rosemary beef tenderloin with whole grain mustard

ROSEMARY BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH WHOLE GRAIN MUSTARD: A SUMMER BIRTHDAY DINNER PART I

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Serves 8-10

adapted from Gourmet Today, edited by Ruth Reichl

My son’s birthday was the day before the first day of school. In keeping with our family tradition, he got to chose the main course and we invited all the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins over to celebrate. It’s a large group. We can accommodated them by the pulling out the leaves of the farm table and using every spare chair we have. When the children little, it was roomier. We could put them at the little child-size table in child-size chairs. They are past all that now. The overflow goes to the counter.

My son, the beef-lover, requested steak for his birthday dinner. It is so hot right now, that I could not imagine standing outside to grill meat. No can do. The meal was going to have to be simple and made in the confines of my air conditioned kitchen. Indoors + steak + easy = beef tenderloin. Once that became clear, I used the overflow of fresh herbs from my garden to plan the rest of the meal.

I made a paste of garlic, chopped rosemary, and olive oil and rubbed it all over a large beef tenderloin. I gave it a nice brown crust on the stove and then put it in the oven to finish. Nothing to it. Using a meat thermometer ensured perfection. When it was done and set, I sliced it thin. It was caramelized on the outside thanks to the browning; tender and perfectly pink on the inside. Served at room temperature with whole grain mustard on the side, it made the most delicious main course.

The rest of this summer birthday buffet was just as simple: a cherry tomato panzanella salad served on top of heirloom tomatoes caprese and a platter of watermelon wedges. On a hot day, it was the most divine meal. In fact, it was one of the best meals I have ever made. The only thing I did not count on was the fact that MY children rushed to the head of the line and put MOST of the meat onto their plates. In fact, I had to do a reconasance: I am thrilled you like the meat, but everyone would like to try it! Next time, I will double the recipe.

1 (4 1/2 – 5 lb) trimmed and tied center-cut beef tenderloin, at room temperature

4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

6 sprigs fresh rosemary

5 Tbsp olive oil, divided

whole grain mustard

1. MAKE THE PASTE AND PREP THE MEAT: Preheat the oven to 350 and place the rack in the middle of the oven. In a small bowl, combine garlic with salt, pepper, chopped rosemary, and 3 Tbsp olive oil. Rub this all over the meat. Tuck sprigs of rosemary underneath the string spacing them all over the meat.

2. BROWN THE MEAT: Straddle the roasting pan over two burners. Over HIGH, heat the pan and the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the beef tenderloin. Brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Your goal is to caramelize the outside of the meat. You are not cooking it until it’s done; you are just aiming for a crust.

3. BAKE: When the outside is nice and brown, insert a meat thermometer into the tenderloin and place the pan into the oven. Bake until the temperature reaches 120 degrees, about 30-35 minutes.

4. REST AND SLICE: When the meat is done, take it out of the pan and place it on a cutting board. Leave it alone for at least 15 minutes. It will continue to cook and will reach about 130 degrees which is medium rare, the perfect way to eat beef tenderloin. Remove the string and rosemary sprigs. Slice thin and place meat on a serving platter. Serve with a bowl of whole grain mustard.