2 1/2 to 3 lb. Châteaubriand
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Let meat sit out for 1 hour before roasting. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper, and sear in olive oil in a hot skillet. Place in hot oven, a little over 400°F, and roast until internal temperature reaches 130°F. Our cut was a little thicker at one end, and we roasted for a total of almost 35 minutes. Let sit at least 10 to 12 minutes. Our result was a nice range of medium to rare.
Béarnaise Sauce
The base of this is my quick Hollandaise sauce, with the addition of the following cooked mixture.
3 whole eggs
5 tsp. of fresh lemon juice
3 Tbs. water
7 Tbs. butter
Melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk together eggs, lemon juice and water. Add egg mixture slowing to melted butter, stirring continuously. Season to taste (I use salt, black pepper and a dash of white pepper).
To make it "Béarnaise," add the following mixture:
1/4 cup white wine
2 Tbs. tarragon vinegar (we made our own by putting fresh tarragon in white vinegar for a hour)
1 Tbs. finely chopped shallots or onions
1/8 tsp. white pepper
2 sprigs tarragon, chopped
1 sprig parsley, minced
Cook above ingredients until reduced by half. Cool and whisk into Hollandaise Sauce.
Linda note: I had never prepared châteaubriand, and was amazed at how simple it really is. But I owe a thanks to the helpful folks at Marsh at 96th & Lantern Road (near I-69). First, the meat guy (do you still call them all butchers?) explained how I would pay about $4 less per pound if I bought the entire tenderloin, and he would trim the rest into other cuts we could use (a 5 lb. tenderloin yielded a 2 1/2 lb. châteaubriand, two 8 oz. filets and 1 1/2 lbs. of the best hamburger you will ever taste). And when I asked for any hints on preparing châteaubriand, it was my lucky day as one of the Marsh chefs was in the store, and since he had just made it for his girlfriend the night before, I was given step by step directions. The cut of meat was absolutely perfect and the directions were right on!
December 26, 2002
