Chateaubriand
I first cooked this dish as a young lad of about 16. I was working at The Golden Ram, a high end restaurant on Coral Way just east of Douglas Road in Miami. The guy that taught me how to run the broiler showed me how to test the meat for doneness and was the first person I ever knew to who always put lemon juice on buttery steaks. I have been doing it ever since. I actually love this dish served with roasted new potatoes and a Port Reduction sauce but just as it is about as wonderful as can be for a carnivore. Dinner for two at its best.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 (10-ounce) center-cut beef tenderloin
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 large shallot, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup red wine (whatever you’re drinking)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
Fresh Lemon
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. In an ovenproof, heavy-bottomed frying pan, heat the olive oil over high heat until hot but not smoking.
3. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then brown it in the pan on all sides.
4. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until the meat’s internal temperature reaches 130°F (for rare), 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven.
5. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and tent it with foil.
6. Pour all but a thin film of fat from the pan.
7. Add the shallot and sauté it over medium-low heat until golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Add the wine and raise the heat to high, scraping up any brown bits from the pan.
9. When the sauce is syrupy (about 5 minutes), turn off the heat and whisk in the butter.
10. Carve the meat in thick slices and drizzle with sauce. Squeeze fresh lemon over the meat just before serving.