3 1/2 lbs. beef tenderloin with fat trimmed
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. vegetable oil
3 c. beef stock
1 bunch watercress
8-10 large button mushrooms plus 1 lb. mushrooms
2 T. butter
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 c. water
1 T. arrowroot
1/2 c. Madeira wine
2 shallots
4 oz. sliced bacon
3 garlic cloves
1 medium bunch parsley
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Tie one piece of string lengthwise around the tenderloin. Then tie separate pieces horizontally at 1 inch intervals, making it like a cylinder. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Cook in a roasting pan for 20 minutes (may sear it on top of the stove first).
Remove the beef from the pan. Set aside on a dish. Add half of the beef stock to the pan and return to the oven. Cook for 10 minutes more. Stir well and strain the juices back into the other half of the beef stock (in a glass dish).
In a food processor, peel and quarter shallots. Place them in the container. Add bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces. Add garlic. Finely chop this into a paste. Transfer to a frying pan and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until brown.
In food processor, chop 1 lb mushrooms. Add to the frying pan and cook all together for 10-15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chopped parsley. Chill this mixture for 15 minutes.
Heat oven to 425. When the beef tenderloin is cold, remove the strings and discard them. Slice the meat at 1/2 inch intervals 3/4 of the way through the meat. Set the beef on top of some heavy duty foil. Press 1-2 T. of the stuffing between each slice. Press the tenderloin back into its original shape. Wrap tenderloin in a neat cylinder and place in a roasting pan. Cook for 20 minutes.
For garnish, rinse the watercress and cut off stems. In a frying pan, melt butter over medium heat and sauté the mushroom button caps with lemon juice and enough water to partially cover them. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove mushrooms with slotted spoon. Add in beef stock mixture and boil to reduce by half. In a separate bowl, blend arrowroot with wine. Stir into hot mixture and continue to stir until thick. Unwrap finished meat and place mushrooms between slices. Pour broth over finished meat and serve.
Grocery List
beef tenderloin with fat trimmed
salt
pepper
vegetable oil
beef stock
watercress
mushrooms
butter
lemon
arrowroot
Madeira wine
shallots
bacon
garlic
parsley
Approximate Cost: $16.75