Description
Luxurious Chateaubriand brings French culinary elegance to your dinner table, celebrating premium beef’s rich flavors and sophisticated cooking techniques. Skilled home chefs can create this classic masterpiece with precision, delivering an unforgettable dining experience you’ll savor with pure gastronomic delight.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Protein:
- 1 pound (454 grams) beef tenderloin (center cut)
Seasonings:
- Salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking Fats:
- 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) unsalted butter, softened and divided
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil
Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) medium-bodied dry red wine
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) demi-glace
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) fresh tarragon, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and generously season the chateaubriand with salt and pepper across all surfaces.
- Heat a cast iron skillet with butter and olive oil over medium-high heat until the mixture becomes frothy and sizzling.
- Carefully place the seasoned beef in the skillet, allowing it to sear undisturbed for 3 minutes until a rich golden crust forms.
- Using tongs, rotate the tenderloin to brown each side evenly, spending approximately 3 minutes per surface to develop a robust exterior.
- Transfer the beautifully seared meat to a roasting pan rack, reserving the skillet drippings for the upcoming sauce.
- Roast the tenderloin in the preheated oven: 15 minutes for medium-rare, 20 minutes for medium, or 23 minutes for medium-well.
- After roasting, remove the meat and loosely tent with foil, allowing it to rest for 15 minutes to redistribute internal juices.
- While the meat rests, prepare the wine sauce by sautéing shallots in the reserved skillet drippings until translucent and fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan with wine, scraping up the caramelized bits from the bottom, and reduce the liquid by half.
- Incorporate demi-glace into the sauce, simmering until it reaches a slightly thickened consistency.
- Finish the sauce by stirring in softened butter and fresh tarragon, then season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Slice the chateaubriand diagonally against the grain and serve accompanied by the rich wine sauce.
Notes
- Choose a high-quality, center-cut beef tenderloin for the most tender and flavorful Chateaubriand.
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure precise doneness, aiming for 130-135°F for perfect medium-rare.
- Let the meat rest completely before slicing to retain maximum juiciness and prevent losing precious meat juices.
- Create a gluten-free version by using cornstarch instead of traditional flour-based demi-glace for sauce thickening.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 41 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
- Calories: 455 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 35 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 19 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg