Tenderloin of Beef and Cream Sauce

Beef Tenderloin, also called eye fillet, is absolutely the softest textured, most tender meat which makes a very special beef roast sure to please your family and friends.

Ingredients

• Beef tenderloin roast trimmed of fat and silverskin and tied  ·  3½  pounds 
• Morel mushrooms dried  ·  2 ounces 
• Cabernet Sauvignon (Williamson naturally)  ·  ½  cup 
• Boiling water  ·  1½  cups 
• Butter  ·  4 tablespoons 
• Extra virgin olive oil  ·  1 tablespoon 
• Shallots, minced  ·  2 
• Heavy cream  ·  1 cup 
• Salt  ·  ¼ teaspoon 
• Pepper, black, fresh ground  ·  ¼ teaspoon 

Instructions

Tenderloin is best roasted at a high heat rather than baked at lower temperatures because the flavor comes from the caramelizing, not from fat slowly melting into the meat.

Soak the mushrooms for about twenty minutes in boiling water in a large bowl until soft to make au jus. Remove the mushrooms and keep the au jus. Wash the softened mushrooms under running water to remove any grime and chop into slivers about ¼ inch thick. Keep the mushrooms separate from the au jus.

Season the roast with salt and pepper. Melt two tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a large ovenproof pan. Add the roast and brown over moderately high heat on three sides for about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Turn the roast on the fourth side and roast for about 40 minutes in an oven which has been preheated to 375°.

Test with an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the roast. For rare you need to stop at 135° or continue to cook for less rare meat, tasting for a more exact level. When done, transfer the roast to a carving board and cover with a foil tent. The meat will continue to cook slowly on the board for about 10 minutes.

Pour off almost all of the fat from the pan and place the pan over stove top burners set on high heat. Slowly pour in the au jus. Take care as the dirt from the mushrooms will have collected in the bottom of the bowl so do not allow this to get into the sauce. Bring to a boil while deglazing the bottom of the pan and reduce until it is about ½ cup. This should take around 3 to 4 minutes then save in a bowl.

Wipe out the pan and add one tablespoon of butter. Add the shallots and cook over moderate heat for about 4 minutes until softened and then stir in the mushrooms. Add the last tablespoon of butter, salt, pepper, the heavy cream, the ½ cup of Cabernet and the au jus and simmer over medium heat until the sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. This should take from 5 to 8 minutes.

Carve the tenderloin in ½ inch thick slices and drizzle the sauce over the meat serving with a Williamson Cabernet Sauvignon.