Description
This recipe features a perfectly roasted beef tenderloin with a luscious creamy mushroom sauce. The beef is seasoned and rested overnight for enhanced flavor and cooked to medium rare for tender, juicy results. The accompanying creamy mushroom sauce, enriched with marsala wine and thyme, complements the beef beautifully for an elegant main course.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef
- 1.25 kg centre cut beef tenderloin (eye fillet), tied
- 1 1/2 tsp cooking / kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Garlic-Thyme-Butter Slather
- 75 g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp garlic, finely grated or very finely minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Creamy Mushroom Sauce
- 150 g white mushrooms, sliced 3mm thick
- 1/2 tsp garlic, finely minced
- 1 thyme sprig
- 3/4 cup marsala, Italian fortified wine
- 1/2 cup chicken stock, low sodium
- 3/4 cup thickened cream (heavy cream)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Prep Beef: Pat the beef tenderloin dry with paper towels and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Place it on a rack over a tray and refrigerate uncovered for 12 to 24 hours to enhance seasoning and texture. This step is optional but recommended.
- Prepare Butter Slather: In a bowl, mix the softened unsalted butter with finely grated garlic, chopped fresh thyme leaves, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- De-chill: Remove the beef from the refrigerator 2 hours before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature, ensuring even cooking throughout.
- Sear: Heat vegetable oil in an ovenproof heavy-based skillet over high heat until smoking. Quickly and aggressively brown all sides of the beef tenderloin. After searing, place the beef back on the rack to cool for 15 minutes, preventing the butter from melting instantly when applied.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 120°C/250°F, suitable for both fan and standard ovens.
- Apply Butter: Return the beef to the cooled skillet and slather approximately three-quarters of the garlic-thyme-butter mixture evenly over the top and sides, avoiding the underside.
- Roast Beef: Roast the beef in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove and apply the remaining butter mixture on the top and sides. Return to the oven and roast for another 25 to 35 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 53°C/127°F for medium rare.
- Rest and Slice: Remove the beef from the skillet and transfer to a cutting board. Rest for 10 minutes, during which the internal temperature will rise to 56-58°C / 133-136°F. Slice thickly and prepare to serve.
- Prepare Creamy Mushroom Sauce - Collect Roasting Juices: Pour all the juices from the skillet into a bowl or jug. Allow the fat to rise to the surface, then pour off 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the fat back into the skillet and reserve the rest for later use.
- Cook Mushrooms: Heat the reserved butter fat in the skillet over high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until they start to sweat. Add thyme sprig and minced garlic, cooking for an additional 2 minutes until mushrooms soften.
- Make Sauce: Add low sodium chicken stock and reduce by half over medium-high heat. Stir in marsala wine, thickened cream, black pepper, and the reserved roasting juices. Simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce reduces by half and thickens. Taste the sauce and adjust salt if necessary.
- Serve: Serve the sliced beef tenderloin with the creamy mushroom sauce poured over or on the side.
Notes
- The centre cut of beef tenderloin is preferred for even cooking due to its uniform thickness. Tying the meat helps it retain its shape during roasting.
- Fresh thyme is recommended for the butter slather; dried thyme can be used in the butter rub but should be omitted from the sauce to avoid unsightly specks.
- Marsala wine provides essential depth and balance in the sauce. Substitute with port, sherry, madeira, or white wine if desired. For a non-alcoholic alternative, use additional chicken stock.
- Overnight salting enhances flavor penetration and tenderness but can be skipped if short on time.
- Use a meat thermometer to monitor internal temperature precisely. Medium rare is recommended for optimal tenderness and juiciness.
- A cast iron skillet is ideal for searing and roasting due to heat retention and oven safety.
- Leftover beef keeps well refrigerated for up to 3 days; freezing is not recommended as it may affect texture and flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 550 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 40 g
- Saturated Fat: 20 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 40 g
- Cholesterol: 130 mg
