Monday, March 03, 2008

Dallas' one and only snow day

I am SO glad I did not plant anything yet. Wouldn't you know it? We got this wicked cold front in from the west and it has been snowing here all day. So. Glad. I. Did. Not. Plant.

However, I did make this wonderfully sinful steak dinner...P and I are trying to reconcile and it was a great dinner for us to make together on a snowy night, paired with a great bottle of Auslese and a bottle of Rioja.

Chateaubriand with Bernaise Sauce

2 1" beef tenderloin steaks, about 8 oz. each
vegetable oil

For steaks, let warm to room temperature for 45 minutes and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rub on both sides with vegetable oil. Sear tenderloin on each side for three minutes apiece in a cast-iron skillet, sprinkling kosher salt on each side, and then place skillet in oven. Roast steaks to designated temperature and remove from oven. Let rest for five minutes before slicing. (Roasting times: six to eight minutes for rare, ten minutes for medium, twelve to fourteen for well-done.)

Sauce:

2 Tbsp dry white wine
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon, divided
1 Tbsp minced shallots
white pepper
salt
2 egg yolks
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 c unsalted butter, melted and hot
Tabasco sauce

Combine wine, vinegar, half of tarragon, shallots and a pinch of white pepper in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for two to three minutes or until liquid reduces to two teaspoons. Set wine reduction aside. Place yolks, lemon juice, pinch of salt, pinch of white pepper and three dashes of pepper sauce in a blender. Blend on low and stream hot butter into blender jar while blending. Blend on low until sauce thickens and add rest of the the tarragon and the wine reduction sauce. Place blender jar in a pot of warm water to keep warm until ready to serve.

To serve dish, pour Bernaise sauce over sliced beef.

What I liked about this dish: It was very easy. I had never made a wine reduction before and it was much easier than I thought. However, I prepared well and prepped everything (and I do mean everything, even down to measuring out the tarragon into pinch pots) before I started the sauce so I wouldn't ruin it or burn it. And it made a LOT of sauce. I put the rest of it in the freezer for another time.
What I disliked about this dish: It called for fresh tarragon. Do you know how hard it is to find fresh tarragon? I went to two places here and couldn't find it so I substituted a teaspoon of dried tarragon. I have vowed that when my herb garden gets going, this dish is the first I am making with my fresh tarragon.
Cool kitchen gadgets used: I am in love with my Krups 1000 watt blender.
Tastiness factor: Very, VERY good. I loved it. P thought it was fantastic as well. I am very curious as to whether or not this sauce would have come out better with fresh tarragon. It was a little bland to my taste...being a salt freak and all...and I think using salted butter probably would have made it more to my taste, but it had a very good flavor and was delicious with a little salt and pepper. Very light and herby and tasty!

2 Comments:

Blogger Suzanne said...

YUM, that steak sounds really GOOD.

Thinking of you!!
Suz

3:32 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That little bout of snow was wild, wasn't it! Kept me on my toes with my new drive to our Dallas office. I-35 in snow. Ugh!!!

P.S. I wish you the best.

P.S.S. What happened to you on IM?

12:35 PM  

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