Roast Fillet of Beef with Béarnaise Sauce
A fillet of beef is an expensive cut and a real treat
SERVES
8
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
20
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
40
MINUTES
Ingredients
1 whole fillet of well-hung dried aged beef — 2.6kg (6lb) approximately
a few cloves of garlic
pork caul fat (if available)
sea salt and freshly-cracked pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Béarnaise Sauce:
4 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
4 tablespoons dry white wine
2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
pinch of freshly ground pepper
2 organic egg yolks
110g (4oz) butter
1 tablespoon freshly chopped French tarragon leaves
Method
Trim away the 'chain' if it is still attached, and use the meat for Beef Stroganoff. (The chain is the fat-covered portion of meat at the bottom of the tenderloin).
Double over the meat at the tapered end and tie the fillet securely with fine butcher’s cotton twine. Alternatively, ask your butcher to do the ‘butchering’ for you.
Rub the fillet all over with a cut clove of garlic, season well with lots of freshly-ground pepper and wrap loosely in caul fat if available. Season well with sea salt.
Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas Mark 8.
Alternatively, rub the fillet all over with the cut clove of garlic as before, season well on all sides with salt and freshly cracked pepper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Heat a cast-iron pan grill to very hot.
Sear the beef until nicely browned on all sides. Transfer it to a roasting tin and tuck a couple of sprigs of thyme underneath.
Roast for 25-30 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should read 50°C/125°F for rare or 75°C/167°F for well done. Alternatively, the meat should feel springy to the touch and the juice should be a pale pink when the meat is pierced with a skewer.
Remove from the oven to a carving dish. Cover and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes by which time the juices will have redistributed themselves and the beef will be uniformly medium-rare.
Serve cut in 5mm (1/4 inch) slices and serve with Béarnaise sauce.
For the Béarnaise Sauce, boil the first 4 ingredients together in a low, heavy-bottomed, stainless-steel saucepan until completely reduced and the pan is almost dry but not browned.
Add 1 tablespoon of cold water immediately. Pull the pan off the heat and leave to cool for 1 or 2 minutes.
Using a coil whisk, whisk in the egg yolks and add the butter bit by bit over a very low heat, whisking all the time. As soon as one piece melts, add the next piece; it will gradually thicken. If it shows signs of becoming too thick or slightly scrambling, remove from the heat immediately and add a little cold water.
Do not leave the pan or stop whisking until the sauce is made. Finally, add 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped French tarragon and taste for seasoning.
If the sauce is slow to thicken, it may be because you are excessively cautious and the heat is too low. Increase the heat slightly and continue to whisk until all the butter is added and the sauce is a thick coating consistency.
It is important to remember, however, that if you are making Béarnaise sauce in a saucepan directly over the heat, it should be possible to put your hand on the side of the saucepan at any stage. If the saucepan feels too hot for your hand it is also too hot for the sauce!
Another good tip if you are making Béarnaise sauce for the first time is to keep a bowl of cold water close by so that you can plunge the bottom of the saucepan into it if it becomes too hot.
Keep the sauce warm in a Pyrex bowl over hot but not simmering water or in a Thermos flask until you want to serve it.
