When the main course is meat, I usually skirt over to take care of the sauce. There’s just something about the seeming simplicity of slapping a slab of beef onto a screeching hot skillet or the open flame of a grill—well, let’s just say I’m more of a pastry chef at heart. In terms of beef, I can make up a mean stew or respectable roast and many concoctions with ground meat ingredients. When it comes to steaks, however, I have expensive taste (another reason why they’re rare on our menu, pun intended). So, for National Beef Week, I thought I’d pull up a recipe once enjoyed by the famously carnivorous gourmand and writer Ernest Hemingway. That will give me a chance to slip down to the wine cellar and see what we might round up.
Red wine is essential with steak in terms of flavor enhancement and digestive aid. With his tournedos (a double-thick cut of beef tenderloin), Hemingway expertly chose a French blend known by its place of origin, Chateauneuf-du-Pape. I should point out, however, that when the late author enjoyed this meal, someone else was picking up the tab. If you’re splurging on the tenderloin, you may well want to economize in your wine selection.
The main point to remember in pairing wine with food is to match intensities. So with big beefy steaks, one gets to enjoy those big tannic cabernet sauvignons that in most other cases are too heavy. With a very tender cut, though, like the beef fillet (tenderloin) in this recipe, a Bordeaux-style blend (cabernet sauvignon with merlot) will allow the more delicate flavor to shine. Now throw in the curveball of the Béarnaise sauce and we might shift again to a wine that will echo the herbal notes of the sauce. A syrah (aka shiraz) would fit the bill nicely. In fact, this grape is often a major component of the French blend that Hemingway chose, but picking a Californian or Australian version will save you some cash.
Time to make the sauce. I should point out that I’ve copied the recipe exactly from its source, but you should feel free to make substitutions (good luck finding chervil—I just omit this herb). If you haven’t got tarragon vinegar, a pinch of dried tarragon and white wine or cider vinegar will work just fine. If you need to, use a teaspoon of dried tarragon instead of fresh, though the characteristic flavor of this ersatz Béarnaise won’t be as bright. This version of the classic sauce is quite simple, but temperature is important: if the sauce is too thick, or seems to be curdling at all, whisk in some hot water and keep it warm over the double boiler. Plan to make the sauce while the meat rests on the croutons so you can serve it right away. I see no need to dirty two skillets as the recipe instructs; just sauté the croutons first, then wipe out the skillet with a paper towel, turn up the heat and cook the beef. The recipe also doesn’t point out that you’ll need your skillet to be very hot before you put down the fillets. To avoid burning the butter at such high heat you might want to have just a little oil in your skillet before you begin. Bon appetite!
Tournedos with Sauce Béarnaise
from The Hemingway Cookbook by Craig Boreth
4 servings
For the Beef
2 Tbsp. butter
4 slices fillet of beef, ¾ inch thick
4 slices white bread
For the Béarnaise Sauce
3 egg yolks
1 Tbsp. heavy cream
½ tsp. salt
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. tarragon vinegar
4 Tbsp. butter, in small pieces
1 Tbsp. chopped tarragon
1 tsp. chopped chervil
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small skillet. Brown the beef slices well on both sides, with the meat still rare in the middle (this dish caters to Ernest’s taste for rarely cooked meat; it should never be cooked well done). Cut the bread into large croutons the same size as the tournedos. In a clean pan, sauté the croutons in the remaining tablespoon of butter until they are golden brown. Place one tournedo on each crouton and serve with béarnaise sauce.
To make the sauce: Bring 2 inches of water to a simmer in the bottom of a double boiler. Combine the egg yolks, cream, salt, cayenne pepper, and vinegar in the top of the double boiler and whisk together. Place over the bottom half of the double boiler. Whisking constantly, add the butter, a little at a time. Whisk until the butter is melted and the sauce is thickened. Add the herbs. Pour the sauce over the tournedos.
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Editor’s Note: Angela Denstad Stigeler writes a food column each week for the Caledonia Argus. She, her husband and their two young children live in Caledonia.
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