Tournedos à l’Estragon

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •1-quart (1-liter) saucepan
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small bowl for ice water
• •Slotted spoon
• •Kitchen twine
• •Warm oval serving platter and sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Blanch the tarragon

   Bring a small saucepan of water to a gentle boil and set a bowl of ice water beside it. Choose 32 of the longest, least damaged tarragon leaves. Blanchir, briefly parboil, them for 5 seconds, then lift them straight into the ice water. They should be supple enough to bend without tearing while retaining their green color. Drain and press them thoroughly dry between clean towels; wet leaves slide from the meat and dilute its butter sheen. Finely chop enough of the remaining leaves to make 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 4 g).

   Reserve the lattice leaves before chopping anything. Tarragon leaves are narrow, so choose the longest ones and handle them with your fingers rather than fussy plating tools.
2. 2

   Scent the gravy

   Put the Thickened Gravy (No. 41) in a 1-quart saucepan and bring it to the barest tremble over medium-low heat. Stir in the chopped tarragon, simmer gently for 1 minute, then cover and take the pan off the heat for 3 minutes so the herb scents the gravy without losing its freshness. Return it to the lowest heat and keep it warm. If a skin forms, whisk it smooth. If the gravy tightens too far, loosen it with hot water, 1 teaspoon at a time. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Ready the tournedos

   Pat every surface of the tournedos thoroughly dry. Tie each around its circumference with kitchen twine if the butcher has not already done so; the string keeps the compact round shape and helps all four cook evenly. Season both sides with the measured salt and pepper immediately before frying. Warm an oval serving platter and the sauceboat now, because the beef will not wait while you search for them.

4. 4

   Fry in butter

   Heat a dry 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the butter. When it foams briskly and smells nutty, set in the tournedos with room between them. Fry without moving for 2½ to 3 minutes, until the first side is deeply bronzed and releases cleanly. Turn, add the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter, and baste continuously for about 2 minutes. Hold each tournedos briefly on its edge with tongs to color the sides. If the pan is smaller than 12 inches, work in two batches and divide the butter evenly. Check the center from the side with an instant-read thermometer. Pull the beef at 122 to 125°F (50 to 52°C) for medium-rare, or 128 to 130°F (53 to 54°C) for medium; carryover heat will finish it during the rest. If the butter’s milk solids turn black rather than hazelnut brown, move the beef to a plate, lower the heat, carefully wipe the skillet, and resume with the reserved butter. Burned butter is bitter, but the tournedos are not lost.

   A pale tournedos needs another thirty seconds, not constant turning. Leave it in contact with the skillet long enough to build its crust, then begin checking the center early.
5. 5

   Rest with judgment

   Transfer the tournedos to a warm plate and rest them uncovered for 5 minutes. Covering traps moisture and softens the crust. If one proves too rare after resting, ça se rattrape: return it to the hot skillet for 30 seconds per side and check again. Beef cooked too far cannot be taken backward, which is why you pull early. While it rests, rewarm the gravy gently without letting it boil hard.

6. 6

   Build the crown

   Remove the strings and arrange the four tournedos in a tight ring on the warm platter, leaving a small open center to form the crown described in the original entry. Lay four blanched tarragon leaves parallel across each tournedos, then cross them with four more leaves to make a simple lattice. Do not pour gravy over the top and bury the garnish. Send the tarragon gravy separately in the warm sauceboat, letting each guest spoon it around the beef. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for center-cut beef tenderloin rounds of equal thickness, not four unrelated pieces sold under the loose name filet. A tournedos is compact, evenly cut, and tied so its sides rise straight; the word carries the technique.
• •Fresh tarragon is essential here. Dried tarragon can scent a liquid, but it cannot make the supple green lattice required by the entry. Choose a bunch with long, unblemished leaves and a clean anise fragrance.
• •Use the veal-stock version of Thickened Gravy (No. 41), exactly as the reference directs for choice pieces of butcher’s meat. Prepare it as its own finished component, then scent it with tarragon here; the separate sauce preparation is brigade scaffolding, not a reason to improvise another gravy.
• •Butter, not oil. Whole butter gives the tournedos their proper flavor and sheen, but its heat must be watched. Brown specks taste nutty; black specks taste bitter. We don’t apologize for butter, we control the pan.
• •A Chinon with a little age suits the lean beef and echoes tarragon’s herbal edge without smothering it. Serve the tournedos with pommes château or a restrained potato purée, leaving the crown and its gravy in command.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Thickened Gravy (No. 41) up to 2 days ahead, cool it promptly, and refrigerate it covered. Reheat it gently before adding the chopped tarragon.
• •The whole tarragon leaves may be blanched up to 4 hours ahead. Dry them, arrange them in a single layer between barely damp towels, and refrigerate; pat them dry once more before making the lattices.
• •The tournedos may be cut and tied earlier in the day, then kept covered in the refrigerator. Do not salt or fry them ahead. Season at the pan and serve after their short rest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 195g)