Herb-crusted beef tenderloin with chanterelles and a shallot and caper jus

Rob Feenie Cooks at Lumière
Rob Feenie
Like the French Laundry, Charlie Trotter's and Le Bernardin, Vancouver's Lumière restaurant is a member of Relais Gourmands. In this, Feenie's long awaited first book, the recipes were selected from the vegetarian, seafood and signature tasting menus. Tomato Gazpacho with Dijon mustard ice cream and a passion fruit tart with dark Valrhona chocolate base are two of the intriguing recipes. Colour photos. $50.00.

Jus
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 shallots, finely chopped
1/4 cup red wine
2 cups veal reduction (see page 167)
1 Tbsp. capers, rinsed

Herb Crust
2 Tbsp. flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup Japanese Panko crumbs
3 Tbsp. chopped parsley
2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbsp. fresh tarragon, coarsely chopped

Tenderloin
four 4-oz. portions beef tenderloin
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Chantarelle
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 lb. chantarelle mushrooms, trimmed and cleaned
1 clove garlic, minced

About the recipe: It's common enough to put a crust on a rack of lamb, but for some reason, people seldom think of it for beef. I find the crust gives beef another dimension, and the shallot and caper jus gives it just a little hit of acid. I like to serve it with any roasted potato.

To prepare Jus: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the shallots. Remove 1 Tbsp. shallots and set aside. Deglaze the pan with wine and reduce by two-thirds or until slightly syrupy. Add the veal reduction and reduce by another on-third. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Add the capers and reserved shallots. Set aside.

Herb Crust: Preheat oven to 400° F. Mix together all herb crust ingredients and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Tenderloin: Season the beef tenderloin with salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over high heat and add vegetable oil. When hot, add the tenderloins and sear on each side for 2 minutes or until brown. Remove from heat and firmly pack herb crust on one side. Transfer to oven and roast to medium rare (115-120°F internal temperature) or until desired doneness. Remove from oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.

Chantarelles: Heat a sauté pan over high heat, melt butter and add chantarelles and garlic. Cook until golden brown.

To assemble: Place a portion of potato pavé (see page 66) or other roasted potato in centre of 4 large plates. Spoon some chantarelles around. Cut the tenderloin in half horizontally and arrange on top of the potato. Spoon warm shallot and caper jus over chantarelles. Sprinkle a pinch of fleur de sel on the beef.

Wine: A rich Italian red.

Serves 4.

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