Holiday Dinner—Porcini and Rosemary Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Port Wine Sauce

For me, nothing screams the holidays more than a succulent Beef Tenderloin drizzled with an elegant Port wine sauce.  Port is a traditional British drink and very popular at Christmastime.  It’s roots however, are from the Douro Valley in Portugal where it is exclusively produced.  I tried it for the first time in London several years ago and found it to be a delicious after dinner treat.   Cooking with it is even more fun and will definitely make this meal a show-stopper.  The porcini mushrooms give this rich sauce an earthy depth.  I am serving this with Gratin Dauphinois, a French potato dish that oozes with Gruyere cheese.

This meal is worthy of your holiday celebration.

Enjoy a safe and festive holiday season!

Porcini and Rosemary Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Port Wine Sauce

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• Author: Tonja Engen

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Ingredients

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• For the Beef Tenderloin:
• 1–2 1/2 pound beef tenderloin
• Salt
• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• Olive oil
• For the Port Wine Sauce
• 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted in 3/4 cup water, liquid reserved
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 1 cup port wine
• 1 cup heavy bodied red wine
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

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Instructions

1. For the Beef Tenderloin
2. Season the tenderloin all over with salt. Refrigerate 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Thirty minutes before roasting remove beef from refrigerator.
3. Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine mushrooms, rosemary and peppercorns in spice grinder. Grind to a coarse powder. Rub beef with olive oil. Coat all over with porcini rosemary rub.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add beef and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a roasting pan. Roast in oven until thermometer inserted in thickest part reads 125 F., about 30 minutes, for medium rare.
5. Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand for 15 minutes.
6. Carve beef in 1/4 inch slices. Serve with Port Wine Sauce.
7. For the Port Wine Sauce
8. Strain the porcini water into a small bowl. Reserve strained liquid. Coarsely chop porcini.
9. Using the same skillet from browning the meat, add 1 tablespoon butter, shallots and chopped porcini. Sauté over medium heat until shallots are translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
10. Add port wine, scraping up any brown bits in the pan. Add red wine, mushroom stock, and rosemary. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered until sauce is reduced by about half to approximately 1-1/2 cups. Add salt and taste for seasoning. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve into a small saucepan, pressing firmly on solids. Discard solids.
11. Heat sauce over medium heat. Whisk in 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep warm until serving.

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Gratin Dauphinois

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• Author: Tonja Engen

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Ingredients

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• 1 garlic clove
• 2 pounds baking potatoes peeled and very thinly sliced (use a mandolin if possible)
• 1 cup freshly grated Gruyere cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Rub a baking dish with the garlic. Layer half of the potatoes in the dish overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with half of the cheese and then half of the cream.
3. Sprinkle with salt. Add another layer, using the rest of the ingredients. Bake uncovered, until the gratin is crisp and golden on top, about 1 hour.

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