Chef Juliette
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Tournedos à la Florentine
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 1094, Tournedos à la Florentine, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Tournedos à la Florentine teaches service timing: lean beef grilled hot and quick, spinach subrics browned beside it, and walnut-sized semolina croquettes fried moments earlier, all gathered in a generous crown.
Main Dishes
French
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
Date Night
45 min
Active Time
35 min cook•2 hr 10 min total
Yield4 servings
Tournedos à la Florentine (grilled beef tenderloin on spinach subrics with semolina croquettes) teaches timing above all. The one true thing is this: tenderloin is lean, so the pan must be fully hot before the beef enters, and the cook must lift it away the instant the center is ready. Linger and it dries. Move with purpose and you get a bronzed surface, a rosy heart, crisp spinach beneath, and little croquettes that yield softly under their crust.
The grand kitchen surrounding this entry had a saucier, stock never off the fire, and a salamander at command, yet this composition calls for none of them. Its real assumption was more troublesome at home: separate hands at the grill, frying pot, and subric pan. Your honest equivalent is staging. Prepare the semolina croquettes and Subrics d’Épinards (No. 2137) first, fry the croquettes shortly before service, then give one burner to the beef and one to the subrics. A small deep saucepan replaces the service fryer. One cook, one stove, one evening.
Here the brigade crown becomes four portions. Only the quantity and choreography have changed. The round tournedos, spinach subrics, walnut-sized croquettes, and crown arrangement are the dish itself and must stay; extra sauce and broiler work would be scaffolding the source never requested. Before you touch a pan, warm the platter and set every component within reach. Heat the grill pan completely before the tournedos meet it, then watch the thermometer, not the clock.
In the Parisian classical repertoire, a tournedos is a compact round cut from the heart of beef tenderloin, while à la florentine tells the diner to expect spinach. This version turns the spinach into subrics, small bound cakes, then gathers semolina croquettes around the beef in the crown arrangement favored by grand service. The familiar claim that every spinach dish owes its name to one Florentine court is too tidy; what is certain is that French menu language made florentine a durable shorthand for spinach.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
center-cut beef tenderloin tournedos
Quantity
4, 5 oz (140 g) each
about 1½ inches (4 cm) thick, tied if needed
Subrics d’Épinards
Quantity
4 Subrics d’Épinards (No. 2137)
prepared through shaping, each the same diameter as a tournedos
whole milk
Quantity
1 cup (240 ml / 245 g)
fine semolina
Quantity
½ cup (120 ml / 85 g)
unsalted butter
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g)
large egg yolk
Quantity
1
fine sea salt
Quantity
1¼ teaspoons (6 ml / 7 g)
divided
freshly grated nutmeg
Quantity
⅛ teaspoon (0.6 ml / 0.25 g)
plain flour
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 30 g)
large egg
Quantity
1
beaten
fine dry breadcrumbs
Quantity
¾ cup (180 ml / 75 g)
neutral frying oil
Quantity
3 cups (720 ml / 660 g)
or enough to reach 1½ inches (4 cm) in the saucepan
clarified butter
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g)
divided
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
¾ teaspoon (4 ml / 1.5 g)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| center-cut beef tenderloin tournedosabout 1½ inches (4 cm) thick, tied if needed | 4, 5 oz (140 g) each |
| Subrics d’Épinardsprepared through shaping, each the same diameter as a tournedos | 4 Subrics d’Épinards (No. 2137) |
| whole milk | 1 cup (240 ml / 245 g) |
| fine semolina | ½ cup (120 ml / 85 g) |
| unsalted butter | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) |
| large egg yolk | 1 |
| fine sea saltdivided | 1¼ teaspoons (6 ml / 7 g) |
| freshly grated nutmeg | ⅛ teaspoon (0.6 ml / 0.25 g) |
| plain flour | ¼ cup (60 ml / 30 g) |
| large eggbeaten | 1 |
| fine dry breadcrumbs | ¾ cup (180 ml / 75 g) |
| neutral frying oilor enough to reach 1½ inches (4 cm) in the saucepan | 3 cups (720 ml / 660 g) |
| clarified butterdivided | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) |
| freshly ground black pepper | ¾ teaspoon (4 ml / 1.5 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •2-quart (2-liter) deep saucepan
- •Deep-fry thermometer
- •Wire rack and small rimmed tray
- •12-inch (30 cm) heavy grill pan or cast-iron griddle
- •10-inch (25 cm) skillet for the subrics
- •Instant-read meat thermometer
- •Broad round serving platter
Instructions
- 1
Cook the semolina
Reserve 2 tablespoons of the measured milk and keep it cold. Put the remaining milk in a 2-quart saucepan with the unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and the nutmeg. Bring it just to the point where small bubbles gather around the rim. Rain in the semolina while whisking constantly, then lower the heat and stir with a wooden spoon for 6 to 8 minutes. It is ready when it forms a very thick, smooth mass that pulls cleanly from the pan. If it tightens unevenly, take it off the heat and beat in the reserved cold milk a little at a time. Let it cool for 2 minutes, then beat in the yolk until the mixture is glossy and uniform. Spread it about ½ inch (1 cm) thick in a shallow dish, press parchment against the surface, and chill for 45 minutes.
- 2
Shape and bread
Divide the cold semolina mixture into 12 equal portions, about 1 oz (28 g) each, and roll them into balls the size of walnuts. If the mixture clings to your hands or slumps, chill it for another 15 minutes; don't knead in extra flour, which makes a heavy croquette. Roll each ball lightly in flour, then in beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs, pressing just firmly enough to seal the surface. Set them on a rack and chill for at least 20 minutes so the coating holds in the oil.
Keep the croquettes small and round. Large ones brown before the center warms, while walnut-sized croquettes fry quickly enough to join the beef without delaying it. - 3
Set the service
Heat the oven to 225°F (110°C), place a wire rack over a small tray inside, and warm a broad round serving platter. Set a heavy grill pan over one burner and a wide skillet for the Subrics d’Épinards (No. 2137) over another, but do not heat them yet. Take the tournedos from the cold for 20 minutes, keeping them tied, then dry every surface thoroughly. Have the remaining salt, pepper, clarified butter, tongs, and thermometer beside the stove. Once the frying begins, the dish moves quickly.
- 4
Fry the croquettes
Pour the frying oil into a deep saucepan, filling it no more than halfway, and heat it to 350°F (175°C). Fry one croquette first. It should bubble steadily and turn evenly golden in 2 to 3 minutes. If it opens, do not add the rest: the oil is too cool or the croquettes are too warm. Lift it out, bring the oil back to temperature, chill the remaining croquettes for 10 minutes, and patch any bare spot on the opened one with egg and breadcrumbs. Ça se rattrape. Fry the rest in two batches, drain them on the rack, season with a small pinch of the remaining salt, and hold them in the low oven for no longer than 15 minutes.
- 5
Grill in tandem
Raise the grill pan over high heat and the subric skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the tournedos with half the clarified butter and season them with the remaining salt and the pepper. Put the other half of the clarified butter in the skillet. When both pans are properly hot, set the tournedos on the grill pan and the prepared Subrics d’Épinards (No. 2137) in the skillet at the same moment. Cook the subrics according to their own entry until both faces are evenly colored and their centers are set, then transfer them to the warm platter. Grill the tournedos without pressing them, about 2½ to 3 minutes on the first face and 2 to 3 minutes on the second. Begin checking after 5 minutes and lift them at 120 to 125°F (49 to 52°C) for a rosy medium-rare center. If the surface darkens before the center reaches 115°F (46°C), lower the heat to medium and turn the steaks every 30 seconds until ready.
For diners who need fully cooked beef, lift the tournedos at 140°F (60°C) and let them carry to 145°F (63°C). The texture will be firmer, but the quick, hot cooking still protects as much moisture as possible. - 6
Rest and crown
Rest the tournedos on a rack for 5 minutes, then remove their strings. Arrange the four spinach subrics in a ring on the warmed platter and set one tournedos squarely on each. Pile the semolina croquettes in the middle to complete the crown, keeping their browned surfaces exposed rather than burying them beneath the beef. This entry asks for no added sauce; the rich subric and tender croquette belong in the same forkful as the meat. Carry the platter straight to the table. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Ask the butcher for four equal rounds cut from the center of the tenderloin. The tapered end gives uneven portions, and uneven portions cannot leave a hot grill together. Tie any loose tournedos around the waist so it keeps the compact shape the name promises.
- •Prepare the Subrics d’Épinards (No. 2137) as their own finished component, keeping them the same diameter as the beef. That proportion is functional as well as handsome: each tournedos sits fully on spinach, so every slice carries some of the rich subric beneath it.
- •Clarified butter is still butter, with the milk solids removed so it can face the required heat without burning. Whole butter blackens before a grill pan is hot enough for tenderloin, while margarine has no place in the discussion.
- •Do not add a sauce merely because the platter looks formal. The source builds the dish from beef, spinach subrics, and semolina croquettes; their contrasting textures are the composition. Serve a structured red Bordeaux or a fresh Cabernet Franc from the Loire alongside.
Advance Preparation
- •The semolina mixture can be cooked and chilled a day ahead. Shape and bread the croquettes up to 6 hours before serving, then refrigerate them uncovered on a rack so their coating stays dry.
- •Prepare the Subrics d’Épinards (No. 2137) through shaping earlier in the day and keep them cold. Cook them only when the tournedos go onto the grill pan, as the source directs.
- •The tournedos can be portioned and tied up to a day ahead. Refrigerate them uncovered on a rack, then take them out 20 minutes before cooking and dry them again before seasoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 300g)
Calories
695 calories
Total Fat
41 g
Saturated Fat
15 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
24 g
Cholesterol
250 mg
Sodium
1200 mg
Total Carbohydrates
39 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
43 g
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