Roast Beef Tenderloin with Dried Fruit and Nut Stuffing
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 21, 2007
Time
2 hours, plus 1 hour standing
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Stuffing
2 teaspoons olive oil 1 large shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)¼ cup chopped prunes ¼ cup dried chopped apricots (unsulfured)⅔ cup ruby port ½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves ¼ teaspoon table salt ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegarBeef Roast
2 pound beef tenderloin, center-cut, trimmed of fat and silver skin1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper 2 tablespoons toasted pecans, chopped3 tablespoons olive oilStilton Butter
1 ounce Stilton cheese, crumbled3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened⅛ teaspoon table salt 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leavesBefore You Begin
The Chateaubriand is a cut taken from the center of the tenderloin. It should be an even thickness from end to end, without any portion of the butt end attached. The stuffing can be made a day in advance, but it must be microwaved to just room temperature before being stuffed into the roast. The roast can be stuffed, rolled, and tied the day before cooking. When carving the roast, the kitchen twine performs two duties. First, and more important, it keeps the roast intact while carving. Second, it provides a good guideline for carving the roast—simply cut the meat into thick slices between each piece of twine. If serving a crowd, this recipe can be doubled to make two roasts. Follow the recipe as directed, searing the roasts one after another, cleaning the pan and adding new oil after searing the first roast.
Instructions
- Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, combine prunes, apricots, and port in microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic and microwave on high until simmering, about 2 minutes. Set aside until needed.
- When shallot is softened, add dried fruit/port mixture, thyme, salt, and pepper; continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in balsamic vinegar. Transfer dried fruit mixture to plate. Set aside and cool to room temperature.
- Following illustrations 1 and 2, butterfly roast. Season cut side of roast liberally with salt and pepper. Following illustration 3, spread cooled stuffing mixture in an even layer over interior of roast, leaving 1/2-inch border on all sides. Sprinkle pecans in an even layer on top of stuffing. Following illustrations 4 and 5, roll and tie beef roast.
- In small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Rub exterior of roast with oil mixture. Let roast stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Add beef to pan and cook until well browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer beef to rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast registers 120 degrees for rare, 16 to 18 minutes, or 125 degrees for medium-rare, 20 to 22 minutes.
- While meat roasts, stir all ingredients together in a small bowl until combined. Transfer tenderloin to cutting board; spread half of butter evenly over top of roast. Loosely tent roast with foil; let rest for 15 minutes. Slice roast between pieces of twine into thick slices. Remove twine from individual slices and serve with remaining butter passed separately.
for the stuffing
for the roast
for the butter
Time
2 hours, plus 1 hour standingYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Stuffing
Beef Roast
Stilton Butter
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Stuffing
Beef Roast
Stilton Butter
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Stuffing
Beef Roast
Stilton Butter
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For a stuffed beef tenderloin recipe with a deeply charred crust, a tender, rosy-pink interior, and an intensely flavored stuffing that stayed neatly rolled in the meat, we chose the almost perfectly cylindrical Châteaubriand and used a "double-butterfly" procedure—making two cuts so the roast opened up into three parts (like a business letter). In this way the roast accommodated 50 percent more filling than a conventionally butterflied roast. We created a suitable crust for our tenderloin recipe in a shortened cooking time by coating the exterior of the roast with a layer of kosher salt an hour before searing, which allowed the salt to begin to break down the protein fibers in the outermost layer of meat, so that it browned quickly.
Before You Begin
The Chateaubriand is a cut taken from the center of the tenderloin. It should be an even thickness from end to end, without any portion of the butt end attached. The stuffing can be made a day in advance, but it must be microwaved to just room temperature before being stuffed into the roast. The roast can be stuffed, rolled, and tied the day before cooking. When carving the roast, the kitchen twine performs two duties. First, and more important, it keeps the roast intact while carving. Second, it provides a good guideline for carving the roast—simply cut the meat into thick slices between each piece of twine. If serving a crowd, this recipe can be doubled to make two roasts. Follow the recipe as directed, searing the roasts one after another, cleaning the pan and adding new oil after searing the first roast.
Instructions
- Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, combine prunes, apricots, and port in microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic and microwave on high until simmering, about 2 minutes. Set aside until needed.
- When shallot is softened, add dried fruit/port mixture, thyme, salt, and pepper; continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in balsamic vinegar. Transfer dried fruit mixture to plate. Set aside and cool to room temperature.
- Following illustrations 1 and 2, butterfly roast. Season cut side of roast liberally with salt and pepper. Following illustration 3, spread cooled stuffing mixture in an even layer over interior of roast, leaving 1/2-inch border on all sides. Sprinkle pecans in an even layer on top of stuffing. Following illustrations 4 and 5, roll and tie beef roast.
- In small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Rub exterior of roast with oil mixture. Let roast stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Add beef to pan and cook until well browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer beef to rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast registers 120 degrees for rare, 16 to 18 minutes, or 125 degrees for medium-rare, 20 to 22 minutes.
- While meat roasts, stir all ingredients together in a small bowl until combined. Transfer tenderloin to cutting board; spread half of butter evenly over top of roast. Loosely tent roast with foil; let rest for 15 minutes. Slice roast between pieces of twine into thick slices. Remove twine from individual slices and serve with remaining butter passed separately.
for the stuffing
for the roast
for the butter
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