Beef Tenderloin with Morel Mushroom Bordelaise Sauce

Beef Tenderloin with Morel Mushroom Bordelaise, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and
Haricots Verts in brown butter with almonds.

On Christmas morning we spend literally hours opening gifts and eating and drinking and laughing. So while I still want something truly decadent for Christmas dinner, I neither have the time nor the desire to spend the entire day in the kitchen. Thats where this recipe comes to the rescue!

Beef tenderloin is a giant log of the finest cut of beef (filet mignon is made from slicing a beef tenderloin). Is Beef Tenderloin expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? YES YES YES. And here is the best part... it is unbelievably easy to prepare.

Basically, the tenderloin gets a rub with rosemary, salt and pepper, then roasts at a high temperature for about 40 minutes. Done.

I like to serve this dish with a mushroom Bordelaise sauce. Bordelaise is one of those unbelievably time -consuming fussy sauces, and back in the day I used to make it the classical way starting with several pounds of beef bones I would roast and use to make several gallons of stock which I would then slowly reduce to about 1 cup of demi glace. It was delicious, but who has time for that?

These days I have completely scaled down the recipe so the sauce can be prepared in about 1/2 hour and can be made in advance and reheated. I have searched and it is difficult (not to mention expensive) to find prepared demi glace (reduced beef stock). Then a couple years ago I found a product at the Harris Teeter grocery store called Better Than Bouillon. It comes in a jar and is a reduced beef stock paste. I tried it, and it is a great, inexpensive (and fast) substitute for demi glace. I have been using it ever since.

Roast Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary

1 8lb Beef Tenderloin, cleaned and trimmed
1/2 cup fresh rosemary leaves
1 1/2 Tbsp coarse sea salt
1 Tbsp Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a food processor combine rosemary , salt, pepper and olive oil and process until rosemary is coarsely chopped. Place tenderloin on a rack in a large roasting pan. Spread rosemary mixture evenly over all surfaces of tenderloin.

Tied and rubbed, this meat log is ready to be shoved in a hot oven (Oh My!)

Roast tenderloin at 400 for approximately 40 minutes (check temperature in thickest part of tenderloin with a meat thermometer after 2o minutes, then check again every 10 minutes until internal temperature is 110 for medium rare).

Remove tenderloin from oven, tent with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing into 1/2 inch thick slices. Serve with Bordelaise sauce.

Mama Ozzy's trick for reheating leftover tenderloin: Microwaving leftover tenderloin to warm it up will completely cook the tenderloin and ruin it. I like to put the tenderloin slices in a airtight ziploc bag and place them in a pan of simmering water for 5 minutes... this just warms the beef up without ruining the beautiful medium rare flavor!

Bordelaise Sauce

1/2 oz. dried morel mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
4 Tbsp butter
1 shallot finely chopped
8 oz mushrooms chopped
1 tsp ground thyme
1/2 cup flour
2 cups red wine
2 cups water
4 tsp Better than Bouillon beef stock concentrate
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

In a small bowl combine dried morels and boiling water, allow to steep for 15 minutes. Meanwhile melt butter in medium sauce pan, add chopped shallot and mushrooms and saute 10-15 minutes. Remove morels from liquid, reserving "mushroom tea". Chop morels and add to sauce pan. Add thyme and flour and stir. Cook for 5 minutes. Add wine and water and stir to dissolve flour mixture. Add beef stock concentrate and cook over medium heat until sauce thickens. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with Beef tenderloin.