From The Cleveland Clinic Healthy Heart and Lifestyle Guide and Cookbook
When guests or family come for a festive meal, tenderloin of beef may be the answer. We buy ours from a butcher who will remove every bit of fat and the silver skin, which curls during roasting if not cut away. After marinating, we roast the meat quickly, searing in the deep flavors of the herbs and wine.
Makes 10 servings
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
2 ½ tablespoons minced fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, quartered
1 large shallot, quartered
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons dry, full-bodied red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
1 tablespoon brandy
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 3-pound fillet of beef cut from the thick end of the loin, all fat and silver skin removed, tied every 2 inches
Olive oil cooking spray
1. Place tarragon, thyme, garlic, shallot, zest, pepper and mustard in a food processor. With the motor running, slowly pour in the wine, brandy and olive oil. Process until well-combined, 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Place the meat on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Pat the marinade over the fillet, making a thin layer over the entire roast. Wrap in the plastic and refrigerate at least six hours, and up to 24 hours.
3. When almost ready to roast the beef, preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place a rack in a large roasting pan. Unwrap the fillet, and coat it with cooking spray.
4. Roast 30 to 35 minutes, until a meat thermometer registers 125ºF in the center of the meat for rare. Allow the roast to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately.
Per serving
250 calories (40% calories from fat)
10 g total fat (4 g saturated fat)
35 g protein
1 g carbohydrate
0 g dietary fiber
95 mg cholesterol
80 mg sodium
460 mg potassium
NOTE: If you have guests who prefer their meat well done, cut off steaks of meat from the thin end of the roast. They will roast quicker while the remainder of filet is roasting and will be ready after the rare meat has rested.
The Cleveland Clinic Healthy Heart and Lifestyle Guide and Cookbook is available from Random House, Inc., or wherever books are sold.
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