Tournedos à la Ménagère

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •24 cm (4-quart) earthenware cocotte or heavy casserole with a tight lid
• •30 cm (12-inch) heavy skillet
• •Foil for improving a loose lid's seal
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen twine, if the tournedos need shaping

Instructions

1. 1

   Fill the cocotte

   Put the beans, carrots, onions, and fresh peas into a 24 cm heavy cocotte, keeping the four vegetables at equal weights. If using frozen petits pois, reserve them for now so they retain their sweetness and shape. Add 4 tablespoons (60 ml / 57 g) of the butter, the 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 45 g) water, and half the salt. Cover tightly; if the lid is loose, place a sheet of foil beneath it and fold the edges upward, away from the flame.

2. 2

   Cook à l'étuvée

   Set the cocotte over medium heat until a quiet sizzling begins, then reduce the heat to low. This is cuisson à l'étuvée, close-cooking in the vegetables' own moisture with only a little added water. Cook for 14 to 18 minutes, shaking the covered cocotte gently once or twice with protected hands. If using frozen peas, fold them in for the final 5 minutes and reseal the pot. The carrots and onion centers should yield to a knife, the beans should retain a gentle bite, and the peas should remain full. If the vegetables begin catching before they are tender, add 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) water and close the lid again. If they are tender but swimming, cook uncovered for a minute or two. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Prepare the tournedos

   While the vegetables cook, pat the tournedos thoroughly dry. Tie each once around its waist if it does not hold a compact round shape, then season every surface with the remaining salt immediately before cooking. A wet fillet turns grey before it browns, and this lean cut cannot stay in the pan while you wait for colour. Dry surface, hot pan, brief cooking. That is the principle carried into the method.

4. 4

   Fry in butter

   When the vegetables are tender, take the covered cocotte off the heat. Heat a broad, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until thoroughly hot, then add 1½ tablespoons (22 ml / 21 g) of the remaining butter, reserving the final ½ tablespoon (7.5 ml / 7 g). As the foam subsides and the milk solids turn pale hazelnut, lay in the tournedos with room between them. Fry without moving for about 3 minutes, turn once, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, basting with the reserved butter during the final minute. Brown the edges briefly with tongs. Pull the beef at 125°F (52°C) for medium-rare or 135°F (57°C) for medium. If the butter turns black before the crust forms, take the skillet off the heat, lift out the beef, carefully wipe away the bitter fat with paper held in tongs, and resume over slightly lower heat with the reserved butter. The beef isn't lost.

5. 5

   Rest and glaze

   Rest the tournedos on a warm plate for 3 to 4 minutes without covering them tightly. Meanwhile, set the cocotte over low heat and check the vegetables. Their liquid should amount to only a few buttery, concentrated spoonfuls, not a broth. Reduce briefly without the lid if needed, folding gently so the peas and onions stay whole, then return any clear juices from the resting beef to the cocotte.

6. 6

   Dish at once

   Remove any twine and set the tournedos directly upon the vegetables in the cocotte, browned faces upward. Spoon the vegetables and their butter-bright liquor around the beef rather than over its crust. Carry the cocotte straight to the table while the fillet is still at its proper point. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for center-cut beef fillet medallions of equal thickness. Tenderloin brings tenderness rather than abundant fat, so an even cut and decisive butter browning matter more than buying enormous portions.
• •Haricots beurre are slender yellow wax beans; haricots Princesse are very fine green beans. Either follows the entry, but choose young beans without swollen seeds, because mature beans will remain fibrous after the other vegetables are tender.
• •Very fresh peas should taste sweet when eaten raw. If the pods hold starchy peas, frozen petits pois are the more honest choice; add them only for the final 5 minutes, since they were blanched before freezing and need less cooking.
• •Do not invent a pan sauce. The butter and concentrated vegetable liquor are the accompaniment intended here, and a reduction would bury the delicacy of the fillet and new vegetables.
• •Pour a supple, medium-bodied red such as a cru Beaujolais or Cabernet Franc. Leftover tournedos are better sliced cold than reheated; the vegetables keep for 2 days in the refrigerator and rewarm gently beneath a lid with a spoonful of water.

Advance Preparation

• •Trim and portion the four vegetables up to 6 hours ahead, keeping them separately covered in the refrigerator. Peel the onions and shell the peas, but do not salt or combine anything until cooking begins.
• •The tournedos can be portioned and tied up to 6 hours ahead. Refrigerate them uncovered on a rack so their surfaces stay dry, then season only when the skillet is heating.
• •For an easier dinner-party finish, cook the vegetables until just short of tender up to 30 minutes before serving and hold the cocotte covered off the heat. Finish them gently while the skillet heats, then fry the tournedos at the last moment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 270g)