Tournedos Montpensier

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four shallow 2¼-inch (5.5 cm) tartlet molds
• •3-inch (7.5 cm) round cutter
• •Baking sheet, foil, and pie weights
• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •Small saucepan and small skillet
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen twine

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pâte brisée

   Combine the flour and pastry salt, then rub in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few small flakes remaining. Add 1½ tablespoons of ice water and press the dough together; if dry flour remains, add the final water a teaspoon at a time. Stop as soon as it holds. Flatten into a disc, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes so the gluten relaxes and the butter firms.

   Pâte brisée is short pastry, not bread dough. Press it together without kneading; too much handling makes these small shells tough enough to fight the knife.
2. 2

   Blind-bake the tartlets

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Roll the chilled dough about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick and line four shallow 2¼-inch (5.5 cm) tartlet molds. Press the dough into the corners without stretching it, trim the rims, prick the bases, and chill for 10 minutes. Line each shell with a small piece of foil and pie weights, then bake for 10 minutes. Remove the weights and bake for another 6 to 8 minutes, until the bases are dry and evenly golden. Cool briefly, unmold, and reserve.

   If a shell cracks before baking, press a thin scrap of dampened dough over the break. The asparagus will conceal the repair, and the tartlet will hold perfectly well.
3. 3

   Prepare the asparagus

   Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and season it with 1 tablespoon of the salt. Add the asparagus tips and blanch until bright green and just tender, about 1½ to 2 minutes. Transfer them immediately to cold water, then drain and dry them thoroughly. Water left on the tips will dilute the finishing butter, so spread them on a clean towel while you prepare the remaining components.

4. 4

   Fry the bread crusts

   Lower the oven to 200°F (95°C) and place four serving plates inside to warm. Heat the 4 tablespoons of clarified butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the bread rounds until crisp and deep gold, about 1 to 2 minutes per side, adding them only when the butter moves freely across the pan. Transfer the crusts to a rack and hold them in the low oven with the tartlet shells. If the bread drinks the butter without coloring, the pan is too cool; raise the heat before adding more butter.

5. 5

   Sear the tournedos

   Pat the tournedos completely dry and season them with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Heat a clean heavy skillet over medium-high heat until properly hot, then add the 3 tablespoons of clarified butter. Set in the beef with room between each piece and sear without moving for 2½ to 3 minutes, until the first face carries a dark Maillard crust. Turn once and cook the second side for 2 to 3 minutes, then briefly roll the edges through the butter. Pull the tournedos at 122°F to 125°F (50°C to 52°C) for a warm red center; they will rise as they rest for 5 minutes. If the butter burns black before the beef colors, lift out the meat, wipe the pan carefully, add fresh clarified butter, and resume. Ça se rattrape. Overcooked fillet does not, so trust the thermometer before the clock.

   For guests who require fully cooked beef, continue until the center reaches 145°F (63°C) after resting. The meat will be firmer, so slice it with particular care.
6. 6

   Bind the asparagus

   While the beef rests, melt the whole butter in a small skillet over low heat. Add the thoroughly dried asparagus tips and toss gently until warmed through and coated in a fine butter gloss, without browning them. The source calls for the tips to be cohered with butter: the butter should cling, not collect as water beneath them. If liquid beads in the pan, lift out the asparagus, wipe the pan dry, and return the tips with a little of the reserved butter. Spoon one heaped tablespoon into each warm tartlet and set one thin truffle slice in the center.

7. 7

   Assemble without delay

   Remove the kitchen twine from the tournedos. Set one fried bread crust on each warm plate, place a tournedos squarely on top, then crown the beef with its filled asparagus tartlet. Let the heat of the asparagus wake the truffle rather than cooking it in the pan. Serve at once, while the bread remains crisp and the fillet is still tender. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for four evenly cut center portions of beef tenderloin, not the tapering tail. Tie each tournedos around its middle so it keeps the compact round shape that supports the tartlet.
• •Clarified butter is real butter with the milk solids removed. It lets the bread and beef fry at the necessary heat without leaving black specks behind. Whole butter remains in the asparagus because its milky sweetness belongs there.
• •Fresh black truffle is splendid when the season gives it honestly. A whole preserved black truffle is the classical pantry answer at other times; drain it, slice it thinly, and warm it only through contact with the asparagus. Truffle oil is not an equivalent.
• •The service order matters more than speed: bake the tartlets and blanch the asparagus first, fry the bread next, then sear the beef last. Cooking well is not cooking fancy. It is knowing which element refuses to wait.
• •Pour a supple red Burgundy or a restrained claret. The wine should respect the truffle and tenderloin without trampling the asparagus.

Advance Preparation

• •Bake the tartlet shells up to one day ahead. Once completely cool, keep them airtight at room temperature and refresh them for 5 minutes in a 300°F (150°C) oven before filling.
• •Blanch, chill, and dry the asparagus up to 6 hours ahead. Refrigerate it covered, then bind it with butter only while the beef rests.
• •Cut the bread rounds and tie the tournedos earlier the same day. Keep the beef refrigerated and season it only immediately before searing; salt applied too early draws moisture onto the surface you need dry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 205g)