Tournedos Ninon

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •10-inch (25 cm) ovenproof skillet for pommes Anna
• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet for the tournedos
• •Mandoline with hand guard
• •2¾-inch (7 cm) fluted round cutter
• •2¼-inch (5.5 cm) and 1¼-inch (3 cm) pastry cutters
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Baking sheet and parchment
• •Kitchen twine

Instructions

1. 1

   Bake the petites bouchées

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut eight 2¼-inch (5.5 cm) rounds from the cold puff pastry. Leave four rounds whole for the bases; cut a 1¼-inch (3 cm) opening from the center of each remaining round to make four rings. Whisk the yolk with the cold water, brush the perimeter of each base lightly, and set a ring on top. Brush only the ring, keeping egg wash off the cut edges so the layers can rise. Dock the exposed center of each base with a fork, chill for 10 minutes, then bake for 14 to 17 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp. If a center balloons and fills the cavity, press it down gently with the back of a teaspoon while the pastry is warm. Ça se rattrape. Cool the cases on a rack.

2. 2

   Build the pommes Anna

   Slice the potatoes on a mandoline into rounds about 1⁄16 inch (1.5 mm) thick. Do not rinse them; their surface starch binds the layers. Coat a 10-inch (25 cm) ovenproof skillet with some of the clarified butter, then arrange the potatoes in tight overlapping circles, seasoning each layer lightly with salt and brushing with clarified butter as you go. Use 4 tablespoons (60 ml / 56 g) clarified butter in all. Press a buttered round of parchment over the surface with a slightly smaller ovenproof pan or lid. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the lower edge sizzles, then bake for 25 minutes. Remove the weight and parchment and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, until a knife slips through the center without resistance.

3. 3

   Stamp the potato crusts

   Invert the pommes Anna onto a board or clean baking sheet. Its underside should be a deep, even butter-gold; if it is pale, slide it back into the skillet, browned side up, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Let it settle for 8 minutes, then use a 2¾-inch (7 cm) fluted round cutter, or one matching the diameter of your tournedos, to stamp four crusts. Press straight down so the layers remain aligned. If a crust separates, pack it back together inside the cutter on parchment, brush it with a little reserved clarified butter, and rewarm it until the starch sets again. The crisp offcuts belong to the cook.

4. 4

   Prepare the garnish

   Bring a small saucepan of well-salted water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus tips for 1½ to 2 minutes, until vivid green and tender with a slight resistance at the center. Cool them immediately in cold water, then drain and dry them thoroughly. Cut the truffle julienne-fashion, meaning into fine matchstick rods, then shorten them to about ¾ inch (2 cm). Keep the asparagus and truffle separate until the finish; warm butter carries truffle perfume, prolonged heat drives it away.

5. 5

   Stage before searing

   Lower the oven to 350°F (180°C). Set the potato crusts and petites bouchées on separate areas of a baking sheet, ready to rewarm. Bring the tournedos out of the cold for about 20 minutes, pat them completely dry, and season all over with the remaining salt and pepper. Place the butter, asparagus, truffle, warm plates, and serving utensils within reach. This is the governing principle of Tournedos Ninon: once the beef touches the pan, there is no more slicing, searching, or arranging.

6. 6

   Sear the tournedos

   Heat a 12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) clarified butter; when it shimmers, set in the tournedos with space between them. Sear without moving for 2½ to 3 minutes, until the first side carries a dark Maillard crust, then turn and cook the second side for about 2 minutes. Roll the edges briefly against the pan to color them. For medium-rare, remove the tournedos at 122 to 125°F (50 to 52°C); resting should carry them close to 130°F (54°C). If they are under the mark, return them to the pan for 30 seconds per side. If the butter turns acrid and black before the crust forms, lift out the beef, wipe the pan carefully, add the final tablespoon of clarified butter, and continue. Ça se rattrape. Rest the tournedos loosely covered for 5 to 6 minutes.

7. 7

   Bind the asparagus

   As soon as the beef begins resting, put the potato crusts and pastry cases in the oven for 5 minutes. Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) unsalted butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat and add the dry asparagus tips. Turn them until hot and glossy, about 1 minute. If water gathers in the pan, lift out the asparagus and boil the moisture away before returning it; wet filling softens pastry. Take the pan off the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of butter and the short truffle julienne, then toss gently until the garnish is cohered by a thin, shining coat of butter. Taste for salt.

8. 8

   Assemble without delay

   Set one hot pommes Anna crust in the center of each warm plate and place a rested tournedos squarely on top. Crown each with a petite bouchée, then fill it with six asparagus tips and one quarter of the truffle julienne. Spoon the truffle-scented butter remaining in the pan over the filling, not around the plate; this dish wears its richness at the center. Remove the strings and serve immediately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for four center-cut tournedos of equal diameter and thickness. The tail end of the fillet cooks too quickly, while the broad head produces a different portion; matching medallions let all four leave the pan together.
• •Fresh black truffle is proper when the season gives it to you. A whole preserved black truffle, drained and dried, is the honest pantry answer when it does not. Truffle oil cannot supply the fine, short julienne required by the dish and should stay out of the bottle entirely.
• •Use an all-butter puff pastry. The petites bouchées are not decoration; their crisp walls hold the asparagus and truffle above the beef, keeping the potato crust below from softening.
• •Yukon Gold potatoes have enough starch to bind and enough waxiness to keep their layers distinct. Slice them evenly and leave them unrinsed. A knife cannot correct what an uneven mandoline cut has already decided.
• •Pour a supple red Burgundy or a restrained Bordeaux. The wine should meet the truffle and beef without bullying the asparagus.

Advance Preparation

• •Bake the petites bouchées up to one day ahead. Cool them completely and keep them airtight at room temperature, then return them to a 350°F (180°C) oven for 5 minutes before serving.
• •Cook and stamp the pommes Anna up to 4 hours ahead. Chill the crusts once cool, covered, then brush them lightly with clarified butter and rewarm them for 8 to 10 minutes.
• •Blanch, cool, and dry the asparagus up to 4 hours ahead. Keep it covered in the refrigerator, but cut the truffle shortly before cooking so its perfume remains in the garnish.
• •Do not sear the tournedos ahead. The pastry, potatoes, and asparagus can wait for the beef; the lean fillet should never wait for them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 370g)