Whole Tenderloin with Cherry Port Sauce
This recipe works for whole tenderloin or medallions. It's the meal I usually serve at special occassions; Christmas, New Years, but I also pull this recipe out when we've had a particularly tough week and we need a pick-me-up meal. It's always the meal Brayden will ask for when I offer to treat him to his choice of dinners.
Servings: 10
Ingredients
Beef
- 1 pound River Cottage Farm tenderloin or four medallions
- 2 ts coarse kosher salt
Sauce
- 4 tb unsalted better chilled
- .5 cup tart dried cherries
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1/4 cup shallots finely chopped
- 3 tb cognac or brandy
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 ts black pepper coarsely cracked
- 1 cup port ruby or tawny
Roasting
- 2 tb extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tb black peppercorns coarsely cracked
Instructions
- Sprinkle entire surface of tenderloin with coarse kosher salt. Place beef on rack set over large rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate uncovered at least 24 hours and up to 36 hours.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add shallots; sauté until soft, 3 minutes.
- Add Cognac, rosemary, and 1 teaspoon cracked pepper and cook until liquid evaporates, 1 minute.
- Add Port; bring to simmer. Add all of beef stock and cherries. Boil until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Strain into medium saucepan, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids in strainer. DO AHEAD: Can be made 24 to 36 hours ahead. cool slightly, then cover and chill.
- Let beef stand at room temperature 1 hour before roasting. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425 F.
- Rub beef all over with oil; Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cracked peppercorns. pressing to adhere. Return beef to rack on baking sheet and roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 125 F for medium-rare (135F to 140F in thinnest part), about 30 minutes.
- Remove roast from oven and let rest 15 minutes. Bring sauce to boil; whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Cut off string from roast. Cut roast crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices; arrange on platter. Serve with sauce.