Tournedos Victoria

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •8 cm round cutter, optional
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the croquette base

   Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the 1 tablespoon flour and cook the roux blanc, the pale butter-and-flour binder, for 90 seconds without letting it color. Whisk in the milk in three additions, cooking until the roux becomes a very thick paste that pulls cleanly from the pan. If it lumps, take it off the heat and whisk hard; pass it through a sieve if necessary before continuing. Let it cool for one minute, beat in the yolk, then fold in the chopped chicken with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Spread the mixture on a plate, cover its surface, and chill for 45 minutes, until firm enough to shape.

2. 2

   Shape and bread

   Divide the cold chicken mixture into four equal portions. With lightly floured hands or an 8 cm ring, shape each into a flat round about 3¼ inches (8 cm) across and ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick. Set up the panure à l'anglaise, the flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumb coating, in three shallow dishes. Coat each round first in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing gently so no bare seams remain. Chill for 15 minutes. If the rounds sag or stick to your hands, they are simply too warm; return them to the cold before breading rather than forcing them into shape.

   Keep the croquettes broad and flat. They are not side dishes here but crisp foundations, and each must support a tournedo without disappearing beneath it.
3. 3

   Fry the croquettes

   Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and set a wire rack over a sheet pan. Heat the neutral oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat to about 330°F (165°C), then add 2 tablespoons butter. When the butter's foam subsides, fry the croquettes in two batches until deep golden, about 2½ to 3 minutes per side, and until their centers reach 165°F (74°C). If the coating darkens in less than 30 seconds, pull the skillet off the heat briefly; if it sits without a lively fizz, lift the croquette out and restore the heat before continuing. Drain on the rack and hold in the low oven for no longer than 20 minutes.

4. 4

   Sear the tournedos

   Pour the frying fat into a heatproof container and wipe the skillet completely clean. Pat the tournedos very dry, tie each around its equator if the butcher has not done so, and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat the empty skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, then add 3 tablespoons butter. As soon as it foams vigorously and begins to smell nutty, lay in the beef with at least an inch between the pieces. Sear without moving for about 3 minutes, turn once, lower the heat slightly, and baste with the foaming butter for another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove at 122 to 125°F (50 to 52°C) for medium-rare or 130°F (54°C) for medium, then rest uncovered for 5 minutes.

   If liquid pools and the beef turns gray, the pan lost its heat. Lift the tournedos out immediately, pour away the liquid, wipe the pan, and restore the heat before returning them. Ça se rattrape, but only while the centers remain underdone.
5. 5

   Toss the tomatoes

   While the beef rests, wipe any blackened butter solids from the skillet and lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Set the tomato halves cut side down and cook for 60 to 90 seconds, just until their cut faces take a little color, then roll their rounded sides through the butter for another 30 seconds. Season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Keep them glossy and intact; once a tomato collapses, no clever plating will persuade it to stand above the beef.

6. 6

   Build the circle

   Arrange the four hot chicken croquettes in a circle on a warmed platter. Remove the strings from the tournedos and set one squarely on each croquette. Crown every tournedo with one tomato half, cut side down, and spoon over only the butter clinging to the tomato pan. The croquette catches the beef's juices, which is why the architecture matters. Add no separate sauce and no stray garnish. Carry it to the table at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for four center-cut tenderloin rounds of equal thickness, not tapered end pieces. Even shape matters more than extravagant sourcing because four unequal tournedos cannot finish together.
• •Use plainly poached or lightly roasted chicken for the croquettes. Strongly seasoned rotisserie chicken brings garlic, smoke, or spice the source never asked for; modest chicken, finely chopped and properly bound, does the work beautifully.
• •Choose small, firm tomatoes with enough flesh to hold their shape. Outside good tomato season, small greenhouse plum tomatoes are the honest compromise; canned tomatoes are excellent for sauce but cannot perform this garnish.
• •A supple red Bordeaux or a Loire Cabernet Franc has enough structure for the beef and enough freshness for the tomato. Avoid a heavily tannic bottle, which will bully the chicken croquette.

Advance Preparation

• •The chicken croquette mixture can be made up to one day ahead and refrigerated with its surface covered. Shape and bread the rounds several hours before dinner, then keep them cold until frying.
• •The croquettes may be fried up to 20 minutes before the beef and held on a rack in a 200°F (95°C) oven. Longer holding softens the panure, so save the tournedos and tomatoes for the final minutes.
• •Tie the tournedos and leave them uncovered in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours so their surfaces dry. Take them out about 20 minutes before cooking, then pat them dry again immediately before seasoning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 270g)