Pepper Encrusted Beef Tenderloin ... Sigh!

This business of trying to eat more veggies and fruits, less fat, more olive oil and less butter, less carbohydrates, more fiber and complex carbohydrates, etc, etc can get to me. Sometimes, I throw up my hands and head straight for the meat counter for a juicy steak ... but they're always so big! The little voice in my head says, "Red meat is SO full of bad fat and cholesterol!" So ... I buy little slices of beef tenderloin. A little red meat is okay... right? Right! Moderation in all things is a good standard to live by... so, treat yourself once in a while to those dishes that may not not be great for your blood levels of 'this or that', but taste wonderful!

Tonight, I celebrated beef tenderloin ... in all its fatty and cholesterol-laden goodness.

A few basic ingredients...

letting the beef rest with the crust...

searing fast and hot...

finishing it in the oven and serving with a simple vegetable accompaniment.

A beautiful green salad, some roasted carrots and parsnips, and these tenderloins ... red wine completes the picture. Sigh!

Pepper Crusted Beef Tenderloins - printer friendly

Pepper Crusted Beef Tenderloin

Serves: 2
Ingredients:

2 thick slices beef tenderloin (each about 2 inches thick)
2 tbsp. shallots, finely chopped
½ tbsp. fresh rosemary needles, minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 scant tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. orange zest
About 2 tbsp. olive oil
10 pearl onions

Making the Dish:

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰ F

2. Bring water to boil in a small saucepan, immerse the pearl onions for about 2 minutes. Then, drain and shock the onions in cold water. Cut off the root end and squeeze the onions out of their skins. Set aside.

3. Combine the rosemary, garlic, orange zest, salt, and black pepper in a small, deep bowl.

4. Rub the tenderloins with 1 tbsp. olive oil and coat them with the pepper mixture. Let rest.

5. Heat an ovenproof fry pan and sauté the shallots in the olive oil (1 tbsp.).

6. When the shallots glisten, sear the crusted tenderloins on all sides. Add and toss the pearl onions to get them ‘golden around the edges’ when the beef has been seared.

7. Place the pan in the pre-heated oven and continue cooking until the tenderloins are medium rare (about ten minutes).

8. Remove from the oven and cover loosely… let rest for about five to ten minutes.

9. Plate the rest of the meal and serve … a platter of roasted vegetables surrounding the tenderloins is lovely and easy.