Tournedos Mascotte

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy frying pan
• •2½-quart (2.4 L) shallow ovenproof cocotte
• •Small sharp paring knife
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Butcher's twine

Instructions

1. 1

   Shape the garnish

   Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Tourner the potatoes, trimming them into smooth olive shapes about 1½ inches (4 cm) long, with tapered ends and even middles. A small paring knife replaces the brigade's turning knife perfectly well. Quarter the raw artichoke bottoms just before cooking so they don't linger and darken. Divide the truffle into eight pieces and round each lightly into an olive, keeping every trimming for the cocotte; geometry isn't worth throwing away perfume.

   The olive shape is more than decoration. Equal pieces cook at the same pace and identify the Mascotte garnish, but they needn't look machine-made. Your third potato will be tidier than your first.
2. 2

   Cook the olive garnish

   Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the butter in a heavy 12-inch (30 cm) skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes with ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 1.5 g) of the salt and cook for 8 minutes, turning frequently so their tapered sides color evenly. Add the artichoke quarters and another 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of butter, then cook for 10 to 12 minutes more, until both garnishes are tender at the point of a knife and butter-gold outside. If they brown before becoming tender, lower the heat and cover the pan for 2 minutes. Ça se rattrape. Transfer the garnish to the cocotte and cover loosely.

3. 3

   Sear the tournedos

   Wipe the skillet only if its butter solids are very dark, then return it to medium-high heat. Pat the tournedos completely dry and season them on both sides with the remaining salt and the pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of butter until it foams, then add the beef with room between the pieces. Fry without disturbing for about 3 minutes per side, spooning the foaming butter over the tops and briefly coloring the edges. For medium-rare after the final oven finish, remove the beef when its center reaches 118 to 122°F (48 to 50°C). If the butter blackens, lift the beef out immediately, wipe the pan, and restart with the reserved tablespoon of butter. Catch it promptly and the fond survives; burnt fond cannot make a good sauce.

4. 4

   Arrange the cocotte

   Set the tournedos in the cocotte among the potatoes and artichoke quarters, keeping everything in a single generous layer. If the reserved tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of butter wasn't needed during searing, melt it briefly in the skillet and roll the truffle olives and trimmings through it for 20 seconds. Add them to the cocotte. If that butter was used to rescue the sear, tuck the truffle straight among the hot garnish; the final heat will warm it without driving away its aroma.

5. 5

   Swill the pan

   Return the skillet to medium-high heat and immediately pour in the white wine. Scrape the pan firmly with a wooden spoon, dissolving every bronze patch of fond, then reduce the wine until about ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) remains. Add all but 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) of the brown beef or veal gravy and reduce for 2 to 4 minutes, until the sauce is nappant, lightly coating the back of a spoon while still flowing freely. If it tightens too far, whisk in the reserved gravy a spoonful at a time. If it remains thin, give it another minute over lively heat. Taste before adding any more salt.

6. 6

   Finish in the cocotte

   Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve directly over the tournedos and garnish, pressing only enough to recover the liquid. Set the uncovered cocotte in the oven for 1 to 2 minutes, no longer. This replaces the original front-of-oven finish: its purpose is to marry the sauce, beef, and garnish, not to cook the tournedos again. The beef should finish around 130°F (54°C) for medium-rare. Spoon the glossy sauce over each medallion and bring the cocotte straight to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for four even center-cut tenderloin medallions and tie each around its circumference. The string keeps the tournedos round and gives all four the same cooking time; remove it at the table or just before serving.
• •The source's gravy means a strong, unthickened brown cooking juice, not flour-thickened roast gravy. For the home equivalent, reduce 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) of unsalted, gelatin-rich beef or veal stock to ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) before beginning.
• •Fresh raw artichoke bottoms have the firm, nutty character the original garnish requires. Out of season, frozen raw bottoms are the honest classical-pantry answer. If only cooked jarred bottoms are available, dry them thoroughly and add them for the final 3 minutes of the potato cooking; they will be softer, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.
• •Fresh black truffle makes this a special-occasion dish. Whole black truffles preserved in their own juice are the second choice; drain and dry them before shaping, then add a spoonful of their strained juice to the gravy. Perfumed truffle oil doesn't behave or taste like the ingredient.
• •Artichokes can make a strongly tannic red taste metallic. Pour a supple red Burgundy or the same dry white used for the sauce, and serve the tournedos immediately while the sauce still flows.

Advance Preparation

• •The brown beef or veal gravy can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, chilled, and reheated gently before the wine reduction is made.
• •The potatoes can be turned up to 4 hours ahead and held in cold water. Drain them and dry them completely before frying, since surface water prevents browning and makes the butter spit.
• •The tournedos can be tied and the ingredients measured earlier in the day. Trim the artichokes and shape the truffle close to cooking so their color and aroma remain fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 375g)