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Pan-Broiled Tenderloin Filet Steaks with Déglacé

Source of Recipe

From "Essentials of Southern Cooking" by Damon Lee Fowler


Recipe Introduction

"Despite its posh reputation and corresponding cost, the tenderloin is the least interesting and flavorful cut of a cow. Its compensation is that the meat is always tender and there is very little waste from tip to tip. Fortunately, bourbon deepens the flavor of the most timid beef. Here it's used to deglaze the pan, releasing and distilling the cooking residue that remains in the pan. The resulting sauce infuses the steaks with their own concentrated juices, underscored by the rich caramel essence of whiskey."

List of Ingredients

◦  4 beef tenderloins (about 6 ounces each), cut at least 2 inches thick
◦  Whole black pepper in a mill
◦  Salt
◦  2 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
◦  2 Tbsp minced shallot or yellow onion
◦  ¼ cup bourbon
◦  ½ cup beef broth



Recipe

Pat the steaks dry and sprinkle them generously with several grindings of black pepper. Press the pepper into the steaks on all sides.

Preheat a well-seasoned iron skillet over medium-high heat until it is almost smoking hot. Add the steaks to the pan and sear them well - about a minute per side. You will know when they are ready to turn: the steak will release itself from the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking, turning once, until they're done to taste, about 2 more minutes per side for rare, 4 for medium-rare. Remove them to a warm platter and season well with salt.

Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the shallots to the pan and sauté, tossing constantly, until they are golden-brown. Slowly pour in the bourbon, and standing well clear of the pan, ignite it. Allow the flame to burn out, then add the broth and any juices that may have accumulated on the platter. Boil until the liquid is reduced and syrupy, stirring and scraping to loosen any cooking residue, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, swirl in the remaining butter, pour the sauce over the steaks, and serve at once.


Serves 4