Cigar Weekly

If you thought that the prime rib roast we prepared in the last article was expensive, you're going to be shocked by our next project. Beef tenderloin is the choicest, most expensive cut of the cow. Because it receives the least amount of exercise on the steer, it is also the tenderest. There is very little fat in the tenderloin itself, so your roasting method can either yield a moist, flavorful and almost fork-tender slice of beef or a dry, tough piece of shoeleather. And since this cut of beef can cost close to $20.00 per pound, I'm going to show you how to get maximum value out of your tenderloin roast budget.

Most experienced cooks will tell you to pick the center cut portion, also known as the chateaubriand. This is good advice if you can afford it, but a roast like this is going to be close to $100.00 by the time you get it home.

Since that's almost as much as I like to spend on the entire holiday meal, I'm looking for alternatives. Knowing that prime-grade beef is out of the question, I turn to top choice grade beef and order the butt-portion of the tenderloin instead of the center cut. By doing so, I manage to shave some $8.00 per pound from the roughly $20.00 per pound cost, bringing the total price of the roast down to about $45.00. There are trade-offs in doing this, though. The butt portion contains a large piece of meat known as the chain muscle. And this smaller muscle tends to be tougher. As we're paying for this cut along with the butt tenderloin, we can maximize value by using it along with any leftovers in the Beef Stroganoff dish described later in this article.

Another option you might want to consider is to have the butcher remove any chunks of fat, and the silverskin too, for you. Ask the butcher to reserve the chain muscle as well. You can certainly do this task yourself (if you have any confidence in your knife skills), but you'll probably waste more meat in the process than a professional butcher would.

Now that you have your meat prepped and at home, you'll want to take a few simple steps to prepare the roast. Firstly, you should tie the roast. Why, you ask? Well, tying the roast will help it keep a consistent shape and size, will result in even cooking throughout the meat and will eliminate overdone or underdone portions. Tying a roast is really easy. Take some kitchen twine and, starting about an inch and a half to two inches from the end, loop the twine around the meat, pulling it tight and securing it with a quick square knot. Repeat this process, at one and a half to two inch increments, across the roast.

Secondly, you'll want to rub the roast down with vegetable oil. Oil will aid in keeping the surface of the meat from drying out, and will also help the seasonings to adhere to the surface, insuring the roast is properly and evenly seasoned. I have seen many recipes that call for a slather of dijon mustard and the application of herbs in order to form a crust on the roast. Personally, when I eat beef tenderloin, I want to taste beef and only beef. However, if you do opt for the crusted-roast route, be sure to wait until after the initial searing in the cooking process before you apply the mustard and herbs.

Thirdly, season the roast generously on all sides with Kosher salt and cracked black peppercorns. Try to be as even with the application as you can. Even if you choose the crusting method, you'll want the meat to be properly seasoned.

As you did with the prime rib roast, you will need both a roasting pan with elevated, V-shaped roasting rack and a timer/thermometer with temperature probe to accurately gauge when the roast is done.

Pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees and allow it to come up to temperature.

Position the probe of your thermometer on top of the roast so that the point of the probe is near the center of the meat. Grasp the probe at the end at the edge of the meat and slide it into the roast until fingers meet roast.

This almost foolproof technique makes it easy to insure your thermometer is reading from the center of the meat. Position the roasting pan in the center of the oven and set the alarm on the thermometer to sound when the meat reaches proper doneness. Since there is no bone in this roast to conduct heat, I adjust my doneness temperatures down a few degrees-120 degrees for rare, 130 degrees for medium-rare and 140 degrees for medium.

Roast the meat at 500 degrees for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees for the remainder of the roasting (if you are using the mustard and herb crust method, this is the time you'll want to apply the crust ingredients according to your recipe). As with the prime rib, if your guests desire their tenderloin more done than medium, you will be better served slipping their slice under the broiler briefly, by portion, afterward.

When the roast reaches your target temperature, remove it from the oven, cover it with foil and let it rest for 20 minutes to allow the juices (now near the surface of the meat) to re-distribute themselves throughout the roast. Failing to do so will result in a carving board covered in juices and a dry, flavorless piece of meat.

When carving time arrives, remove the twine, slice the roast into the desired portions and serve. I'd suggest that you carve the roast to suit your family or guests, and leave the remaining portion of the roast un-carved. Doing so will make use of the leftovers much easier.

Most people think of Beef Stroganoff as a quick weeknight dish made with ground beef, onions, cream of mushroom soup, Worcestershire sauce and sour cream, and then served over rice or egg noodles. I certainly ate my share of that dish growing up, and I've made it many times since for my family.

The original recipe for Beef Stroganoff, though, called for the meat to be cut from the tenderloin. Happily, since you've saved the chain meat from roast and left the rest of the tenderloin un-carved, you'll be able to indulge in the real thing. I've adapted this recipe from ones in both Fine Cooking and Cook's Illustrated magazines.

Here's what you will need:

1-" cups low-sodium canned beef broth
" C. dried mushrooms
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (not olive oil)
½ cup unsalted butter
8 to 10 ounces fresh sliced button mushrooms
1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into strips about 2 inches long, " inch wide and about " inch thick Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Flour for dredging
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
" teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
5 tablespoons crème fraîche (sour cream may be substituted)
1 " ounces (one shot) cognac
Cooked egg noodles

Combine the dried mushrooms and beef broth in a small saucepan. Bring the broth to a boil, remove it from the heat and allow it to steep for 30 minutes. Drain it through a coffee filter placed in a sieve (you want the mushrooms and the flavor they give the broth but not the grit that often is found in dried mushrooms), reserving the liquid,. If you have trouble getting the liquid through the coffee filter, pick up the edges to form a pouch (be sure the top is securely closed) and gently squeeze it. Remove and roughly chop the drained mushrooms, minus any grit, and set the liquid and mushrooms aside.

Slice the chain meat and remaining roast into thin slices that are roughly two inches long and about a half-inch wide. Season with Kosher salt and cracked black pepper, and set aside.

In a large, high-sided skillet, melt half of the butter and sauté the mushrooms until they begin to soften and release their liquid - about ten minutes. Place the mushrooms into a bowl, return the pan to the stove, and add the vegetable oil to it. When the oil is hot, dredge the slices of beef individually in the flour and place them in the pan to brown. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan with the pieces, and just lightly brown them. The meat will complete its cooking in the final step, and the flour coating will help to thicken the sauce. Browned meat slices can be reserved in the same bowl as the sautéed mushrooms. This process may take several batches.

Once the meat is finished, add the remaining butter and the sliced onion and sauté until the onions start to brown - about ten minutes. As you sauté the onions, be sure to scrape up any of the browned bits of flour left by the meat. Known professionally as 'fond', these brown bits are gold nuggets in terms of flavor.

When the onion is finished, add the cognac, meat, all the mushrooms, the mushroom/beef broth, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce to the pan and bring everything to a simmer for ten minutes. Before serving, stir in the crème fraîche (or sour cream) and bring the pan back to a simmer. Sample the sauce, seasoning it to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over cooked egg noodles tossed with a little olive oil to keep them from sticking together.

Contributing Editor and CW Executive Chef Jason Clabaugh (BigO) hailed from New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina devastated the city and has settled in a suburb of Atlanta. With the addition of a new baby to his family he's refocused his energies on fatherhood and a new project bringing his famous mango-habanero salsa and unique barbecue sauces into commercial production.