Tournedos Chasseur

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy sauté pan or skillet
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Tongs and a wooden spoon
• •Oven-safe oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the tournedos

   Take the tournedos and Sauce Chasseur from the cold about 30 minutes before cooking. Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and set an oval serving platter inside to warm. Pat the beef thoroughly dry, check that each piece is tied into an even round, then season every surface with the salt and pepper. Dry, equally thick tournedos brown together; damp or uneven ones leave one steak grey while another overcooks.

   Tie each tournedos snugly around its middle with butcher's twine. The tie is not decoration; it keeps the tender fillet round and evenly thick against the pan.
2. 2

   Fry in butter

   Heat a wide, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the butter, holding the remainder back. When the foam quiets and the milk solids turn pale gold, lay in the tournedos with space between them. Fry without moving for 3 to 4 minutes, until the undersides carry a deep bronze crust. Turn, add the remaining butter, and fry for another 2 to 4 minutes, basting the tops and briefly rolling the edges through the butter. Remove the beef at 122 to 125°F (50 to 52°C) for medium-rare or 135 to 140°F (57 to 60°C) for medium; it will rise as it rests.

3. 3

   Form the crown

   Remove the twine and arrange the tournedos in a close ring on the warmed platter, leaving the center open to form the crown specified by the original entry. Keep the platter somewhere warm while you finish the sauce, but don't cover it tightly or the crust will soften. Tilt the pan and drain the spent butter into a heatproof bowl. Leave every bronze patch stuck to the pan floor. That fond is flavor, not dirt.

4. 4

   Swill with wine

   Take the pan briefly off the heat and pour in the white wine, then return it to medium-high heat. Scrape the floor firmly with a wooden spoon until the fond dissolves into the wine, and boil until about one-third of the liquid remains. If the wine disappears before the glaze releases, ça se rattrape: add 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) water and keep scraping. If black flecks loosen rather than brown ones, strain the wine into a bowl, wipe those bitter flecks from the pan, and return the strained reduction.

5. 5

   Finish the chasseur

   Add the prepared Sauce Chasseur to the wine reduction and stir until completely united. Bring it to a lively boil for 1 to 2 minutes, exactly long enough for the sauce to take up the fond and regain a glossy, flowing consistency. It should coat the back of a spoon but still pour freely. If it tightens too far, loosen it with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) water; if it runs thin, boil it for another minute. Taste before adding any further seasoning.

6. 6

   Sauce and serve

   Tip any resting juices from the platter into the pan and stir them through the sauce for a few seconds. Restore the crown neatly, then pour the Sauce Chasseur generously over the tournedos, allowing it to pool in the center and around the meat. Carry the platter straight to the table while the crust still stands beneath the sauce. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for four tournedos cut from the even center of the beef fillet. Tapered pieces cook at different rates; uniform rounds let you serve four guests without conducting negotiations over the pan.
• •Butter, not oil. The heat should be strong enough to bronze the beef but controlled enough that the milk solids stay nutty rather than black. If the butter races toward burning, lower the heat before the steaks go in.
• •The source calls for Sauce Chasseur in proportion to the number of tournedos. For four pieces, 1½ cups (360 ml / 360 g) gives each steak a generous ⅜ cup (90 ml / 90 g) without drowning its crust.
• •Choose a dry, unoaked white wine for the pan. At the table, a red Burgundy or a good cru Beaujolais has enough freshness for the mushrooms and enough grace for tenderloin.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Sauce Chasseur from its own entry up to 2 days ahead, chill it promptly, and bring it out with the beef so it loses its deepest chill before reaching the pan.
• •The tournedos may be trimmed and tied up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate them uncovered on a rack for a drier surface, then take them from the cold about 30 minutes before cooking.
• •Do not sear the tournedos ahead. The brief rest while the sauce finishes is useful; a long wait costs both the crust and the carefully judged center.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 225g)