Tournedos Provençale

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •Rimmed sheet pan with wire rack
• •3-inch (7.5 cm) round cutter or a small sharp knife
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Tongs

Instructions

1. 1

   Organize the service

   Take the tournedos from the cold 30 minutes before cooking, pat them completely dry, and leave them loosely covered. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C), with a rack about 6 inches (15 cm) below the broiler, and set a wire rack over a sheet pan. Cut the bread into four rounds matching the diameter of the beef. Have the completed tomato halves ready, because every garnish must be hot before the tournedos meet the pan.

   Dry beef browns; damp beef sheds water and turns grey. Pat it again immediately before seasoning if any moisture returns.
2. 2

   Cook the duxelles

   Melt 1 tablespoon of the mushroom butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook without coloring for 2 minutes, then add the finely chopped mushrooms with a small pinch of the salt. Raise the heat to medium-high and stir until the mushrooms release their liquid, the liquid evaporates completely, and the mixture begins to sizzle again, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic for the final 30 seconds, then take the pan from the heat and stir in the parsley and a little pepper. The duxelles must be dry enough to mound on a spoon. If it remains wet, don't stuff the caps yet. Ça se rattrape: return it to stronger heat and keep stirring until the pan floor is dry.

   The garlic should whisper, not shout. Adding it only at the end keeps its flavor fresh and prevents the small quantity from scorching.
3. 3

   Bake the garnishes

   Melt the remaining tablespoon of mushroom butter and brush it over the mushroom caps. Season them lightly, set them hollow-side up on the prepared rack, and divide the duxelles among them. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the caps are tender and the filling has browned at its ridges. After the mushrooms have baked for 6 minutes, place the prepared Tomates Farcies à la Provençale (No. 2266) beside them, filled-side up, and warm them through. If their gratin needs fresh color, switch to the broiler for 30 to 90 seconds and watch without blinking. Once both garnishes are ready, lower the oven to 200°F (95°C) and hold them there while you fry the crusts and beef.

4. 4

   Fry the crusts

   Wipe the skillet clean and set it over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon each of the frying butter and olive oil. When the butter foams, lay in the bread rounds and fry until deep gold and crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Move them to the wire rack in the low oven. If a crust feels greasy rather than crisp, blot it and leave it directly on the rack for 2 minutes; the dry oven heat will restore it.

5. 5

   Sear the tournedos

   Season the dry tournedos with the remaining salt and pepper. Return the skillet to medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, then the remaining tablespoon of butter. When the foam subsides and the fat smells nutty but not acrid, add the beef with space between the pieces. Sear without moving for about 3 minutes, until the undersides are deeply bronzed, then turn and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Brown the edges briefly with tongs. For medium-rare, remove the tournedos at 125 to 130°F (52 to 54°C); for medium, take them to 135 to 140°F (57 to 60°C). If the pan fills with liquid and the beef refuses to color, lift the pieces out, blot them again, let the pan recover its heat, and finish in two batches. Rest the beef on a clean rack for 5 minutes, never on the fried bread, which would surrender its crispness.

6. 6

   Build the crown

   Remove any strings from the tournedos. Arrange the four fried crusts as a loose crown on a warm oval platter and set a tournedos squarely on each. Tip the resting juices over the beef while keeping the crust edges dry, then crown every tournedos with one hot tomato half. Set the duxelles-stuffed mushrooms around the crown and serve immediately. Cooking well is not cooking fancy. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for center-cut beef fillet of even diameter. The tournedos must be equally thick so four pieces reach the same doneness together; tie any loose one around its middle with butcher's twine.
• •The timing assumes the Tomates Farcies à la Provençale (No. 2266) has already been completed. Keep that preparation whole and separate, as the source does, then reheat four halves while the mushrooms finish.
• •This dish needs tomatoes firm enough to hold stuffing and sit on the beef. Outside their best season, use sound plum tomatoes; canned tomatoes are splendid in a pot, but they cannot do this particular job.
• •Duxelles is ready only when the pan has gone quiet, then begins to sizzle again. That second sizzle means the water has left and the mushroom flavor is concentrated.
• •Pour a red Bandol or a structured Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence. The ripe fruit meets the beef, while the wine's savory edge suits the tomato, anchovy, and garlic carried by the Provençal garnish.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Tomates Farcies à la Provençale (No. 2266) earlier the same day and chill them once cool. Bring four halves back to heat in the oven as directed; the time required to make that separate preparation is not included here.
• •The duxelles can be cooked and the mushroom caps filled up to 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill them, then bake shortly before the beef is seared.
• •Cut the bread rounds and tie the tournedos several hours ahead, but keep both properly covered. Frying and searing must wait until service, because neither crust improves by standing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 260g)