True to its name, the tenderloin is unsurpassed for tenderness, a shining asset. Also, there is no bone in a tenderloin. It’s all meat—which accounts in part for this cut’s high price. If a chef or a butcher brags that his beef is tender enough to be cut with a butter knife, you can be sure he is talking about a tenderloin cut. The other great asset the tenderloin offers is versatility. Trimmed and left whole, the tenderloin will weigh 4 to 6 pounds and be about 18 inches long with a conical shape. It can be cooked whole or cut into individual steaks of differing size and thickness. These steaks may be called tenderloin steaks, filet steaks, filets mignons, and tenderloins, names that are used interchangeably by retailers. Size and weight of individual steaks vary, though most are cut between ¾ and 1½ inches thick, must be at least 1 inch in diameter, and weigh from 6 to 12 ounces. The classic cut known as Chateaubriand, from the center of the tenderloin, is 2 to 3 inches thick, as it is intended to provide two servings.
Because a steak from the tenderloin is so easy to cut, it becomes a perfect vehicle for sauces and garnishes that get in the way if the diner is faced with cutting up a steak on the bone.
A whole tenderloin or a Chateaubriand steak can be grilled or roasted and the meat carved into fairly thick slices. Individual tournedos or filets mignons (sometimes wrapped in bacon) are often grilled or broiled. But my favorite method for cooking these steaks is panfrying.
Known also as sautéing, panfrying is about the quickest and most effective way to brown meat with a flat surface. The steak is cooked with just enough fat to prevent it from sticking, at a temperature considerably lower than for broiling. The pan must be hot enough to sear the meat so quickly it will sauter, or jump, yet not so hot that the fat starts to smoke. Since butter burns at 250°F and vegetable oil at about 450°F, it’s best to sauté with half butter and half oil or to skip the butter altogether and use only oil.
My Best Ever recipe for panfrying a tenderloin steak is the French classic The True Steak au Poivre. Other recipes that use this cut vary from the exotic Asian Beef Salad with Cucumbers to an Uptown Cheese Steak.
Here is a dish that is among the most famous in the French classic culinary repertory, yet it is far less complex than most. The flavors of black pepper, Cognac, and cream form a fragrant but lively coating that gives the tender but bland filet a new allure. Sometimes Steak au Poivre is prepared with the firmer, more flavorful strip steak, but, like Fred dancing with Ginger, the sauce and the filet are the perfect match. Let a Zinfandel or Barbera provide the background music.
2 filets mignons (6 to 8 ounces each), cut 1¼ inches thick
1½ tablespoons black peppercorns
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt, to taste
2 tablespoons Cognac
⅓ cup crème fraîche or heavy (or whipping) cream
1. About 30 minutes before cooking, remove the steaks from the refrigerator and pat them dry. Coarsely crush the peppercorns in a mortar with a pestle or in a peppermill and spread them on a plate. Coat the filets on both sides with the pepper. Set aside at room temperature.
2. Melt the butter and oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet with a long handle. When very hot, add the filets. Cook until seared and well-crusted on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook the second side, 4 minutes more for medium-rare or 5 minutes more for medium. Baste the filets with pan drippings and salt them after turning.
3. Remove the skillet from the heat. Transfer the filets to a plate and pour off the cooking fat. Do not wash or wipe out the skillet. Return the filets to the skillet. In a small saucepan, heat the Cognac over medium heat. When it boils, pour the Cognac over the filets (make sure your hair is tied back and your sleeves are rolled up before you do this). Carefully light the Cognac with a long kitchen match. It will flare up momentarily. Gently shake the skillet over the hot burner until the flames die. (This procedure accomplishes two objectives: All the alcohol burns off and residual fat in the skillet burns as well.) Transfer the steaks to 2 plates or a platter and keep warm.
4. Add the crème fraîche to the skillet and bring it to a boil, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to deglaze the meat juices. Gently whisk the sauce until it has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Add salt.
5. Pour the sauce over the filets and serve at once.
SERVES 2
Steak and potatoes not only make a great team, both can be as tasty the second time around as when freshly cooked. So don’t hesitate to use leftovers to make this salad. Serve it as a weekend lunch or light supper main course with a Côtes du Rhône.
1 filet mignon (7 to 8 ounces), cut 1 inch thick
1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns
1½ teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cooked red potato (about 6 ounces)
4 medium, white button mushrooms, stems trimmed
4 scallions, white and 2 inches of green
6 ounces mesclun (mixed baby greens)
Vinaigrette
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
1. Coat the steak with pepper on all sides by pressing the cracked pepper into the meat.
2. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the steak and cook until seared and nicely browned on one side, 4 minutes. Turn and cook the second side 4 minutes more for a medium-rare steak, 5 minutes more for medium. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside to cool to room temperature. (A leftover cooked steak au poivre may be substituted. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
3. Cut the potato into chunks. Thinly slice the mushrooms and scallions. Cut the steak into ¼-inch-thick slices and set aside.
4. Place the mesclun in a large bowl. Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together. Add the vinaigrette to the bowl and toss until the greens are coated lightly with dressing. Divide between 2 dinner plates or 4 salad plates.
5. Scatter the potato chunks and mushroom slices over the greens. Fan the steak slices onto the center of the salad. Spoon any remaining dressing over the steak. Sprinkle the scallions over the meat and serve.
SERVES 2 AS A MAIN COURSE OR 4 AS A FIRST COURSE
ODE TO BEEFSTEAK
After the soup, we had what I do not hesitate to call the very best beefsteak I ever ate in my life. … As I write about it now, a week after I have eaten it, the old, rich, sweet, piquant, juicy taste comes smacking on my lips again; and I feel something of that exquisite sensation I then had. I am ashamed of the delight which the eating of that piece of meat caused me. G_ and I had quarreled about the soup; but when we began on the steak, we looked at each other, and loved each other. We did not speak—our hearts were too full for that; but we took a bit, and laid down our forks, and looked at one another, and understood each other. There were no two individuals on this wide earth—no two lovers billing in the shade—no mother clasping baby to her heart, more supremely happy than we. Every now and then, we had a glass of honest, firm, generous Burgundy, that nobly supported the meat. As you may fancy, we did not leave a single morsel of the steak, but when it was done, we put bits of bread into the silver dish, and wistfully sopped up the gravy. I suppose I shall never in this world taste anything so good again.”
—William M. Thackeray, “Memorials of Gourmandizing” (as reproduced in A Food Lover’s Companion)
On a visit to Chicago to publicize one of his books, my friend Ken Hom spoke of a Chinese Trinity of flavoring ingredients—green onions, garlic, and ginger. I remembered Ken’s Trinity combination one night when I wanted to give filet steaks a flavorful East-West personality This is what I cooked up—a delicious combination of steak and seafood.
4 filets mignons (about 4 ounces each; see Note)
2½ tablespoons vegetable oil
⅓ cup plus ¼ cup minced scallions
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons rice wine or water
¾ cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
¼ cup oyster sauce
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
½ tablespoon sesame oil
6 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns, ground
1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Pat the meat dry on both sides, then coat with 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil. Set aside.
3. To help speed the last-minute preparation of the sauce, combine the ¼ cup scallions, 1 tablespoon ginger, and 1 tablespoon garlic in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine the cornstarch and rice wine. Combine the broth, oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and the sesame oil in a 2-cup measure. Place the bowls and measuring cup near the stove.
4. Prepare the topping by combining the chopped shrimp, Szechuan pepper, ⅓ cup scallions, 2 teaspoons ginger, 2 teaspoons garlic, and 2 teaspoons soy sauce in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
5. Broil the steaks until seared and nicely browned on one side, 4 minutes. Turn and broil 3 minutes more. Spread the shrimp topping evenly over each filet, then continue to broil the meat until the topping is opaque and has begun to brown, about 1 minute. (The steaks will be medium-rare.) Transfer the steaks to a warm platter or 4 warm plates.
6. While the steaks are cooking, heat a wok or skillet. Add the remaining ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil and the scallion-ginger-garlic mixture to the wok. Stir until the scallions soften, about 30 seconds, then add the liquids in the measuring cup. Bring to a boil, stir up the cornstarch mixture and stir in. When the sauce thickens, about 1 minute, spoon 2 tablespoons of it onto each filet steak. Pass the remainder of the sauce in a sauce boat.
SERVES 4
Note: Most supermarket filets mignons weigh 7 or 8 ounces. Either ask the butcher to cut 4-ounce filet steaks 1 to 1¼ inches thick for you or cut two 8-ounce filet steaks in half crosswise at home.
Barbara Fenzl, a cooking teacher and food writer based in Phoenix, has helped to popularize contemporary Southwestern cooking. In this recipe she uses three different chilies—fresh Anaheims and poblanos and dried anchos. As the sweetest of the dried chilies, the anchos add a fruity as well as a spicy note to the sauce. Veteran grill cooks might use hot-burning mesquite wood for added flavor. Lacking a grill or faced with bad weather, broil the steaks instead. Pour beer, not wine, with these filets.
2 heads garlic, unpeeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 dried ancho chilies
3 poblano chilies, roasted, peeled, and seeded (page 88)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup heavy (or whipping) cream
6 filets mignons (about 6 ounces each) cut 1 inch thick
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves
2 Anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled, seeded (page 88) and sliced into 6 pieces
2. Rub the heads of garlic with olive oil, wrap them in aluminum foil, and bake on a rack until soft, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool.
3. Place the ancho chilies in a bowl, cover with very hot water, and let soak for 45 minutes. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the soaking water. Place the ancho and poblano chilies in a blender with the reserved water and purée until smooth, about 45 seconds. Strain the purée into a small saucepan, season with salt and pepper, and add the cream. Heat, taste, and adjust seasoning, adding more water or cream if the sauce is too thick or too spicy. Set aside. (The sauce may be made ahead. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Reheat before serving.)
4. Prepare coals for grilling or preheat the broiler.
5. Slice a horizontal pocket in each steak and set aside.
6. Squeeze the softened garlic from each clove into a small bowl. Add the oregano, salt, and pepper, and mash the mixture into a paste with a fork. Spoon a generous amount of the garlic mixture into the pocket in each steak. Add a piece of Anaheim chili and press to seal the pockets. Season the steaks with salt and pepper.
7. Cook the steaks until seared and well-crusted on the bottom, 5 minutes. Turn and cook 4 minutes more for medium-rare or 5 minutes more for medium.
8. Meanwhile, reheat the sauce. Place the steaks on 6 warm plates and top each steak with 1 to 2 tablespoons sauce.
SERVES 6
This wonderfully fresh-tasting salad is a very pleasing first course and can be served as a light entrée. Because the elements can be prepared ahead and final assembly is so quick, it’s good to serve immediately after coming home from an event. Pour beer or a sparkling wine from Spain.
1 to 2 jalapeños, split, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce (nam pla; see Note)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Japanese rice wine or dry sherry
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 scallions, white and some green, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon very thinly sliced peeled lemongrass (see Note)
2 filets mignons (about 6 ounces each), cut ¾ inch thick
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cucumber, peeled and cut lengthwise into very thin slices
1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Combine the jalapeños, salt, fish sauce, sugar, rice wine, vinegar, and lime juice in a food processor or blender. Purée the mixture and set aside.
3. Combine the scallions, mint, cilantro, and lemongrass in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
4. Pat the steaks dry and coat lightly with oil. Broil the steaks for 4 minutes, or until brown and crusty on one side. Turn and broil 3 minutes more for medium-rare or 4 minutes more for medium. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Carve each steak into ¼-inch-thick slices. (The recipe may be done ahead to this point. Cover and refrigerate the sauce, herbs, and meat separately. Return to room temperature before serving.)
5. Make a bed of cucumber slices on a platter or 2 or 3 plates. Arrange the steak over the cucumber, spoon the sauce over the steak, and scatter the herb mixture over all.
SERVES 2 OR 3
Note: Thai fish sauce (nam pla) and lemon-grass are available in Asian markets, specialty food stores, and some supermarkets.
Monique King, chef of Chicago’s funky and fun Soul Kitchen restaurant, had her taste buds tickled early, working for the dynamic duo of Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken at City restaurant in Los Angeles. I like to use one of her favorite salad dressings on slices of filet served at room temperature on a bed of greens. For the most effective presentation, do not cook the steaks beyond medium-rare. Accompany the steaks with sangria in the summer, Rioja in the winter.
2 filets mignons (about 8 ounces each), cut 1 inch thick
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, preferably corn oil
1½ teaspoons minced shallots or scallions
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and white pepper, to taste
8 cups mesclun (mixed baby greens) or torn romaine, washed and very well dried (about 8 ounces)
1. Preheat the broiler or prepare coals for grilling.
2. Allow the steaks to come to room temperature, pat dry and lightly coat with vegetable oil. Cook until seared and nicely browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn the steaks and cook 4 minutes more for medium-rare. Set aside until cool. (Steaks may be prepared ahead to this point. Refrigerate the steaks, but let them return to room temperature before continuing.)
3. Combine the shallots, cumin, orange zest, orange juice, and vinegar in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of this dressing over the greens in a large bowl. Toss to coat and arrange the greens on 4 medium-size plates.
4. Carve the steaks into ¼-inch-thick slices and arrange them on top of the greens. Spoon the remaining dressing over the meat and serve immediately.
SERVES 4
This steak, cut from the thickest part of the tenderloin, merits a very special occasion. It is served with béarnaise, to me the most lavishly sensual of all steak sauces. While this recipe is meant, in spirit, to be served to two hungry persons in the full thrall of love, there is, in fact, enough meat to feed three. The sauce can be prepared ahead and rewarmed over—but not touching—simmering water. The wine should definitely come from Bordeaux and be as old and as expensive as possible. Refrigerate any leftover béarnaise and, as my wife advises, “just let it melt on things.”
1 center-cut beef tenderloin (about 1¼ pounds), cut 1½ to 2 inches thick
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, preferably corn oil
Salt
Béarnaise Sauce
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, preferably tarragon flavored
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 tablespoon minced shallots (optional)
White pepper, to taste
2 egg yolks (see Note)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt, to taste
2 or 3 drops hot pepper sauce, preferably Tabasco Jalapeño Sauce
1 cup melted unsalted butter, hot
1. At least 45 minutes before cooking, remove the steak from the refrigerator, and let it come to room temperature. Pat it dry, coat lightly with vegetable oil, and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
3. Heat a large ovenproof skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat. Sear the tenderloin until browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn, season with salt, and sear the second side for 3 minutes more. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the steak about 12 minutes for medium-rare and 14 minutes for medium. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 4 to 5 minutes before carving.
4. While the steak is resting, prepare the béarnaise sauce. Combine the white wine, vinegar, ½ tablespoon of the tarragon, shallots, if using, and a pinch of white pepper in a very small saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce until only 2 teaspoons of liquid are left, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
5. Put the egg yolks, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, a pinch of white pepper, and the hot pepper sauce into a blender jar. Have the hot butter close at hand. Cover the jar, turn the blender on to medium-low speed, and pour the butter in through the feed hole in a thin but steady stream. When the sauce has thickened, add the wine reduction and the remaining ½ tablespoon tarragon. Blend briefly, taste, and adjust seasoning as desired. To keep the sauce warm while carving the meat, set the jar in a pan filled with 3 to 4 inches of hot water.
6. Carve the steak into ½-inch-thick slices. Arrange the steak slices on plates. Lightly coat the meat with béarnaise and pass the remainder in a sauce boat.
SERVES 2 OR 3
Note: The eggs in the béarnaise sauce do not get fully cooked by the heat of the other ingredients. Be sure to buy only farm-fresh, best-quality eggs before preparing a dish in which they aren’t cooked through.
SEARING
To sear! It’s an action verb, traumatic even. We read or hear of searing pain, seared hearts, searing rebuttals. In cooking the meaning is slightly less intense, since the cook who slaps a steak onto a very hot pan or grill does allow the meat to sear and change color but stops short of actually burning the surface.
This action, done on both sides, is widely, if mistakenly, thought to be crucial to producing a moist and juicy steak. Even so, it remains a dramatic and useful ritual. Laboratory experiments prove that the crust does not form a waterproof jacket around the meat. The juices remain because, due to the rapidity of the cooking, they don’t have time to get out.
The juices that come to the surface and evaporate give off the perfumed aroma that puts appetites into overdrive. More important, they leave behind solid substances that brown easily, including protein and natural sugar. These harden to give the surface exciting texture, color, and flavor. If the pan is deglazed, even the juices that escape can be used to contribute flavor and color to a sauce.
By the mid-1960s, Joy of Cooking had set things right and endorsed searing in the name of taste, not nutrition. Yet the myth persists.
Slicing beef tenderloin into medallions is the simplest trick to producing a very tender and quick-cooking steak dinner. Here, the beef is seared and served on top of wilted arugula in the Italian manner. Fresh minced herbs are an optional garnish for the meat, and the drink, Chianti Classico.
1½ pounds center-cut beef tenderloin, sinew removed
8 ounces arugula
5 tablespoons olive oil
1½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon mixed minced fresh rosemary and sage leaves (optional)
1. Cut the tenderloin into 12 slices, each ¾ inch thick. Flatten the medallions slightly with the flat side of a chef’s knife or a cleaver. Set aside.
2. Stem the arugula, wash the leaves, and pat dry. Set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. Add as many of the beef medallions as fit in a single layer without overcrowding. Cook until seared, 1½ to 2 minutes. Turn the meat and cook until nicely browned but still with red juices, 1½ to 2 minutes more. Transfer the cooked meat to a plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining medallions.
4. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons oil and the vinegar to the same skillet. Immediately add the arugula, cook, stirring over medium-high heat until all the leaves are wilted, about 1 minute.
5. Make a bed of arugula on each of 4 to 6 plates. Place 3 or 2 beef medallions on top of each. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper, and, if desired, with the herbs. Pour any remaining cooking juices from the skillet over the meat. Serve immediately.
SERVES 4 TO 6
BILL’S SIX-STEP GUIDE TO GREAT GRILLING
Before you start, realize that no self-respecting manufacturer would sell a grill unit without attaching detailed operating instructions. If you won’t read those, you won’t read this. If you read those, you probably don’t need to read this—so I’ll be brief.
1. Be sure the grill is outdoors (unless you are using a stovetop grilling unit) and on level ground.
2. Open the vents and pile about two dozen top-of-the-line briquets on the grate. Using hickory or apple wood as fuel and a flavoring for the steak is appealing, but wood is expensive and takes quite a while to reduce to coals. Wood chips on charcoal may be the best course. Since I rarely venture far from the house, I use an electric coil starter. (Ask someone to remind you to unplug it once the coals are burning.) If using a liquid starter, the one absolute prohibition is: Never, never squirt fuel onto a burning fire. If using a gas grilling unit, none of this matters.
3. For well-trimmed steaks 1½ inches thick or less, chops, and burgers, there’s no need to set up a drip pan and cook over indirect heat. An activist cook equipped with a squirt pistol and a willingness to tend closely to the meat and move and turn it as often as needed will do just fine working over direct heat.
4. There will be about half an hour of warm-up time. Pace yourself in consuming liquid refreshments. Once the coals are ready (covered with gray ash and glowing), flirt with pain and place your hand, palm down, over the fire at grill height. If you can hold it there for 4 seconds, the coals are hot and ready for the steak. (Gadget lovers with a grill thermometer can skip this ritual and start grilling when the temperature reaches 360°F). If you are making Tuttaposto’s Grilled Dessert Pizza (see Index), allow the coals to get a little less hot. If you can hold your hand over them for 6 seconds, they are ready.
5. Don’t put the meat on the grill, however, without checking you have an apron on, and a mitt or mitts, tongs or a spatula, and the aforementioned squirt bottle close at hand. (You’ll notice no pronged fork and no sharp knife are in the vicinity. Piercing the steak will do irreparable harm.) I subscribe to the “sear one side, turn, and sear the second side, then let the meat cook” school of grilling unless the steak is an extra-thick monster. For planning purposes, allot 10 to 12 minutes to cook a 1-inch-thick steak to medium-rare and 12 to 14 minutes to medium. If the steak is 1½ inches thick, add 2 minutes to the calculation. But due to the variables, using the touch system to gauge doneness (see page 7) is essential.
6. As you prepare to snatch the perfectly cooked steak from the grill, it’s very disconcerting to realize you neglected to arrange for the presence of a cutting board or platter ready to receive the meat. Tell yourself to do this under Step 5 the next time. In the interest of coordinated dining, it’s equally important to alert those responsible for other parts of the meal of your progress. That done, you can take your bows.
Living and cooking on the coast in Monterey, California, restaurateur and television personality John Pisto has mastered virtually every type of seafood cookery But there’s a taste for beef, too, in his Italian heritage, and he often prepares beef rolls stuffed with raisins and pine nuts in the Sicilian fashion at home for friends. To accompany the rolls, John usually makes tubular pasta such as ziti with a fresh tomato sauce and pours a red wine made in Monterey County.
1 cup bread crumbs, toasted (see Note)
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons raisins, soaked in warm water until plump and drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into 8 slices, chilled
10 bay leaves, soaked in water to soften
1 medium red onion, cut into 8 chunks
4 to 5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup water
1. Pour the bread crumbs into a small bowl and stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil, just enough to slightly dampen them. Add the minced garlic, 2 tablespoons parsley, Parmesan, pine nuts, raisins, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Place a piece of chilled steak between 2 sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap and pound with a meat pounder, the side of a cleaver, or a rolling pin to flatten it to a thickness of ¼ inch. Flatten the remaining pieces. (If you wish, ask the butcher to flatten the meat when you buy it.)
3. Rub a light coating of olive oil over one side of each slice of steak. Season with salt and pepper, then add a light coating of the bread crumb mixture. Roll each slice tightly around the filling. (Reserve excess filling for use on pasta or vegetables.)
4. Rub 2 long metal skewers with olive oil. Thread a bay leaf on a skewer, pierce a beef roll crosswise through the center, then thread a chunk of onion. Repeat, ending with a bay leaf, until each skewer holds 5 bay leaves, 4 beef rolls, and 4 chunks of onion. Set aside.
5. Prepare coals for grilling or preheat the broiler. Preheat the oven to warm.
6. Combine ⅓ cup olive oil, the chopped garlic, the remaining ¼ cup parsley, the oregano, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, simmer for 2 minutes, and remove from the heat. Set aside.
7. Just before cooking, brush the meat and onions with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the meat is seared and nicely browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook the other side 2 minutes more for rare or 3 minutes more for medium. Transfer the skewers to a deep platter and pour the olive oil-water mixture over them. Place in a warm oven until ready to serve.
SERVES 8
Note: To toast bread crumbs, preheat the oven to 350°F. Sprinkle the crumbs on a baking sheet and heat until golden, 8 minutes.
The Scandinavians excel at producing cold salads and sandwiches, at least I’ve yet to come upon a Scandinavian buffet table I could walk past without collecting several items to sample. The one link among most of these creations is that mayonnaise is used lavishly. So I fashioned a mayonnaise with Scandinavian ingredients to dress up open-face sandwiches to be displayed on a party buffet or passed at a reception. The sauce is equally appealing served with cold lobster or shrimp. (If you have a bottle of aquavit, the caraway-flavored liquor drunk throughout Scandinavia, incorporate some in the sauce.)
1 beef tenderloin (about 4½ pounds)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon caraway seeds, ground
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon aquavit (optional)
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
Up to 27 slices light rye bread
1. The morning before serving, prepare the tenderloin. Preheat the oven to 425°F
2. Lightly coat the meat with oil and season liberally with salt and black pepper. Roast 12 to 15 minutes per pound for rare to medium-rare. Transfer to a platter, cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
3. Spoon the mayonnaise into a small mixing bowl. Add the mustard, lemon juice, caraway, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, white pepper, and aquavit, if using. Whisk until well blended, taste, and correct the seasoning. Stir in the dill. Set aside to mellow for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. (Flavored mayonnaise may be made ahead. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.)
4. Use a cookie cutter to cut 2½-inch circles in up to 18 slices of the bread. Cut up to 9 more slices into 3-inch squares, trimming away the crusts. Cover with a damp towel to keep the bread fresh.
5. Carve the tenderloin into ¼- to ½-inch-thick slices, then trim the slices to fit the bread circles and squares. (Save the tenderloin scraps to garnish a salad or to mix into scrambled eggs.)
6. Spread 1 teaspoon sauce on each circle and 2 teaspoons sauce on each square. Place a slice of tenderloin on top of the sauce. Cut the squares in half on a diagonal. Place a ½-teaspoon dollop of sauce in the center of each sandwich. Arrange sandwiches on a platter and serve.
SERVES UP TO 36
The Philadelphia cheese steak is the ne plus ultra of downtown steak sandwiches. Uptown, one might use white bread and sliced tenderloin and draw inspiration from that old standby Welsh rarebit to create a perfect weekend lunch dish or a treat for a late-evening supper. Serve this sandwich with a flavorful ale.
4 ounces Mimolette or Edam cheese, cut into ¼-inch dice
½ teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch dice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 slices day-old white bread
12 ounces beef tenderloin, cooked (page 22, steps 1 and 2), cooled, and cut on the bias into 12 thin slices
1. Place the cheese, dry mustard, Dijon mustard, butter, Worcestershire, and cayenne in a food processor. Pulse to reduce the cheese pieces to the size of small pebbles, then process until the mixture forms a paste, about 1 minute. You should have about ¾ cup.
2. Spread 2 tablespoons of the cheese paste on each slice of bread. Top the bread slices with 2 slices of meat, leaving a border of cheese visible around the edges. Arrange the bread slices side by side on a baking sheet or broiler pan and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate if making in advance.
3. About 15 minutes before serving, preheat the broiler.
4. Remove the plastic wrap, if used. Place the open-face sandwiches under the broiler and cook until the cheese is bubbling and begins to brown, 2 to 2½ minutes. Serve at once.
SERVES 6
Note: For a party, use a cookie cutter to cut the bread into eighteen 2½-inch rounds, top each with 2 teaspoons of cheese paste and 1½-inch round of meat. Broil the sandwiches just before serving.
PHILADELPHIA CHEESE STEAK SANDWICH
The Philly Cheese Steak is not so much a recipe as a way of life. Take the same round steak you would use for The Italian Beef Sandwich (page 137), sauté up a mess of onions, heat something with the same color and texture as Cheez Whiz. Arrange the onions, meat, and cheese spread inside a roll and eat away. Or try an equally earthy cheese steak sandwich, such as the one starting on the facing page, made with an uptown cut of steak.
When Germaine Swanson came to the United States from Vietnam and established Germaine’s, which became one of Washington, D.C.’s best-known restaurants, she also launched what has become known as Pacific Rim cuisine by offering a pan-Asian menu. This full-flavored, easy-to-prepare dish shows why her cooking became so popular. (This recipe’s popularity will soar among cooks on a budget when they learn that Germaine also prepares it using flank steak.) Serve this with steamed rice. The only secret is to be sure the oil is really hot. Cook the beef in two batches rather than one, so as not to overcrowd the pan.
1 beef tenderloin (about 4 pounds)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
3 tablespoons chopped shallots or scallions
¼ cup beef broth
¼ cup soy sauce
White pepper, to taste
3 heads Boston lettuce, cored, washed, and drained
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup plus ⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 large white onion, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces (optional)
1. Cut the tenderloin into ¾-inch cubes, trimming any fat. Combine 1 tablespoon of garlic, the shallots, broth, soy sauce, and white pepper in a large bowl. Add the beef cubes, toss, and set aside at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter. Whisk together the remaining 1 teaspoon garlic, white pepper, vinegar, salt, and ⅓ cup oil in a medium-size bowl. Add the red onion slices, toss, and pour over the lettuce.
3. Heat the remaining ½ cup oil over high heat in a wok or large skillet. As soon as the oil begins to smoke, add the steak cubes and the white onion slices in batches. Stir and shake the pan rapidly until the meat is crisp and browned on the outside, about 3 minutes for rare, 3½ minutes for medium-rare, and 4 minutes for medium.
4. Turn the contents of the wok into a colander set over a bowl to drain. Arrange the beef and onions on the bed of lettuce. Or, if using the butter, return the beef and onions to the cleaned wok, add the butter, and toss over medium-high heat until the butter has melted and coated the meat. Arrange the beef mixture on the bed of lettuce and serve at once.
SERVES 8 TO 10