David Venable's Bacon-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce

By davidv

Beef tenderloin is an elegant choice for a special occasion or a romantic dinner. This recipe will go great with just about any type of mashed potato and a vegetable such as asparagus, green beans or spinach.

Tip: The optimum thickness for a steak is between 1- and 1-1/2-inches. Any thinner and the steak is likely to dry out. Thicker is better, although the cooking time must be increased accordingly.


If you like, feel free to add brined green peppercorns or horseradish to the finished sauce. You could also top the finished tenderloin with Gorgonzola, blue, or goat cheese.


This recipe is prepared with the medium-sized saucepan and large open skillet from the 10-piece Cook's Essentials Premier 18/10 Stainless Steel Cookware Set (K19781).

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups red wine
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1-3/4 cups beef broth
• 1-1/4 cups chicken broth
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1-1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 Tbsp shallots, chopped
• 4 slices center-cut bacon
• 4 (1'' thick) beef tenderloin steaks
• Olive oil

Details

Adapted from qvc.co

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

To prepare the sauce, combine the first five ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan and then whisk in the tomato paste. Bring ingredients to a simmer over medium heat and continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.

While the sauce is reducing, tightly wrap one slice of bacon around each steak and secure with a toothpick. Brush a thin layer of olive oil on both sides of each steak and season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.

To prepare the steaks, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the steaks, cooking 2 minutes on each side or until brown. Remove the steaks from the pan, set the skillet aside, and place the steaks on a baking sheet.

Bake for 4-5 minutes, or until your desired degree of doneness, which can be measured with a meat thermometer. For rare steak, cook until the internal temperature reaches 120°F; for medium rare, 125°F; for medium, 130°F.

Remove any extra grease from the skillet to sear the steaks then add 1 Tbsp of butter and the shallots. Sauté over medium heat until the shallots soften. Add the flour and stir until combined. Add the sauce to the skillet and bring to a simmer; stir until thickened. Remove the garlic cloves and thyme and whisk in the remaining 1 Tbsp of butter.

Remove the toothpicks from the steaks, plate them, then spoon some of the sauce over each.