Its funny becuase I've talked about writing a blog forever (mostly becuase all I talk about is food and cooking and I figured I would soon need an entirely new audience secondary to completely tiring out or boring my first audience to tears) and the minute my first post goes up...bam, it takes me over a month to post anything else!
Another reason I wanted to do this was becuase it would hold me accountable. Accountable for documenting and photographing the dishes I make (or WAS making) as well as to keep up with and make the many things I see in magazines, online, that I tear out of the newspaper, or that scribble down qucickly.
Well, anyway...I AM BACK . Even if this is just for me and my closest confidants to read...here I am...AGAIN.
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| Beef Tenderloin with Picon Cheese |
What I have pictured here is a dish I decided to make this past friday night. It is adapted from Jose Andres' Made in Spain television series and cookbook. It was a fun dish to prepare. I would normally use white wine or stock to deglaze, but this calls for cider. I think the cider, shallots and cheese really gave the sauce (which was already a beautiful creamy, silky addition to the meat) a bit more bite.
While shopping, I did go for the filet mignon, but a cheaper blue cheese. There are a few lovely cheese shops in the Alexandria area where I live, as well as in DC, but I ended up going with a Danish blue (right from the grocery store). Jose calls for a Spanish blue called Picon. This dish turned out well, so I will probably end up attempting to find Picon, or another spanish blue, at some point...but perhaps then I will go with a cheaper cut of meat? I guess that all depends on who's coming for dinner!
Also, please forgive the pictures- from the placement and size of the chives to the amount of sauce- we were deleriously famished and I just quickly snapped a few shots. ENJOY!
Beef Tenderloin with Picon Cheese
* 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 1 lb. beef tenderloin
* 3 garlic cloves, peeled
* 1/2 shallot, thinly sliced
* 2 fresh thyme sprigs
* 1/4 Sidra (a Spanish cider, or any hard cider)
* 1/2 c. heavy cream
* 2 oz. Picon, or any good quality blue cheese
* sea salt to taste
* chopped chives, for garnish
Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a large ovenproof skillet over high heat, heat oil until smoking. Add beef tenderloin and sear for 2 minutes on all sides. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 10 more minutes (or until meat registers at 130 degrees on meat thermometer, for medium-rare). Transfer tenderloins to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm.
Return pan to stove and heat over medium-high heat. Gently crush garlic cloves and add to pan juices, along with the springs of thyme and sliced shallots. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the hard cider, as well as 2 Tbsp of water to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits.
Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the cream and 1 oz. of the blue cheese. Stir to melt cheese, as well as to thicken the sauce. Remove pan from the heat.
Slice the beef tenderloin into 1/2 inch thick medallions, or arrange as you please. Season with salt and pepper and spoon the creamy blue cheese sauce over and arond the beef. Crumble the remaining blue cheese on top of the beef, and garnish with chopped chives. Serves 4.
