Tournedos Coligny

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •3-inch (7.5 cm) ring cutter
• •Medium saucepan
• •Wide lidded saucepan
• •Broiler-safe rimmed tray
• •Pastry brush
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Round serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Set the service order

   Take the tournedos from the cold twenty minutes before cooking. Tie each around its circumference so it holds a neat round shape, then pat every surface dry. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the upper third, set a broiler-safe tray nearby, and warm a round serving platter. Have the prepared sauce Provençale in a small saucepan and every remaining ingredient measured before you begin; once the beef enters the skillet, nothing else gets your attention.

2. 2

   Shape and gild galettes

   Line the tray with parchment. Divide the sweet-potato Duchesse Potatoes (No. 221) into four equal portions, then use a 3-inch (7.5 cm) ring cutter to shape four compact galettes matching the diameter of the tournedos, each about ⅝ inch (1.5 cm) thick. Brush the tops lightly with beaten egg to gild them, then score a shallow crosshatch with the point of a small knife. Keep the cuts on the surface; they prevent the gilding from blistering without splitting the galettes.

   The matching diameter is part of the construction, not decoration. Each galette must support its tournedos cleanly without disappearing beneath it or spreading into a broad potato cake.
3. 3

   Cut and parboil chow-chow

   Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and season it with about half the salt. Cut the peeled and cored chow-chow into thick paysanne triangles, keeping them even so they cook together. Parboil for 4 to 5 minutes, until the edges bend under a knife but the centres remain firm. Drain thoroughly and spread the pieces on a clean towel; trapped water would dilute the sauce. Measure the drained chow-chow by volume. You should have about 1½ cups (360 ml / 360 g).

4. 4

   Stew the paysanne

   Melt the unsalted butter in a wide saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the chow-chow with a small pinch each of salt and pepper, cover, and stew gently for 5 to 7 minutes, turning once or twice, until tender but still holding its triangular shape. Do not brown it. Add an equal volume of prepared sauce Provençale, about 1½ cups (360 ml / 360 g), and hold at the barest simmer for 5 minutes. If the chow-chow releases water and the sauce turns loose, lift out the pieces with a slotted spoon, reduce the sauce until it coats the spoon, then return them. Ça se rattrape. Cover and hold over the lowest heat.

5. 5

   Brown the galettes

   Slide the galettes into the upper third of the oven and move directly to the beef. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until their sides are set and the gilded tops are deep gold. If they need more colour while the tournedos rest, pass them under the broiler for 30 to 60 seconds, watching without looking away. If the glaze blisters, prick the bubble, press it gently flat with a small spatula, and return the tray briefly to the heat.

6. 6

   Sear the tournedos

   Season the dry tournedos with the remaining salt and pepper. Heat a 12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet over high heat, add the clarified butter, and when it glistens, lay in the beef with space between the pieces. Fry undisturbed for 2½ to 3 minutes, until the first side wears a dark Maillard crust, then turn and cook the second side for another 2 to 3 minutes. For medium-rare, remove them at 120 to 122°F (49 to 50°C); for medium, remove them near 128°F (53°C). If the pan loses its fierce sizzle and the meat begins shedding juice, lift out two tournedos, restore the heat, and finish in two batches. Ça se rattrape. Rest for 4 to 5 minutes, then remove the string.

   Fillet is lean and gives little warning before it overcooks. A thermometer is good judgment here, not fussiness; the temperature will rise several degrees while the meat rests.
7. 7

   Build the crown

   Arrange the four bronzed galettes in a close ring on the warm platter. Set one rested tournedos squarely on each galette, then spoon the chow-chow paysanne and sauce Provençale generously over the beef, letting the glossy sauce pool around the potatoes without drowning their gilded edges. Serve at once. The crown waits for the guests, never for the cook. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The source's chow-chow is chayote, also sold as christophine, not a jar of chopped pickle relish. Choose firm, unwrinkled fruit. Its quiet sweetness belongs beside the sweet potato, while its firmer flesh survives parboiling and stewing without collapsing.
• •The times here begin with finished sauce Provençale and the prepared Duchesse Potatoes (No. 221), exactly as the source's cross-reference system intends. Those components can be made ahead; this entry is about shaping, finishing, and bringing them to the beef at the correct moment.
• •Clarified butter is still butter, with its water and milk solids removed. It gives the tournedos the fierce pan they need without scorching before the crust forms. We don't apologize for butter, and we don't burn it either.
• •Ask for evenly cut centre fillet medallions rather than tapered ends. Tie them before cooking so four pieces of equal thickness reach the same doneness and sit neatly on their matching galettes.
• •Pour a supple Cabernet Franc from the Loire or a restrained red Bordeaux. Either has enough structure for the beef without flattening the sweet potato and tomato-rich sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the sauce Provençale up to two days ahead, chill it promptly, and reheat it gently before adding the chow-chow. If it has tightened in the cold, loosen it only enough to recover its spoon-coating consistency.
• •Prepare the Duchesse Potatoes (No. 221) with sweet potatoes one day ahead. Shape the galettes while the mixture is cold, cover, and refrigerate them on their tray; gild and score only shortly before baking.
• •The chow-chow may be cut and parboiled up to four hours ahead. Drain it very well, chill it covered, then stew it in butter and combine it with the sauce near serving time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 420g)