Tournedos Valençay

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •3-inch (7.5 cm) round cutter, optional
• •Wire rack and small sheet pan
• •Thin metal spatula
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Warm sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Build croquette base

   Cook the egg noodles in lightly salted water until tender, then drain them thoroughly and spread them on a tray for five minutes so their surface dries. Chop them into short pieces. Melt the unsalted butter over medium-low heat, stir in the panade flour, and cook this roux, the butter-and-flour base, for one minute without coloring it. Whisk in the milk gradually and cook until the panade, the stiff binding paste, pulls cleanly from the pan. Fold in the noodles, ham, one-quarter teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Remove from the heat, beat in the yolk, and spread the mixture on a plate about ½ inch (1 cm) thick. Cover and chill for at least 35 minutes. It must be cold and firm enough to hold a mound; if it still slumps, ça se rattrape: work in 1 tablespoon of the measured breadcrumbs and chill it for another 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Shape and bread

   Divide the cold mixture into four equal portions. Shape each into a round, flat croquette about 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide and ½ inch (1 cm) thick, using a ring cutter if you have one. Put the breading flour on one plate and the breadcrumbs on another, then beat the whole egg with the water in a shallow bowl. Coat each croquette first in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing the crumbs on evenly without making the croquette thick or heavy. Chill them for 15 minutes so the coating sets and the rounds keep their shape in the pan.

3. 3

   Ready the service

   Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and set a wire rack over a small tray inside it. Warm a round serving platter and the sauceboat with hot water, then dry them. Put the prepared Sauce Châteaubriand in a small saucepan and warm it over the gentlest heat, without letting it boil. This is a finished component from its own preparation, so do not rebuild or season it here. If it tightens, whisk in hot water one teaspoon at a time; if butter beads around the edge, remove it from the heat and whisk in one teaspoon of cold water.

4. 4

   Fry the croquettes

   Heat about three-quarters of the clarified butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. When it glistens, fry the croquettes two at a time until deep butter-gold and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Turn them carefully with a thin spatula. If the crumbs darken before the centers are hot, lower the heat at once; browned is the intention, scorched is not. Drain the croquettes on the warm rack and hold them in the oven for no more than 10 minutes while you cook the beef.

5. 5

   Sear the tournedos

   Wipe every loose crumb from the skillet and set it over high heat. Pat the tournedos thoroughly dry, then season them with the remaining salt and pepper. Add the remaining clarified butter when the pan is fully hot, followed by the four tournedos with space between them. Sear without moving for 2½ to 3 minutes, until the first side forms a dark bronze crust; turn and cook the second side for about 2 minutes, basting with the butter during the final 30 seconds. Pull them at 125°F (52°C) for medium-rare or 135°F (57°C) for medium. If the beef releases a puddle and refuses to color, the pan was too cool: lift the meat out immediately, pour away the liquid, heat the pan with fresh clarified butter until it glistens, then return the tournedos and finish the sear.

   Dry meat and fierce initial heat are the whole principle. Do not keep turning the tournedos to check them; uninterrupted contact builds the crust.
6. 6

   Rest and crown

   Rest the tournedos on a rack for 5 minutes without covering them, then remove the strings. Arrange the four croquettes in a loose crown around the warm platter, leaving the center open, and set one tournedos squarely on each. Pour the hot Sauce Châteaubriand into its warm sauceboat and send it separately, exactly as the dish requires; pouring it over the platter would soften the croquettes before anyone reaches them. Carry everything to the table at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for four center-cut tournedos of the same thickness, not four pieces of the same weight cut into different shapes. Even thickness gives you one cooking time, and tying each fillet keeps its round crown.
• •Choose firm, plainly cooked ham with a clean savory flavor. Sweet-glazed or wet deli ham leaks into the panade and turns this precise little croquette soft and sugary.
• •Clarified butter is the honest home answer to the fierce heat this dish needs. It is still butter, with the milk solids removed so they cannot burn before the beef browns. Margarine has no place in the conversation.
• •Serve a Cabernet Franc from the Loire, such as Chinon or Bourgueil. Its freshness cuts through the butter while its savory edge sits comfortably beside beef, ham, and Sauce Châteaubriand.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Sauce Châteaubriand from its own recipe up to one day ahead. Chill it promptly, then reheat it very gently while the croquettes are frying.
• •The noodle-and-ham mixture can be made one day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. The croquettes may be shaped and breaded earlier on the day of serving, but fry them only when the sauce and beef are ready.
• •Tie and portion the tournedos several hours ahead, then keep them covered and cold. Bring them out 20 minutes before cooking and dry them only when the skillet is nearly ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)