Filet de Bœuf Gastronome

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Slim boning or paring knife
• •Kitchen twine
• •Narrow 3-quart (2.8-liter) lidded casserole
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve with clean linen or cheesecloth
• •Long warm serving platter
• •Small sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Piquer and marinate

   Piquer means to stud the meat from within. Cut one truffle into slender batons about ⅛ inch by 1½ inches (3 mm by 4 cm), the shape of fine larding bacon. Following the grain of the beef, make narrow channels with the tip of a slim boning knife and push the truffle batons completely inside. Tie the fillet at 1-inch (2.5 cm) intervals, place it in a snug nonreactive dish, and pour over ⅔ cup (160 ml) of the Madeira. Cover, chill for 4 to 5 hours, and turn twice so the wine reaches every surface. Do not leave it overnight; the fortified wine will begin to tighten the tender exterior.

2. 2

   Glaze the chestnuts

   Reserve 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the consommé for the chicken hearts. Put the chestnuts in a small saucepan with the remaining consommé and simmer gently until they are tender but still whole, 12 to 15 minutes. Lift them out, reduce their cooking liquid to about 2 tablespoons (30 ml), and swirl in 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter. Return the chestnuts and roll them carefully until their surfaces shine. If several break, keep the whole ones for the visible garnish and nestle the pieces beneath them. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Cook the truffles

   Combine the Mirepoix (No. 228) and Champagne in a small saucepan and bring them to the barest simmer. Add the thick truffle slices and cook gently for 6 to 8 minutes, then lift them out without tearing them. In a second small pan, cook the four whole truffles in the final ⅓ cup (80 ml) of Madeira for 8 minutes. Reserve all the truffles. Combine their Champagne and Madeira cooking liquors, then pass the liquid through a fine sieve lined with damp linen or two layers of damp cheesecloth. Press lightly, because forcing the mirepoix through would cloud the sauce.

4. 4

   Bard and braise

   Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Lift the fillet from its marinade, reserve the wine, and wipe the beef thoroughly dry. Season with 1½ teaspoons of the salt and half the pepper. Barder means to wrap lean meat in protective fat: overlap the bacon slices across the top and sides of the fillet, then secure them with kitchen string. Set the beef in a narrow lidded casserole and pour the reserved marinade plus another ⅔ cup (160 ml) of Madeira around it. The liquid should reach no more than one-third of the way up the meat. Cover and braise for 25 minutes, then begin checking the center with a thermometer. Lift the fillet out at 122 to 126°F (50 to 52°C); resting and glazing will bring it near 131 to 135°F (55 to 57°C). Tenderloin has no collagen to forgive overcooking. If it has already reached 131°F (55°C), remove the bacon immediately, rest it on a cool platter, and skip the broiler later, brushing on hot glaze instead. Ça se rattrape. Rest the beef loosely covered for 15 minutes and reserve 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of demi-glace for its final glaze.

   Do not sear the fillet out of habit. This preparation protects it with bacon, perfumes it from within, and takes its final colour from a light glaze. A hard sear risks loosening the truffle studs and pushes the lean outer meat past tenderness.
5. 5

   Glaze the hearts

   While the beef braises, toss the trimmed chicken hearts with the Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) and leave them for 20 minutes, no longer. Drain and wipe them very dry. Melt 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of butter in a sauté pan, then cook the hearts cut-side down until browned and cooked through to 165°F (74°C), about 5 to 7 minutes. Thin 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of demi-glace with the reserved 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of consommé, add it to the pan, and roll the hearts in this pale, light meat glaze until just coated. Hold them warm without boiling the glaze.

6. 6

   Reduce the sauce

   Combine the strained truffle cooking liquor with all the demi-glace remaining after the portions for the hearts and beef have been removed. Pass the mixture once more through damp linen into a clean, straight-sided saucepan. Note its depth, then simmer steadily until only two-thirds remains and the sauce coats a spoon in a thin, glossy veil. Taste before adding salt. If it becomes too strong or salty, loosen it a spoonful at a time with hot water and bring it back to the proper body; if it remains thin, keep reducing. Ça se rattrape. Keep the finished sauce warm for serving separately.

   A prepared demi-glace varies enormously in salt. Choose one built on veal stock and gelatin, not starch, and reduce the combined sauce by texture as well as volume.
7. 7

   Butter the noodles

   Cook the noodles in well-salted water until tender but still distinct beneath the teeth. Drain thoroughly, return them to the warm pan, and toss with the remaining 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g) of butter and enough pepper to wake them up. If they begin to cling before the platter is ready, loosen them with a spoonful of their cooking water. We don't apologize for butter.

8. 8

   Glaze and arrange

   Remove the bacon and strings from the rested fillet. Heat the broiler and place the beef 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) beneath it. Brush with the reserved demi-glace and broil for 30 to 60 seconds, watching without looking away, until the coating shines and takes a light bronze. This is the home equivalent of the salamander. If the beef was already at its final temperature, brush it with simmering glaze and omit the broiler. Set the fillet on a long warm platter. Arrange alternate generous heaps of Champagne-cooked truffle slices, glazed chestnuts, glazed chicken hearts, and buttered noodles around it, connecting the groups with the whole Madeira-cooked truffles. Send the reduced sauce in a warm sauceboat and carve the beef at the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Fresh black truffles earn their place when they are firm, fragrant, and in season. At other times, whole preserved black truffles are the classical pantry's honest answer. Truffle oil cannot be larded into meat, poached in Champagne, or reduced into a proper liquor, so it does not belong here.
• •Use unsmoked bacon for the barding. Smoke overwhelms Madeira and truffle, while plain streaky bacon protects the tenderloin and quietly enriches the braising liquor.
• •Cocks’ kidneys are a specialized article even where poultry offal is sold. Chicken hearts are firmer, but they preserve the original contrast of a small glazed offal garnish against tender beef. The short use of Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) seasons them and softens their mineral edge.
• •Choose a light veal demi-glace with real gelatin and restrained salt. Flour-thickened gravy turns pasty under reduction, while a proper demi-glace becomes glossy and supple.
• •Pour a mature Médoc or another Cabernet-led Bordeaux with enough freshness to meet the Madeira sauce. Keep the Madeira for cooking and a small glass after the meal.

Advance Preparation

• •Stud and marinate the fillet 4 to 5 hours before cooking. Do not leave it overnight, because the Madeira begins to firm the exterior and mutes the fresh truffle.
• •The chestnuts and both truffle garnishes can be cooked a day ahead and chilled separately in covered containers. Rewarm the chestnuts gently in their glaze and the truffles in a spoonful of their cooking liquor.
• •The sauce can be strained and reduced several hours ahead. Reheat it over low heat, loosening it with a spoonful of water if the gelatin has set it too firmly.
• •Cook and butter the noodles only near serving. The beef is best braised and glazed shortly before it reaches the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 650g)