Fillet of Beef Roasted with Coffee in Pasilla Chile Crema
This recipe is for special occasions you will want to share with friends and family. While the roasting times may vary on the size of the tenderloin you are cooking, it will cook relatively fast, so have a meat thermometer handy. Start checking the degree of doneness at around the 30-minute mark, so you can gauge how fast the tenderloin is cooking. Cook the tenderloin to the degree of doneness you wish, but keep in mind the only way to ruin the dish is to take the internal temperature too high.
Servings 4 people
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.