How to Make Chateaubriand

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Resting Time: 15

Total Time: 1

Servings: people

Calories: 106kcal

Author: Aleka Shunk

Impress your guests with this deliciously tender filet roast at your next dinner party or holiday gathering. This recipe is much simpler than it looks and will fall apart on your plate. Serve with my rich red wine sauce to finish it off!

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Equipment

Ingredients

3 lbs Chateaubriand, beef tenderloin (center-cut roast) see tips above for what to look for
4-6 whole garlic cloves, sliced thinly
3 teaspoon salt (to taste)
freshly ground black pepper *freshly ground makes a difference!
3-4 tablespoon oil or clarified butter see note*
shallots 2 shallots, minced
2 cups red wine
32 oz beef broth or stock
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, tarragon or sage *or a combination

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375℉.
Generously sprinkle salt and crack black pepper all over your tenderloin. (Tip* The general rule is 1 teaspoon of salt for every pound of meat.)
If you're adding garlic like I did, use a small pairing knife and puncture small holes about 2" deep and stuff the slivers of garlic inside. Do as much or as little as you wish. See my photo above for a guide. I used about 4 cloves.
We can go straight to searing our tenderloin if you're not adding garlic.
Heat a cast iron skillet (or a dutch oven) over high heat. When it gets hot, add your oil then add your tenderloin carefully. Don't move it once it's down! We want to sear (brown) as much of it as we can. Rotate the tenderloin every 5 minutes or so making sure to get the ends too! (Check out the photo above to see how I use tongs to stand it upright on both sides.)
Once we have formed a nice golden brown crust, it's time to roast it. Turn off the heat and set the pan aside without washing it. We will be using it again.
Stick your meat thermometer in one end of the roast and place it on a wire rack set over a sheet pan and into the oven.
See the doneness chart above but I recommend pulling out the roast once it hits 115-125℉. This will result in a rare-medium rare roast. Keep in mind it will continue to cook after it's pulled out. If you want medium roast, pull it out at 135℉. This will take about 15 minutes.
While the roast is in the oven, let's make our sauce. Add the minced shallot to the same pan set over medium heat with a few tablespoons of oil or butter. Add in your fresh herbs as well and let saute for 5 minutes or so until the shallots are soft.
Add 2 cups of red wine and let simmer while scraping up small bits of leftovers from the bottom of the pan. Use a flat wooden spoon to do this efficiently.
Let the wine simmer down ¾ of the way before adding your beef broth.
Add in your broth (reserving ½ cup in a mug or bowl which we'll use later) and bring to a boil then reduce to a hard simmer until it reduces again by half. (Reducing our sauce will really help to concentrate the flavors.)
Whisk the 3 tablespoons of cornstarch into the ½ cup reserved broth and then add to the sauce. Whisk it well until it's fully incorporated. This will help to thicken the sauce.
If after 5 minutes of simmering the sauce isn't thick yet, whisk another tablespoon of cornstarch into ¼ cup of broth (or water) and add it into the sauce again.
Once it's thickened up into a thick sauce consistency, strain it into a bowl or cup. (You could also simply remove the herbs using a fork leaving the shallots in if they don't bother you).
When the roast is ready, pull it out and let it sit at room temperature until tented foil for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the sauce when you're ready!

Notes

Oil Tips:

We will be searing the tenderloin over high heat in a hot pan, so olive oil isn't ideal. Choose avocado, peanut, canola, sunflower, or sesame oil OR clarified butter.

Pan Tips:

A cast iron skillet is highly recommended because the bottom of the pan won't burn as easily. If you only have a stainless steel pan, keep an eye on the heat when searing your meat, and if it ends up burning the pan, you may need to use a new pan for your sauce.

Serve your tenderloin with my potato wedges or these cheddar scalloped potatoes.

Nutrition