, until a knife enters without resistance. Uncover and continue rolling them as the remaining water evaporates, leaving each potato soft and coated with melted butter. If the pan dries before they are tender, add water a tablespoon at a time. Hold them covered over the lowest possible heat; if their edges begin taking hard colour, add another spoonful of water and lower the heat.

3. 3

   Fry the croûtons

   Heat 4 tablespoons of the clarified butter in a broad skillet over medium heat. Fry the bread rounds for 2 to 3 minutes per side, adding more clarified butter if the pan looks dry, until both faces are an even butter-gold and the edges are crisp. Drain them on a wire rack rather than stacking them, then hold them in a 200°F / 95°C oven for up to 20 minutes. These croûtons are part of the structure, not decoration: pale bread absorbs the glaze and collapses, while properly fried bread stays crisp beneath the beef.

   Keep the rounds a full ½ inch / 1.25 cm thick. Thinner bread becomes brittle; thicker bread overwhelms the tournedos.
4. 4

   Grill the tournedos

   Tie each tournedos around its circumference with butcher's twine so it keeps its compact shape. Pat the beef completely dry, brush it lightly with the remaining clarified butter, and season with the remaining salt and all the pepper. Heat an outdoor grill or heavy cast-iron grill pan until fiercely hot. Grill the tournedos without moving them for 3 to 4 minutes on the first face, turn once, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Briefly stand them on their edges to colour the sides. Pull them at 125°F to 128°F / 52°C to 53°C for medium-rare, or 135°F / 57°C for medium, then rest on a rack for 5 to 7 minutes. For guests who require fully cooked beef, take the center to 145°F / 63°C and rest it for 3 minutes. If the pan fills with liquid, it has cooled or become crowded; remove the meat, raise the heat, wipe out the liquid carefully, and resume with fewer steaks.

5. 5

   Bring glaze to gloss

   While the beef rests, warm the meat glaze in the smallest saucepan you own. It should cling to a pastry brush in a shiny, translucent coat, not sit heavily like gravy. If it is too tight, loosen it with 1 teaspoon of warm water; if it runs like stock, simmer it for another minute or two. Keep it warm without boiling.

6. 6

   Assemble without delay

   Arrange the four hot croûtons around a warmed oval platter. Remove the twine from the tournedos, set one steak squarely on each croûton, and brush only the upper surface with a fine coat of meat glaze. Heap the butter-soft potatoes in the center and scatter the chopped parsley over them. Stir the Béarnaise Sauce (No. 62) once, then draw a narrow thread around each tournedos, keeping it away from the underside of the bread so the croûton remains crisp. Bring any remaining sauce separately in a room-temperature sauceboat. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for four evenly cut center portions of beef tenderloin, not the narrow tail. Tournedos should be thick enough to brown outside while remaining rosy within; tying them keeps their shape and gives every portion the same cooking time.
• •The source permits the tournedos to be glazed while the Béarnaise is served separately. That is the faithful choice when the meal may linger before serving, and it protects both the crisp croûton and the emulsion.
• •A stockpot reduced to meat glaze is sensible in a working brigade and absurd for four steaks. Use a good prepared veal or beef demi-glace and reduce it until a brush leaves a clear trail. Sweet bottled steak glaze has no place here.
• •Serve a structured red that respects both beef and tarragon, such as a Médoc or Cabernet Franc from the Loire. Avoid a heavily sweet or jammy bottle, which makes the vinegar reduction in the Béarnaise taste sharp.

Advance Preparation

• •The listed times assume the Béarnaise Sauce (No. 62) has been completed as its own preparation. Make it shortly before the final cooking and hold it tepid for 30 to 45 minutes; do not chill it and attempt to reheat it over direct heat.
• •The croûtons can be fried up to 2 hours ahead, cooled uncovered on a rack, and crisped for 5 minutes in a 325°F / 165°C oven before assembly.
• •The meat glaze can be prepared several days ahead and refrigerated. Warm it gently with a few drops of water until it becomes brushable.
• •The potatoes may be peeled up to 4 hours ahead and held under cold water. Drain and dry them before cooking so the butter coats them evenly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)