French-Style Roast Fillet Of Beef With Madeira Wine Sauce
- 1 (2 lb) tenderloin filet of beef, center-cut and well trimmed of any fat, with a thin piece of pork back-fat tied on top in several pl (ask your butcher to do this for you)
- unsalted butter
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup finely chopped shallot (about 5 shallots)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup madeira wine
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
- 3/4 cup heavy double cream
- chopped fresh parsley
- Position a rack in the bottom third of an oven and preheat to 425F degrees (220C).
- Butter the ends and bottom of the beef fillet and place in a small, heavy roasting pan (without a rack) in which it fits comfortably. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the meat registers 120 F degrees (49C) for rare or 130F degrees (54C) for medium-rare, 20-30 minutes. Transfer to a warmed serving plate and cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil to keep it warm. It will continue to cook a little.
- Using a large spoon, skim off the fat from the pan juices. Place the pan over medium-low heat and add the shallots. Cook, stirring, until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the water, raise the heat to medium and stir, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan bottom. Add the Madeira, bring to a boil over medium heat and boil until reduced by about one-half. Combine the cornstarch mixture and the cream and stir until blended. Add to the pan and quickly stir into the juices. Cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cut the strings on the fillet, then remove the strip of fat tied to the top of the fillet and discard. Using a very sharp, thin-bladed knife, slice the meat crosswise into 12-14 slices, each about 1/2-inch (12 mm) thick. Spoon a little of the sauce onto each warmed plate and place 2 or 3 slices of meat on the sauce. Spoon the remaining sauce over the meat, garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.
tenderloin filet, unsalted butter, salt, shallot, water, madeira wine, cornstarch, heavy double cream, fresh parsley
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/french-style-roast-fillet-of-beef-with-madeira-wine-sauce-414779 (may not work)