Tournedos Villemer

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large cast-iron griddle or grill pan, at least 14 inches / 35 cm
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Immersion or countertop blender
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •3¼-inch / 8 cm and 2¼-inch / 5.5 cm round cutters
• •Wire rack and small sheet pan
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Stage the service

   Heat the oven to 200°F / 95°C and place the serving platter inside to warm. Cut four rounds from the bread with a 3¼-inch / 8 cm cutter. Score a 2¼-inch / 5.5 cm circle inside each round, stopping about ¼ inch / 6 mm above the base, then lift out the soft center to make a shallow case. Cut four broad slices from the truffle and keep them covered; chop the remaining truffle finely for the Soubise. Leave the tournedos refrigerated until the croûtes are ready to fry.

   No round cutters are required. Use a tumbler as the outer guide and a small paring knife for the hollow, keeping enough bread beneath it to support the filling.
2. 2

   Reduce the meat glaze

   If the brown stock does not set like soft jelly when cold, sprinkle the gelatin over it in a wide saucepan and leave it for 5 minutes. Bring the stock to a lively simmer and reduce it to ¼ cup / 60 ml, skimming any foam, until the bubbles become tight and the glace de viande coats a cold spoon in a glossy film. Begin with unsalted stock because every grain of salt concentrates. If the glaze becomes sticky or too strong, whisk in hot water a teaspoon at a time until it flows again. Cover and set it aside.

3. 3

   Make the truffled Soubise

   Melt 2 tablespoons / 28 g of the butter over low heat. Add the onions with ¼ teaspoon / 1.5 g of the salt and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until completely soft without browning. Stir in the rice and white stock, cover, and simmer very gently for 18 to 20 minutes, until both rice and onion surrender under a spoon. Blend with the cream until smooth, then press through a fine sieve. Return the Soubise to low heat and adjust its body: if it runs, stir it uncovered until it holds a soft mound; if it stands stiffly, loosen it with a spoonful of cream or stock. Remove it from the heat, fold in the chopped truffle and 1 tablespoon / 14 g butter, then hold it covered over warm water.

4. 4

   Fry the hollow croûtes

   Take the tournedos from the refrigerator now. Melt the remaining 5 tablespoons / 71 g butter gently, skim off the foam, and pour the clear clarified butter away from the milky solids. Heat most of it in a broad skillet over medium-high heat and fry the bread cases in batches until deep butter-gold on both sides, spooning fat into the hollows so their rims color too. If the bread drinks the butter while staying pale, the pan is too cool; lift it out, increase the heat, and return it once the fat is properly hot. Drain the croûtes on a rack, season lightly, and hold them in the low oven for no longer than 20 minutes.

5. 5

   Grill the tournedos

   Heat a large cast-iron griddle or grill pan over high heat until fiercely hot. Pat the tournedos completely dry, then season them with the remaining salt and the pepper. Brush the pan and beef lightly with the reserved clarified butter. Grill without moving for about 3 minutes, turn once, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, briefly standing the edges against the pan to brown them. Pull the beef at 126 to 130°F / 52 to 54°C for medium-rare, then rest it for 4 minutes. If the surface pales and beads moisture, the pan was not hot enough. Lift the steaks out, let the pan moisture evaporate, reheat fiercely, and return them for 30 seconds per side. Ça se rattrape, provided you act before the centers overcook.

   Use the thermometer from the side so its tip reaches the center. Tenderloin gives little warning between rosy and dry, and guessing is a poor use of an expensive cut.
6. 6

   Fill and arrange

   While the tournedos rest, remove the warm platter and croûtes from the oven. Stir the Soubise and spoon it generously into the hollows, filling each to its rim. Arrange the four filled croûtes in a circle on the platter, exactly as the preparation intends, then place one tournedos squarely on each. Work briskly now. The croûtes and Soubise are ready, and nothing should make the beef wait.

7. 7

   Glaze and serve

   Warm the glace de viande over the gentlest heat just until fluid, then remove the pan from the heat. Slip in the four truffle slices and turn them once so each receives a complete glossy coat. Set one broad slice on every tournedos and brush over only enough glaze to lacquer it. If the glaze sets before it coats, loosen it with a teaspoon of hot stock and warm it gently; boiling now dulls the truffle. Carry the platter straight to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •This dish truly needs a truffle that can be sliced. When fresh black truffle is out of season, a good whole preserved truffle is the classical pantry's honest answer. Truffle oil cannot provide the crown or the quiet earthy depth, so save it for another purpose.
• •Ask for four matching center-cut tournedos. Equal thickness matters more than pedigree because they must leave the grill together; tie a thinner one firmly around its middle to bring it closer to the others.
• •Use unsalted, gelatin-rich stock for the glace de viande. A stock that firms in the cold will reduce to a proper lacquer; a thin boxed stock needs the small measure of gelatin, which replaces the body once supplied by a stockpot never off the fire.
• •Serve with a structured red Bordeaux and keep the rest of the plate plain. The croûte, Soubise, beef, and truffle already make the composition; extra vegetables or decorative herbs only blur it.

Advance Preparation

• •The glace de viande can be reduced up to 3 days ahead, covered, and refrigerated. It will set firmly in the cold; warm it gently and loosen it with a teaspoon of stock if needed.
• •The untruffled Soubise can be prepared 1 day ahead. Press parchment or reusable wrap directly against its surface, chill it, then reheat it gently with a spoonful of cream and fold in the chopped truffle just before service.
• •Cut and hollow the bread several hours ahead and keep it covered. Fry the croûtes shortly before the beef; once fried, they remain crisp in the low oven for about 20 minutes, not all evening.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 360g)