Tournedos Madeleine

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four 2-ounce (60 ml) dariole-moulds or metal ramekins
• •Shallow roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Food mill, fine sieve, or compact food processor
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen twine

Instructions

1. 1

   Set the order

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Brush four 2-ounce (60 ml) dariole-moulds or metal ramekins generously with the softened butter and set them in a shallow roasting pan. Put a kettle of water on to boil. Tie kitchen twine around each tournedos so it holds a neat round, pat the meat dry, and return it uncovered to the refrigerator; take it out when the timbales enter the oven. This order keeps all three parts hot without asking you to grow another pair of hands.

2. 2

   Bind the bean purée

   Pass the haricot beans through a food mill or fine sieve and weigh out 180 g of smooth purée. If it slumps or glistens with moisture, stir it over low heat until a spoon leaves a clean trail across the pan, then cool it until merely warm before adding the eggs. Ça se rattrape, but wet purée must be corrected now or the timbales won't stand. Stir in the measured beaten egg, measured yolks, melted butter, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and ⅛ teaspoon of the white pepper. These measured portions preserve the book's ratio; don't round them up to a whole egg. Divide the mixture among the moulds, tap each once against the counter to settle it, and smooth the tops.

3. 3

   Reduce the Soubise

   Melt the Soubise butter in a small heavy saucepan over low heat. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon of the salt, cover, and let it étuver, or sweat gently in its own moisture, for 15 to 18 minutes. The onion must become tender and sweet without browning. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute, still without colour, then add the warm milk gradually while stirring. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, purée until smooth, and return it to the pan. Stir in the cream and remaining white pepper, then reduce until a spoonful holds a soft mound instead of running flat. If the onion catches, transfer the pale portion to a clean pan and leave the brown specks behind; if the finished Soubise is too tight, loosen it with a teaspoon of milk. Too loose means another minute over gentle heat.

4. 4

   Poach the timbales

   Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the moulds. Transfer the bain-marie to the oven and poach for 15 to 18 minutes, timing them to finish just before the beef. The tops should look set and spring lightly at the centre; if they ripple when nudged, give them another 2 minutes. During the final 5 minutes, put the artichoke bottoms cup-side up in a small covered baking dish with a tablespoon of hot water and warm them beside the bain-marie. Remove the pan from the oven, cover the timbales loosely, and leave them in their hot water for no longer than 15 minutes.

5. 5

   Fill the artichokes

   Lift the warmed artichoke bottoms from their dish and blot away the water. Season them with a small pinch of the remaining salt, then fill each generously with reduced Soubise, about 1½ tablespoons apiece, so the filling rises just to the rim. Cover loosely and hold them on the warm back of the stove. The Soubise belongs inside the artichokes, not smeared across the platter.

6. 6

   Sear the tournedos

   Pat the tournedos dry once more and season them with the remaining salt and all the black pepper. Heat a 12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet empty over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the frying butter; when it foams vigorously, lay in the beef with at least an inch between the pieces. Sear without moving for 2½ to 3 minutes, turn, add another 2 tablespoons of butter, and baste as the second side cooks for 2 to 3 minutes. Brown the edges briefly with tongs. Remove the beef at 125 to 130°F (52 to 54°C) for medium-rare or about 140°F (60°C) if you want it to finish near medium. If the pan cannot hold four without crowding, cook two at a time with fresh butter. If a grey puddle forms, the pan cooled: lift out the beef, pour away the liquid, wipe the pan dry, reheat it properly, add the reserved butter, and resume. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Rest and release

   Rest the tournedos on a warm plate for 6 minutes, covered only loosely so their crust stays intact, then remove the twine. Run a thin knife around each timbale and invert it onto a small plate. If one clings, dip the base of its mould in hot water for 10 seconds and try again. If an edge cracks, press it gently back into shape with the back of a warm spoon; the butter and yolks will hold it.

8. 8

   Dish the Madeleine

   Arrange the four tournedos in the centre of a heated oval platter. Surround them with the four haricot-bean timbales and four Soubise-filled artichoke bottoms, alternating the two garnishes exactly as the source directs. If the frying butter smells sweet and hazelnut-like, spoon a little of its clear upper layer over the beef; if it smells bitter or contains blackened milk solids, leave it in the pan. Add no extra sauce and no ornamental herbs. The reduced Soubise and butter are enough. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Good canned small white beans are the honest home answer here. Rinse them, drain them thoroughly, and dry them before making the purée; wet beans produce timbales that slump when unmoulded.
• •Buy actual artichoke bottoms, frozen or canned, rather than quartered hearts. Frozen bottoms usually have the cleanest flavour; rinse canned ones well so their preserving liquid doesn't sharpen the sweet Soubise.
• •Dariole-moulds are small Baba-moulds. Four 2-ounce metal ramekins give the intended shape and set in about fifteen minutes; ceramic ramekins work but may need another three or four. Cooking well is not cooking fancy.
• •An instant-read thermometer removes guesswork from thick tenderloin. For guests who need fully cooked beef, bring the centre to 145°F (63°C) and rest it for at least 3 minutes.
• •Pour a supple Médoc whose tannins have softened. Tenderloin is delicate, and the onion, beans, and artichoke ask for a red with structure rather than brute force.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the reduced Soubise up to one day ahead, cover its surface, and refrigerate it. Reheat over very low heat, loosening it with a teaspoon of milk only if it has set too firmly.
• •Prepare and fill the haricot moulds up to six hours ahead and refrigerate them covered. Poach them during the final fifteen minutes before the beef is seared; add two or three minutes if they enter the bain-marie cold.
• •Drain and dry the artichoke bottoms earlier in the day. Tie the tournedos and leave them uncovered in the refrigerator for up to an hour so their surfaces dry, then take them out when the timbales enter the oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 285g)