Beef Tenderloin with Béarnaise Sauce
Lia Soneson
Celebrate the holiday season with a perfectly seared and roasted beef tenderloin! Complete the experience with a flavorful Béarnaise sauce. Béarnaise sauce can be a bit tricky to get just right, but we’ve provided all the steps and tips for success! The fabulous flavor combination will be worth the effort, we promise!
Beef Tenderloin with Béarnaise Sauce
Serves 6
Ingredients for the Tenderloin:
1 (2-3 lb) beef tenderloin roast
Kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon per pound of beef)
Freshly ground black pepper (1/4 teaspoon per pound of beef)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Ingredients for the Béarnaise Sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, clarified
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons shallots, very finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely minced, and divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely cracked
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 tablespoon cold water
1 teaspoon parsley, finely minced
Additional salt and black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of water, if needed to thin the sauce
Directions:
1. Bring the beef to room temperature for about 20-30 minutes prior to roasting. Meanwhile, preheatthe oven to 400 F.
2. Tie the beef tenderloin with butcher's twine to ensure even roasting. Generously season the beef all over with the Kosher salt, and pepper.
3. In a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or braiser, heat the vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot, sear the beef on all sides until well-browned.
4. Prepare a roasting pan by placing a wire cooling rack over a roasting pan or sheet pan. Place the seared beef on top of the wire rack.
5. Roast in the oven for about 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 120 F for rare or 130 F for medium rare.
6. While the tenderloin roasts, prepare the Béarnaise sauce. Start by clarifying the butter. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat until fully melted. As it cooks, it will separate -- foam on top, clarified butter in the middle, and milk solids at the bottom. Remove the foam with a spoon or ladle and discard. Pour the clarified butter into a heatproof container, leaving behind the milk solids. Optionally, strain the clarified butter through a fine mesh strainer to remove any remaining solids. Set the clarified butter aside.
7. In a saucepan, add the white wine vinegar, white wine, finely diced shallots, and 1 tablespoon of the minced tarragon, and the coarsely ground pepper. Simmer this mixture over medium heat until it is reduced down to about 2 tablespoons of liquid. Check frequently; the liquid will reduce more quickly as it nears the end. Traditionally, the shallots and tarragon would be strained out at this point, but since they are finely diced we chose to keep them in our final sauce.
8. Working carefully over a medium-low heat, add the egg yolks, 1 tablespoon of water,and whisk vigorously. Work carefully so that the heat doesn't scramble the eggs. Remove the pan from the heat,as needed, if it's getting too hot. Whisk the egg yolks vigorouslyuntil they begin to thicken and the sauce doubles in volume.
9. Once the egg yolks begin to thicken and look about doubled in size, remove from the heat completely before whisking in the butter. Very gradually drizzle in the clarified butter at a very slow pace while continuing to whisk constantly. The adding of the butter should be done very slowly to help emulsify the sauce while whisking continuously. The sauce should stay thick and appear almost like mayonnaise in its consistency.
10. Once all of the butter is added, season the sauce with a pinch of salt. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of minced tarragon and parsley. If the sauce needs more brightness, add a squeeze of lemon juice, adjusting to your flavor preference. If it's too thick, add a little of cold water, in order to thin the sauce slightly.
11. While finishing the sauce, let the roast rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes to allow the juices to reabsorb and distribute throughout the meat. Slice the beef and serve immediately with the warm sauce.