Porcini Crusted Beef Tenderloin for Christmas
Porcini crusted beef tenderloin roast is the perfect Christmas dinner. Serve with roasted vegetables or melting potatoes for a delicious and elegant meal.
Dried porcini mushrooms ground into a powder dust the outside of the tenderloin, enhancing the flavor of this delicate cut of meat.
Beef tenderloin Christmas dinner
For me, Christmas dinner means beef tenderloin. It is elegant, delicious and simple.
The leftovers also make a terrific sandwich or can be thinly sliced and placed on pieces of toasted baguette for an appetizer.
I am not in the habit of dropping $100 on a single piece of meat. This is a once a year meal for us.
Also, it’s usually just the two of us, so I’m not feeding a crowd. This cut, also sold as Chateaubriand, is our special occasion meal.
Porcini crusted beef tenderloin is what I have served for Christmas for the past few years. Having just made a turkey for thanksgiving, I opt for something different for Christmas.
How to tie a tenderloin
You’ll notice when you buy your whole beef tenderloin roast that one end is thinner than the other.
In order for the beef to cook evenly, you’ll need to fold the narrow end under and tie it together. To do this, simply fold the tail end underneath the roast until it looks even with the rest of the tenderloin.
Then tie it with butcher’s twine in two places, evenly spaced apart.
How to cook beef tenderloin
As “fancy” as this meal may seem, it’s actually simple to execute.
Once your tenderloin is tied, season with kosher salt and black pepper. Do not use iodized table salt, it isn’t the same and the meat will be too salty.
I season aggressively, which means I use a lot of salt. A couple of fat, three finger pinches. None of this delicate sprinkling, you want to see it.
It is up to you how much you want to use, but I will say this, the reason steaks taste so delicious at a restaurant is because they are heavy-handed with salt.
You can always add more, if you are afraid you’ll add too much at once, but generally speaking, use a little more than you would normally.
Heat a large fry pan and sear the beef on all sides to form a crust. Then dust generously with porcini powder and slide it into the oven to finish cooking.
Because Christmas morning always starts with Bloody Marys, I appreciate a meal that doesn’t require loads of babysitting, if you catch my drift.
How to slice
It is personal preference, in my opinion. Some people like very thin slices, while other people prefer a thicker slice.
As long as you are using a sharp knife and slicing against the grain, there is no wrong answer. The main takeaway here should be that you must use a sharp knife, otherwise you may tear the meat instead of slicing it.
Beef tenderloin Christmas dinner menu
There you have it friends. A simple, delicious menu for the holidays or any special occasion.
Used in this recipe
• Dried Porcini Mushrooms – These are the mushrooms that I use. I know they aren’t cheap, but they will last (almost) forever
• Butcher’s twine – make sure you buy food grade, oven safe twine.
I really hope you love this recipe. If you make it, snap a pic and share it with me either in the Fabulous Foodie Friends Facebook group or on Instagram by tagging @pookspantry and using hashtag #pookspantry.
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Porcini-Crusted Beef Tenderloin
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 – 5 lb. beef tenderloin cleaned and trimmed of silver skin
- 1 tbsp. kosher salt I use Diamond Crystal
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 tbsp. canola oil or other high smoke point oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F/204°C/Gas Mark 6.
- Place dried mushrooms into a mini food processor or blender and grind until you have a fine powder. It’s ok if there are a larger pieces, you can sift them out.
- Pour the mushroom powder into a fine mesh strainer and sift over a bowl to remove the larger bits. Save the large pieces to add to soups or put them back in to the processor to grind.
- Fold under the tail end (the thin end) of tenderloin and tie with butcher’s twine. Keeping the thickness uniform helps the meat cook evenly. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a heavy-bottom sauté pan (skillet), heat the oil until shimmering. Place tenderloin in pan and sear on all 4 sides. About 6 – 8 minutes total.
- Dust on all 4 sides with porcini powder, giving it a heavy coating.
- Slide into the oven and let it roast for 10 minutes at 400°F, then turn down to 325°F/165°C/Gas Mark 3 for an additional 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from oven and place tenderloin on sheet pan to rest. I let it rest for 5 minutes on one side, then flip it over and let it rest an additional 5 minutes.
- Cut twine off of roast and slice.
Video
Nutrition
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