Pan Roasted Tournedos with Whole Garlic Cloves and Fresh Thyme
This dish is very quick and very easy and contains a lot of garlic -- what could be better. Mitchel clarifies the butter because otherwise the milk solids will burn as you sear the meat. Put the tournado on white bread, ciabatta or an onion role. Shallots cooked in butter for sauce or a compound butter. Can throw heavy cream and dijon mustard together for a sauce as well.
To clarify butter, melt it in a saucepan over very low heat. Continue to heat until the butterfat (clear golden liquid) has separated from the milk solids (opaque white liquid), which will sink to the bottom of the pan. Use a spoon to skim away all the froth that forms on the surface and discard the froth. With a small ladle or a large spoon, transfer the clear golden butterfat (clarified butter) to another container, taking care to leave the milk solids behind. Calculate that you will end up with about 7 tablespoons of clarified butter per stick of butter used.
Ingredients:
2 Slices fillet of beef tenderloin (each about 2 inches thick, about 3/4 pound total)
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 Tablespoons Clarified Butter
1 Whole Head of Garlic, Cloves Separated and smashed (skin left on)
8 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
Coarsely Chopped Flat-Leaf Parsley, for Garnish
Season the fillets with salt and pepper. Heat the butter in a cast-iron pan or another heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. When the butter is hot, add the 2 fillets and cook them until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare (the meat should feel just slightly resilient when pressed). Halfway through the cooking, add the garlic and thyme to the pan.
Transfer the fillers to warmed dinner plates. Top with the pan-roasted garlic and thyme. Pour butter from the pan over the fillets to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and season with additional salt, if desired.
Melting Cheese Potatoes
Ingredients:
20 fingerling potatoes, unpeeled, the smallest you can find (about 1 pound)
Coarse sea salt, for serving
1 wheel Vacherin Mont d'Or or Saint Marcellin cheese, very ripe
1 loaf crusty Fairway bread, sliced, for serving
Unsalted butter, for serving
1/2 pint cornichons, for serving
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan fitted with a steamer, steam the potatoes until they are completely cooked through, about 20 minutes.
2. Divide the potatoes among 4 shallow bowls and sprinkle with sea salt.
3. Warm the wheel of cheese in the oven until it is molten insdie but still holds its form, 3 to 6 minutes, depending on size. (You can leave it in the wood box or ceramic pot it came in, but remove all plastic wrap and paper labels.)
4. Spoon the warmed, runny cheese over the steamed potatoes, digging into the center of the wheel first. Serve with crusty bread, butter and cornichons, good crispy, vinegary.
Poached Pears
2 cups sugar
4 cups water
4 pears
1 vanilla bean, whole
Peel ripe pears and split the vanilla bean. Boil sugar and water for 5 minutes. Put pear and vanilla bean in stainless steel pot. Poach gently for 15 minutes. Turn off and let pot sit to cool. Take poached pears out and cut off the bottom so it will sit upright on your plate. Serve with the syrup it was poached in or with chocolate sauce.
Promotional consideration furnished by Fairway Market.
