Shelly's Recipe

PEPPERY PINOT NOIR TENDERLOIN

Category: Roasts/Tenderloin - Beef

3 tablespoons butter, room temperature, divided
1 tbsp flour
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/4 cups Pinot Noir wine
1 1/4 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 1/4 cups beef broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (3- to 4-lb) beef tenderloin roast
2 tbsp heavy cream
4 to 6 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons butter and flour; set aside.

In a large frying pan over low heat, melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add onion, carrot, and celery; saute approximately 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add tomato paste and stir until vegetables are coated. Add wine and boil approximately 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Add chicken and beef broths; boil approximately 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1 1/4 cups. Remove from heat and strain liquid, discarding solids. Return liquid to pan; add butter/flour mixture and whisk over medium heat about 1 minute or until sauce thickens. Add heavy cream at the very end (do not overheat the cream). Season to taste with salt and pepper. NOTE: Sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 500. Bring roast to room temperature before cooking. Trim the tenderloin of fat and silverskin. Note: Silverskin is a silvery-white connective tissue. It does not dissolve when the tenderloin is cooked, so it needs to be trimmed away. If the silverskin is not trimmed off, it will cause the tenderloin to curl up into the shape of a quarter moon.

Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Lightly oil outside of roast and sprinkle with pepper.

Heat a large cast-iron pan over high heat. Without adding any cooking fat, brown the roast on all sides (approximately 10 minutes). When browned, remove from heat. Place the browned roast and cast-iron pan in the oven and bake, uncovered, until a meat thermometer registers desired temperature (Rare - 120 ; Medium Rare – 125; Medium – 130).

Remove from oven and transfer onto a cutting board; cover with a tent of aluminum foil and let stand 15 minutes before carving (meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the oven).

In the cast-iron frying pan over medium heat, re-warm Pinot Noir Sauce over low heat; mix in any juices from roast. Cut the roast into 1/2-inch slices and place them on a warm serving platter. To serve, spoon some Pinot Noir Sauce over the meat; pass remaining sauce separately. Serve immediately. Serves 6-8

NOTE: If this does not impress the guests, I give up!