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La Belle Cuisine
Beef Tenderloin Roasted in an
Herb-Infused Salt Crust
(Rôti de Filet de Boeuf en
Croûte de Sel aux Herbes)
 
Simply French
© 1991 by Patricia Wells and Joël
Robuchon
William Morrow/HarperCollins
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
“Beef tenderloin – known in France as ‘filet de boeuf’ – is one of the finest,
juiciest, and leanest cuts of meat. And this is a marvelous way to cook it,
for the filet is
seared at high heat to seal in the juice, then roasted at
moderate
temperature to ensure meat that is rare and juicy, and perfectly
and evenly
pink. As the roasted
beef rests in the salt crust it continues to
cook, and the
herbs and salt are drawn
into the meat. Since beef tender-
loin is naturally
tender, it does not need a long cooking time. Tenderloin
should always be served
rare or medium-rare – never
well done, which
would toughen the meat, undoing the
very advantage of the
cut. When
roasted in this manner, the beef cooks evenly,
slices evenly and
easily, and
shrinks less, and
there’s no waste. It’s a great
dish for entertaining,
for all
the work is done ahead
of time.
In general I advise using unrefined sea salt for cooking, preferably sel
de
Guérande from Brittany. But here the salt is simply used as a cooking
vessel
and
won’t be consumed, so refined sea salt or kosher salt, both of
which are
far less expensive, is suggested."
Salt Crust
2 cups kosher salt
4 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh
rosemary leaves
2 large egg whites
2/3 cup water
2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 boneless beef tenderloin (about 2 pounds,
4 inches
wide,
5
inches thick),
at room temperature
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1.
At least 3 1/2 hours before serving, prepare the salt crust: In the bowl
of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with a paddle, combine the salt and
herbs and mix to blend. Add the egg whites and 2/3 cup water, and mix
until thoroughly blended. Add 2 cups of the flour, a little at a time, and
knead until the mixture forms a firm, homogeneous dough, 2 to 3 minutes.
(You may not need all of the flour.) The dough should be firm, not too
moist or sticky, or the beef will steam, not roast. In necessary, knead in
additional flour or water for a firm dough. Cover with plastic wrap and
let rest at room temperature for a minimum of 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.
(This resting period will make the dough less sticky and easier to roll
out.)
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Prepare the beef: Pat the meat dry with paper towels. (Do not salt the
meat at this point, or flavorful juices will be drawn from the meat and it
will not brown evenly.) In a large skillet, combine the butter and oil
over moderately high heat. When hot, add the beef and sear well on all
sides,
2 to 3 minutes per side. Place a salad plate upside down on a large
platter.
Transfer the seared beef to rest on the salad plate, placing it
at an angle.
This will allow air to circulate evenly around the beef as it
continues to
cook while resting, making for meat that is evenly cooked and
tender.
Let rest for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to form a
10- x 15-inch rectangle, or one large enough to easily enclose the beef
without stretching the dough.
5. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk and 1/2 teaspoon water to make
a
glaze. Set aside.
6. Sprinkle the beef with the thyme. Completely wrap the beef in the salt
crust, pressing all the seams together. Be sure that all the seams are
well sealed.) Wrap the beef just before roasting. If you wrap it in
advance,
the meat and the salt crust will turn soggy.) Transfer the
wrapped beef
to a
baking sheet. With a brush, coat the entire surface of the crust
with the
glaze. Sprinkle the crust with the sea salt.
7. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and roast for 15
minutes per pound for rare meat (or until the interior registers 125
degrees F when measured with a meat thermometer). For medium rare, roast
an additional
3 to 4 minutes per pound. The crust should be a light,
golden brown. Let
the beef rest in the crust on the baking sheet at room
temperature for 1
hour before serving. (The beef will remain warm.)
8. To serve, slice off the crust at one end, remove the beef, and discard
the crust. Season the beef with pepper. Cut on the diagonal into thick
slices and arrange on a warmed serving platter. Serve immediately.
Wine
Suggestion: A firm and elegant red burgundy, such as a Pommard.
Testing for Doneness
There are many ways to test meat for doneness. For beef, insert an
instant-
reading meat thermometer into the center of the meat, away from the
bones,
and leave it there for 30 seconds. Remove the thermometer to check the
interior temperature of the meat: 140 degrees F for rare, 150 degrees F for
medium-rare,
160 degrees F for medium, 170 degrees F for well done. If you do
not have a meat thermometer, do as many chefs do: Place a metal skewer into the
thickest part
of the meat and wait 30 seconds. Remove the skewer and touch it to
your bottom
lip. If the skewer is cold, the meat is underdone; if the skewer is
warm, the meat
is rare; if the skewer is hot, the meat is well done.
The
Waiting Time
All meat – particularly this beef tenderloin roasted in a salt crust – should
rest
once it has been removed from the oven. The resting time allows the juices
to be reabsorbed into the meat, making the meat tender and easier to cut. (If
you slice
it right away, all the flavorful juices will flow out, leaving
tougher, less flavorful meat.) Cut across the grain in thick, even slices, so
that the pieces are easy to
chew. The more tender the meat, the more thickly it
may be sliced.
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