Grill-Smoked Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Bordelaise Sauce
Bordelaise Sauce:
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry red wine (preferably Bordeaux or
- Cabernet-Merlot blend)
- 1/4 cup chopped shallots
- 1 or 2 fresh marjoram sprigs, or 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 or 2 fresh thyme sprigs, or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely crushed
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup pecan wood smoking chips
- 4 beef tenderloin steaks, about 6 ounces each
- olive oil
- salt & black pepper
- 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
Bordelaise Sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the red wine, shallots, herbs and pepper. Simmer the wine mixture over medium heat until it is reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Add the beef broth and reduce the mixture to 1/2 cup. Remove the pan from the heat and strain to remove the shallots and herbs. Return the wine sauce to a clean pan and set aside while grilling the steaks. (Finish the sauce just before serving.)
Soak the pecan wood chips in water for 20 minutes. Drain well. While heating up the grill, place the wood chips in the smoker box on a gas grill. If using a charcoal grill, wrap the soaked chips in aluminum foil. Seal tightly to make a foil packet. Poke a few holes in the foil to allow the smoke to escape. Place the packet directly on the hot coals.
When the wood chips begin to smoke, prepare to grill the steaks. Brush the steaks with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. Place the steaks on the grill, cover and grill over high heat on a gas grill, or over hot charcoals, until the they are nicely browned on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the steaks over and place them over indirect heat. Top each steak with about 1 tablespoon of the chopped shallots, cover and grill for 4 to 6 minutes more, or until an inserted thermometer reaches 130 to 135 degrees for medium rare. Place the steaks on a warm platter and tent with foil. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
While the steaks are resting, finish the Bordelaise Sauce: Reheat the sauce over medium heat. Mash the butter with a fork and incorporate the flour; then form the mixture into a ball. Pinch off small pieces of the ball and whisk them into the simmering sauce, adding as much as needed to thicken the sauce slightly. Stir in the lemon juice.
To serve, spoon some of the Bordelaise Sauce over and around each steak. Garnish with fresh marjoram and thyme sprigs. Serves 4.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 small sweet potatoes, 5 to 6 ounces each
- 3 to 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- salt & black pepper, to taste
Rinse the sweet potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and roast them in a 450 degree oven until tender, but still firm, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool the potatoes briefly, carefully remove the skins and slice the potatoes into 1/2-inch thick rounds. (The sweet potatoes rounds may be reheated in the microwave briefly before serving if needed.)
To serve, drizzle with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.
Saute´ed Zucchini with Garlic and Thyme
Ingredients
- 2 small zucchini squash, 4 to 5 ounces each
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
- salt & pepper, to taste
Rinse the zucchini and cut them into bite-size pieces. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and garlic and saute´ for about 2 minutes, until the zucchini is tender-crisp. Sprinkle immediately with fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Serves 4.
Apples Poached in Rum Sauce with Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup dark rum
- 3 tart red apples
- vanilla ice cream
- 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) toasted hazelnuts*, coarsely chopped or crushed
Rum Sauce: Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon. Remove the pan from the heat. Makes 2/3 cup of rum sauce.
Peel, core and slice each apple into 12 or 16 equal wedges and place them in a medium-sized braising pan or skillet with a lid. Whisk the rum sauce (it may separate while still warm) and pour 1/3 cup of the sauce over the apples, reserving the remaining sauce for the topping. Cover and poach the apples in the rum sauce over medium-low heat, turning occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes more, until most of the sauce is absorbed. Reduce the heat to low if needed to prevent burning. Pour the apples into a shallow bowl and cool to room temperature. Cool the reserved rum sauce to room temperature before serving.
To serve, place large scoops of vanilla ice cream in dessert bowls. Arrange the apples slices around the ice cream. Stir the rum sauce and spoon over top. Garnish with toasted hazelnuts. Serves 6.
*To toast the hazelnuts: Put the hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan. Place them in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly toasted. To remove the skins, place the warm hazelnuts on a dish towel, fold to cover and rub vigorously. (Most of the skin will be removed.) Cool, then coarsely chop or crush the nuts.
Recipes by Jayni Carey, © Copyright, 2005.
