Tournedos Persane

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •10-inch (25 cm) lidded sauté pan
• •Small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid
• •Thin flexible spatula
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen twine
• •Large round heatproof serving platter
• •Warm sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the station

   Tie each tournedos around its middle with kitchen twine so it keeps a high, round shape. Pat the meat completely dry and leave it uncovered in the cold while you prepare the garnishes. Gently melt 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 43 g) of the butter, skim away the foam, and pour the clear butterfat into a small cup, leaving the milky sediment behind. This clarified butter gives the tournedos the source's butter sear without scorching under the necessary heat. Set out a large round serving platter and a sauceboat so both can be warmed before service.

2. 2

   Cook the rice

   Put the rinsed rice in a small saucepan with ¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g) of the stock, 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter, and ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 1.5 g) of the salt. Bring it to a simmer, cover tightly, and cook over the gentlest heat until the liquid is absorbed and the grains are tender, about 15 minutes. Rest it off the heat for 5 minutes, then fluff it. Divide the warm rice into four portions and mould each gently into a ball that fits its capsicum; press enough to hold, but don't mash the grains into paste.

3. 3

   Braise the capsicums

   Fit one rice ball into each capsicum, rounding the exposed rice neatly. Stand the capsicums upright in a snug lidded sauté pan, add 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) of the stock around them, and dot with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter. Cover and braise at a bare tremble for 20 to 25 minutes, until a knife enters the flesh easily but the capsicums still hold their shape. Lift them carefully to a covered warm plate. Strain the braising liquor and boil it down to ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g). If a capsicum begins to split, lift it out at once and plate the split toward the centre later; the cooked filling is already safe and the crown will support it.

   Keep the braise gentle. A hard boil knocks the capsicums about, loosens the rice, and turns their green flesh grey.
4. 4

   Grill the tomatoes

   Set an oven rack about 6 inches (15 cm) below the broiler and heat it well. Arrange the tomato halves cut-side up on a small metal tray, season with ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 3 g) of the salt and a little pepper, then dot them with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter. Broil for 5 to 8 minutes, until their edges bronze and the cut surfaces soften without collapsing. Spoon away any loose juice, then arrange the halves cut-side up in a ring on the warmed platter. Turn the oven down to 200°F (95°C) and keep the platter warm only briefly.

5. 5

   Finish the sauce

   Combine the reduced capsicum-braising liquor with the prepared Châteaubriand sauce in a small saucepan. Bring it only to a bare simmer, whisk until smooth and glossy, then taste before adding any salt. If the sauce is thin, simmer it gently until it naps the back of a spoon. If aggressive heat makes it look oily, remove it from the burner and whisk in 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) of the reserved cool stock. Ça se rattrape. Pour the finished sauce into the warm sauceboat and keep it covered.

6. 6

   Fry the bananas

   Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. When it foams, lay in the 12 banana slices without crowding and fry for 45 to 60 seconds per side, until butter-gold at the edges while still holding their shape. Transfer them in a single layer to a small warm tray. If a slice tears, don't fuss with it in the pan; slide it out with a thin spatula and place it beneath the intact slices in the central heap.

7. 7

   Sear the tournedos

   Season the dried tournedos with the remaining salt and pepper. Heat a heavy 12-inch (30 cm) skillet until very hot, add the clarified butter, and set in the meat with space between each piece. Sear without moving for 2½ to 3 minutes, until the first face develops a dark Maillard crust, then turn and cook the second face for about 2 minutes. Roll the edges briefly through the butter with tongs. For medium-rare, lift the tournedos at 122 to 125°F (50 to 52°C) and rest them for 4 minutes. If the butter blackens rather than bronzes, lift out the meat, wipe the pan, and restart with fresh butter; burnt milk solids cannot be reasoned with, but the beef can still be saved.

   The pan must be hot and the meat dry. A cool pan draws out juice, and wet beef stews against the metal instead of forming the crust this dish needs.
8. 8

   Build the crown

   Remove the twine and place one tournedos on each grilled tomato half. Set a braised rice-stuffed capsicum upright on every tournedos, then heap the 12 fried banana slices in the centre of the platter, three for each serving. Carry the platter and the Châteaubriand sauce to the table separately, exactly as the dish requires, and let each guest spoon on the sauce. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for centre-cut tenderloin medallions of equal thickness. Uneven tournedos finish at different moments, and this dish already gives one cook enough timing to manage.
• •Choose the smallest squat green capsicums you can find, ideally no wider than the tournedos. Large peppers overwhelm the beef and won't sit securely in the crown.
• •Use bananas that are yellow but scarcely spotted. Fully ripe fruit is excellent for eating, but it collapses in hot butter before it can brown.
• •Châteaubriand sauce is not an optional spoonful of generic gravy. It is a finished classical sauce, prepared separately, then joined here with the reduced capsicum-braising liquor as the source directs.
• •Serve with a supple, savoury red Bordeaux or Cabernet Franc. The wine needs enough freshness for the green capsicum and enough structure for the beef, without fighting the banana's sweetness.
• •This is a dish for immediate service. The garnishes can wait briefly, but the tournedos cannot; five minutes of confident coordination matters more than twenty minutes of decorative arranging.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Châteaubriand sauce through its own formula up to a day ahead. Chill it promptly, then reheat it gently before combining it with the reduced capsicum-braising liquor.
• •The rice-stuffed capsicums may be braised up to 3 hours ahead. Reserve their strained liquor separately and rewarm the capsicums, covered, with a spoonful of stock.
• •Tie and dry the tournedos several hours ahead, then keep them uncovered in the cold. Bring them out while the capsicums reheat, but season only just before searing.
• •Halve the tomatoes and portion the butter in advance. Slice and fry the bananas near serving time, since cut banana darkens and loses its clean shape as it waits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 535g)