Southwestern Cooking Defined
Chef Robert Del Grande was Houston’s first real celebrity chef who, coincidentally, did not start as a chef or cook in the industry. Instead, he received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California Riverside in 1980. Still, when Robert and his fiancé (Mimi) moved to Houston in 1981, he began to experiment in the kitchen with Mimi’s sister and brother-in-law, who started Cafe Annie. It is at Cafe Annie where he developed the Fillet of Beef Roasted with coffee and Pasilla Chile. Del Grande quickly became the executive chef and never looked back.
Del Grande was instrumental in defining Southwestern cooking and, by 1992, was recognized by the James Beard Society as the Best Chef, Southwest. He has received numerous accolades and awards, and some of his recipes have become iconic. So many other chefs have been inspired by his unique take on southwestern food that he often imitates and references. This dish is one of those iconic recipes that match the deep rich flavor of beef tenderloin with the earthy dark flavors of a roasted coffee and cocoa rub that accentuates and compliments the beef.
This recipe is ground zero for the seared cocoa/espresso coffee beef rub.
I use companies like Spices Inc to source my chiles and spices. I can purchase as many or as few as I want. In this case, I was looking for chiles that are still leathery and malleable instead of dried out and brittle. The flexible chiles tend to have more natural essential oils found in the chile pods and are far more flavorful than the kind you see in grocery stores.
Add oil to a hot pan over medium-high heat and cook the onions and garlic along with the seeded and stemmed chile pods. Cook this while often stirring until the onions are soft and translucent.
Cooking the dried chiles in oil will help draw out the flavor and make your sauce more intense.
Once the onions have been cooked, add the chicken stock and heat through.
I use this technique all the time when I make homemade chili for myself. First, I will add a corn tortilla torn into strips to act as a thickener. It does a great job not only as a thickener but also adds complimentary corn flavor.
After the corn tortilla has mostly dissolved into the sauce, add the contents to a blender.
Process the sauce until it is smooth.
To remove the unprocessed solids, pour the sauce mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pan.
When using a sieve such as this, work the sauce through with a round device like a ladle. Do not use a pointed spoon, tongs, or forks since this will damage the sieve.
Once you passed through all you can, discard what is left. Don’t forget to clean the other side of the sieve with a rubber spatula to get all the smooth sauce hanging onto the back.
With the sauce back in the pan, you can add the cream and complete the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
Beef Tenderloin is easy to clean. I purchased this one denuded (or cleaned). Despite this claim, there always seems to be a bit of extra silver skin you need to cut off. Silverskin is a super tough tendon connecting the muscle to the bones. You must remove the silver skin before you cook the meat since no amount of cooking will soften the tenderloin, and it will be too chewy to eat. The most likely places you will find leftover tendon on a tenderloin is at the head or thicker part of the tenderloin, often hiding out in the two separated slats of the meat.
Truss the tenderloin at evenly spaced intervals. The string will help it keep its shape. In this example, I’ve cut off the tail section to use at another time.
Rub the tenderloin down with a good quality olive oil and season with salt and pepper all over.
Using a baking sheet, spread out the coffee rub mixture wide enough to accommodate the amount of tenderloin you will cook.
Roll and rub the coffee mixture into the tenderloin. Tap to shake off the excess mixture and place the tenderloin on a roasting pan or sheet pan. Place into a (400°F or 205°C) oven.
This evening, I had some Nameko mushrooms on hand, so I sautéed them in olive oil and shallots and seasoned them with white pepper and salt. Next, I deglazed the pan with a bit of Vermouth. The deglazing only took about 3 minutes.
Once the tenderloin has cooked and reached an internal temperature of (130°F or 55°C), move it to a cutting board, tent with aluminum foil for a few minutes to rest, then remove the strings and cut into uniformed medium slices for presentation. Instead of cutting the entire tenderloin as pictured above, I started by cutting off enough to serve four people at a dinner party. The rest I held warmed as a backup in case anyone wanted seconds or thirds.
Using a warmed serving platter, first, spoon on the Pasilla Chile Sauce, then place the tenderloin in the sauce.
I finished the presentation for a dinner party with the Nameko mushrooms and fresh cilantro. Although I didn’t have any queso fresco on this evening, sprinkling a little on top would provide a beautiful finish. Enjoy with a nice glass of Pinot Noir.
As an alternative, if you wish to plate this dish individually, I’ve included an easy example. In a warm bowl, add roasted garlic polenta and two slices of the fillet.
Spoon on the warm Pasilla chile sauce
Add any vegetable to the side. In this case, I’m using Sea Island Red Peas. Again, queso fresco would be an excellent finish.
For matching wine, try Joseph Phelps, Freestone Pinot Noir, 2015; Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel, 2016; Ridge Vineyards “Lytton Springs” Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, 2015
Fillet of Beef Roasted with Coffee in Pasilla Chile Crema
Equipment
- cutting board
- chef knife
- thin-bladed knife such as a filet knife
- Blender
- fine mesh sieve
- saute pan or saucier
- measuring cups and spoons
- ladle (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef fillet, tenderloin cleaned of silver skin and trussed
- 1 tsp salt, kosher, or sea
- ½ tsp pepper, black coarse ground pepper
- 2 ½ tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp adobo seasoning
- 2 tbsp coffee, ground
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon, ground
- 1 tbsp butter, unsalted
- ½ half white onion, chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 whole pasilla chile, dried (stems and seeds removed and torn into pieces)
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- 1 corn tortilla
- ¼ cup cream, heavy
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt, kosher
Instructions
Preheat Oven
- Preheat oven to (400°F or 205°C).
For the Sauce
- In a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter. Once melted, add onion, garlic, de-seeded pasilla chile pieces, and cook until the onions are soft and pliable.
- Once the chiles and onions are soft, add chicken stock, brown sugar, and corn tortilla pieces. Cook while occasionally stirring until the tortilla pieces are dissolved or relatively soft. Remove from heat and allow it to cool for blending.
Process Sauce
- When the chile sauce is cool, add it to a blender and process until you have a smooth sauce (about 3 minutes).
- Run the sauce back into the skillet through a fine-mesh sieve. Use a ladle or rubber spatula to press the sauce through. Discard the contents in the sieve.
- Bring the sauce back up to a simmering temperature and add heavy cream. Stir. At this point, you can adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if it needs any. Reserve the sauce and keep warm.
Prep the Beef
- Using a denuded or cleaned beef tenderloin, be sure to remove all silver skin or sinew. If you have a tenderloin with the tail end, cut this off and save for another meal (unless you need additional portions).
- Tie butchers twine in evenly spaced intervals, as shown in the pictures. The string will help the tenderloin hold a consistent shape and size.
- Once the tenderloin is trussed or secured with twine, rub the tenderloin all over with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to coat the whole tenderloin.
- Prepare a baking sheet with the cinnamon, coffee, cocoa, adobe seasoning mixture. First, make sure this dry rub is thoroughly mixed. Next, add the tenderloin to the rub to cover completely.
- Lift the tenderloin out of the coffee mixture and tap to remove any excess seasoning. Place the tenderloin on a roasting pan or sheet pan and place it into a (400°F or 205°C) degree oven.
- Roast the tenderloin for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to (225°-230°F or 107°- 110°C). Continue roasting the tenderloin until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees for medium-rare, about 25-30 minutes. Cook the tenderloin more or less to the degree of doneness you wish.
Rest the Meat Before Carving
- Before carving, allow the meat to rest on a cutting board with an aluminum foil tent placed over the top to keep warm.
- Remove the strings from the tenderloin and slice the meat in ½ inch slices. Cut only enough beef you need to serve. Save the rest as a backup if desired.
- Serve on a warmed platter or dish with pasilla chile sauce.