WHOLE ROAST BEEF TENDERLOIN
Celebrity chef Anna Olsen’s new cookbook is a complete guide to cooking celebratory meals. This simple roast beef is a centrepiece of Set for the Holidays. Consider it an early Christmas present.
■ 5-6 lb (2-3 kg) whole beef tenderloin
■ ½ cup (125 mL) Dijon mustard
■ 2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh thyme ■Coarse sea salt and black pepper
■ horseradish hollandaise
■ 1 cup (250 mL)) unsalted butter
■ 3 large egg yolks
■ 3 tbsp (45 mL) dry white wine
■ 3 tbsp (45 mL) fresh lemon juice
■ 3 tbsp (45 mL) prepared horseradish
■ Salt and black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Fit the roaster with a wire roasting rack. Trim the head (the wide portion) and the tail (the skinny portion) from the tenderloin. Next, trim away the chain — the piece of meat that runs along the length of the tenderloin. Using a sharp knife, remove and discard silver skin (the white connective tissue).
2. Using butcher’s twine, tie the roast so that it holds its shape. Tie the twine tightly around the width of the roast at 2-inch (5 cm) intervals and then run it all the way around the length of the roast, looping it through the width ties and knotting where the ends meet. Combine mustard, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub mixture over tenderloin, coating meat completely. Roast tenderloin, uncovered, for 10 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 300°F (150°C). Continue roasting the meat for about 1 hour more, until the internal temperature registers 120 to 125°F (49 to 52°C). Let the tenderloin rest on a cutting board, loosely covered with a piece of aluminum foil, for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and set aside (keep it warm and melted). Place egg yolks, white wine, lemon juice and horseradish in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Whisk vigorously until mixture more than doubles in volume and holds a ribbon when the whisk is lifted, about 4 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle butter in a thin stream. Continue whisking until all the butter, except the milk solids at the bottom of the pan, has been added. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, cut away and discard the butcher’s twine. Slice the roast across the grain. Arrange beef on individual plates and spoon a little of the sauce around the beef.
4. Serve immediately.