Beef Tenderloin with Bordelaise Sauce, Escoffier styled etouffée Carrots
About this recipe
I already told you that I was eating less and less meat over the years. However, when I am in a upscale restaurant, and they have a meat dish with the Bordelaise Sauce on their menu, I make an exception... this dish is a classic French dish that only top chefs know to make correctly
And I tried many recipes, but Paul Bocuse's version is one of the best I have made, and that's the recipe I am showing you
The meat comes with this wonderful Sauce, and with slow cooked carrots, a method "à l'étouffée" I learned at the Escoffier school
Wonderful dish you will enjoy, if you like French style meat
The Sauce
1. Prepare the Bordelaise Sauce, a recipe from top chef Bocuse ("the chef of the century"). You may prepare it in advance and refrigerate
The carrots
3. I found these Carrots in May, in a Farmers market in Pasadena, California. Aren't they cute ? They will make the dish more colorful
4. Trim the Carrots stems, and leave 0.39" (or 25/64" or 1 cm) of the green stem, like in French restaurants
5. Trim their ends so that all the carrots have the same length
6. If your Carrots are too large, you may want to cut them lengthwise, to make them thiner and more elegant
Non-Slip Cutting Boards
Oak cutting board
Sekiryu Santoku Japanese Knife
4 Japanese Knives
7. I am showing you the cooking method "à l´étoufée", as I learned at the Escoffier school
8. Cook on very low heat (simmer) in a skillet, with a small quantity of water
9. The water must not exceed 1/4 of the height of the carrots in the pan
10. This slow cook method make the carrots tender and fully cooked, but they keep their shape and color perfectly
11. As the water evaporates, keep adding water as needed during the cooking
12. To know the carrots are cooked, you may use a sharp knife and put it in the carrots
Cast Iron Shallow Casserole Le Creuset
The Meat
13. For the Beef, I chose Tenderloin, that I found at Trader Joe's. I recommend Tenderloin or Filet Mignon
14. Here's the "almost-sous-vide" method : Place the Beef in plastic bags (make sure they don't melt in the heat)
15. Seal the bags and place them in simmering water
16. Cook for 10/15 minutes
17. Then, take the meat out of the bags, and cook butter in a skillet on very high heat
18. Once the butter is melted, and before it becomes brown, sear the meat
19. Do not overcook ! the meat is already cooked through, you just want to sear and brown it
Serving the dish
20. I like to cut the meat before serving, something that chefs usually don't do
21. 
Warm the Bordelaise sauce, and cover the meat
22. Place the cooked carrots
Ready !
