Beef Fillet with a Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients

For the Sauce

• 8 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3/4 cup finely chopped shallots, from 2-3 large shallots
• 1-1/4 cups red wine
• 3 cups beef broth
• 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the Beef

• 1 (2 – 3 lb) centre-cut fillet of beef
• Salt (1/2 teaspoon per pound of beef)
• Freshly ground black pepper (1/4 teaspoon per pound of beef)
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/4 cup beef broth

Method

Sauce: 

1. Melt 5 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the shallots and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the wine, beef broth, thyme sprigs, salt, pepper, sugar, and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by about half.
2. While the liquid is reducing, place the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl and soften in the microwave. Add the flour and mix into a smooth paste.
3. Once the wine mixture is reduced, reduce the heat to low and remove the thyme sprigs. Whisk the flour-butter paste, a teaspoonful at a time, into the simmering liquid, and simmer for a few minutes, until the sauce is thickened. 

For the Tenderloin:

1. Let the beef stand at room temperature for 1 hour before roasting. Set an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 200°C. 
2. Season the beef all over with kosher salt and pepper. Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Cook, turning with tongs, until well browned on all but one side, about 10 minutes total. Turn the tenderloin so that the un-seared side is down and transfer to the preheated oven. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the centre of the meat registers 115°C-120°C for rare (about 15 minutes), 54°C-57°C for medium. 
3. Transfer the meat to a carving board and let it rest, covered loosely with aluminium foil, for 10 to 15 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile, carefully remove the fat from the roasting pan. Set the pan on the stovetop and add the 1/4 cup of beef broth. Bring the broth to a boil, using a wooden spoon to scrape the fond, or brown bits, from the bottom of the pan. Add the flavourful broth to the red wine sauce, and then bring the sauce to a simmer.
5. Carve the tenderloin into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Serve the beef, passing the red wine sauce at the table.

Recipe and photo source: onceuponachef