Tournedos Maréchale

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •Small wide saucepan
• •2-quart (1.9 litre) saucepan for blanching
• •3-inch (7.5 cm) round cutter
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small rack and sheet pan
• •Kitchen twine

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare butter and glaze

   Melt 8 tablespoons of the butter very gently in a small saucepan. Skim away the white foam, then pour the clear golden fat into a cup, leaving the milky sediment behind; you should have about 6 tablespoons of clarified butter. Wipe out the saucepan, add the stock, and boil steadily until only 3 tablespoons remain and the reduction coats a cold spoon in a thin, glossy film, about 12 to 18 minutes. Keep it unsalted and set it aside. This little reduction replaces the meat glaze a brigade kept ready all day.

   Begin with truly unsalted stock. If it becomes salty before it coats the spoon, stop reducing and use it at the looser consistency; concentrating the salt further will not improve it.
2. 2

   Blanch the asparagus

   Cut off the upper 2½ inches of each asparagus spear, keeping the tips intact; save the lower stalks for soup or an omelette. Bring 2 quarts (1.9 litres) of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon of the salt. Add the asparagus tips and blanch until brilliant green and barely tender, 90 seconds for very slender tips or up to 3 minutes for thicker ones. Drain, rinse briefly under cold water, and dry thoroughly on a towel. Water left clinging to them will dilute the butter later.

3. 3

   Fry the croûtes

   Heat the oven to 225°F (110°C). Cut four bread rounds slightly wider than the tournedos. These are croûtes frites, butter-fried bread rounds, and they must be crisp enough to support the meat without turning greasy. Heat 3 tablespoons of clarified butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat and fry the rounds for about 2 minutes per side, until evenly golden with crisp edges. Drain them on a rack and hold them in the low oven. If they feel oily, the pan was too cool; return them to a dry, hotter skillet for 30 seconds per side. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Sear the tournedos

   Tie each tournedos around its circumference with kitchen twine so it keeps its round shape, then pat the surfaces completely dry. Season with 1 teaspoon of the remaining salt and all the pepper. Heat the clean skillet over high heat, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of clarified butter, and wait until it shimmers. Lay in the tournedos with space between them and sear without moving for 2½ to 3 minutes. Turn and sear the second side for about 2 minutes, then roll the edges briefly against the pan. Remove the meat at 120 to 125°F (49 to 52°C) for medium-rare; it will rise several degrees while resting. If the crust darkens before the center is warm, lower the heat and turn the meat every 30 seconds until it reaches temperature. Rest uncovered for 5 minutes, then remove the twine.

   The thermometer matters here. Tenderloin contains little fat or connective tissue, so another two minutes cannot make it more tender; they can only make it drier.
5. 5

   Glaze and bind

   While the meat rests, warm the asparagus tips in a small sauté pan with 1 tablespoon of water, 2 tablespoons of the cold butter, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Shake the pan gently until the water and butter form a glossy coating that clings to the tips. If the butter looks greasy instead of coherent, add another teaspoon of cold water and shake again. Reheat the stock reduction over low heat until fluid, add the truffle slices, and turn them once for about 20 seconds per side. Remove the pan from the heat and monter au beurre, finish by whisking in the final tablespoon of cold butter. Turn the truffle slices through the glaze. If it separates into oily beads, whisk in a teaspoon of cold water off the heat. Ça se rattrape. Do not boil after adding the butter.

6. 6

   Assemble and serve

   Arrange the hot croûtes on a warmed platter or four warm plates. Set one tournedos squarely on each croûte and crown each with one broad glazed truffle slice. Divide the asparagus tips into small, generous heaps around the meat, keeping them beside the croûtes so their butter does not soften the bread. Brush any remaining glaze over the truffles only; the source gives this dish a glaze, not a pool of sauce. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for four center-cut tenderloin medallions of equal thickness. The narrow tail cooks too quickly and the broad head cooks unevenly; matching pieces let one pan send four proper portions to the table together.
• •Use a real black truffle, fresh when the season is kind or whole-preserved when it is not. Truffle oil cannot supply the broad, tender slice this formula requires, and its perfume becomes harsh beside hot butter.
• •The stock must contain enough natural gelatin to become glossy as it reduces. Good homemade stock or a butcher's frozen stock is the honest choice; thin, heavily salted carton stock concentrates into saltiness rather than glaze.
• •This dish truly wants asparagus tips that hold their shape. Out of season, frozen petite asparagus tips are an honest preserved option, but thaw and dry them well, skip the blanching, and warm them very briefly in butter. They will be softer than fresh asparagus, and there is no virtue in pretending otherwise.
• •Pour a mature red Bordeaux with soft tannins or an earthy red Burgundy. A hard young wine overwhelms both the delicate tenderloin and the asparagus.

Advance Preparation

• •The stock can be reduced to 3 tablespoons up to two days ahead, covered, and chilled. Reheat it gently before glazing the truffle.
• •Cut the bread rounds and trim the asparagus earlier in the day. The asparagus tips may be blanched up to six hours ahead, then dried, covered, and chilled.
• •Tie and portion the tournedos earlier on the day of serving. Keep them uncovered in the refrigerator so their surfaces stay dry, then take them out about 20 minutes before searing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 320g)