Ah beef!  We had this for Christmas Eve dinner, and it was yummy.  We got a few fresh tenderloins at Costco and they were very tasty.  I made a side of cheesy hashbrowns with gruyere cheese on them and we felt like we were eating like kings.  Add a bottle of 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe “La Crau” and you are all set for a wonderful explosion of flavor in your mouth.  Yeah, the French like long names don’t they?

2-4 tenderloin cuts

Rub:
1 1/2 TBSP fine ground coffee
1/2 TBSP garlic powder
1/2 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP black pepper, freshly ground
1 TBSP sea salt
1 TBSP brown sugar

Sauce:
1/2 cup whatever red wine you have opened
1 TBSP fresh thyme (I used a cube of my frozen thyme)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup beef stock
1 TBSP butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp cornstarch
1 TBSP water

Take out your tenderloin steaks a good 20 minutes before you make them.  Prepare the rub mixture and rub well into both sides of the steaks – don’t be stingy with it either!  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and preheat an oven-proof skillet to medium high heat.  Add a few TBSP’s olive oil.  When the skillet is hot, put the steaks into the skillet and sear on one side for 4 minutes.  Flip over and sear a few minutes more and then transfer to the oven for 8-10 minutes.  It was about medium rare for us in that amount of time, but our oven cooks slower.

When the time is up, take the filets out of the pan and transfer to a serving plate to rest.  Cover with aluminium foil.  Meanwhile put the skillet back on the stove over medium heat and pour in the wine.  Reduce to about half and then add the remaining ingredients up to the salt and pepper.  Simmer for a few minutes and then mix the cornstarch with the water and add to the sauce to thicken.  If not thick enough, mix more cornstarch and water.  Put sauce over the tenderloins and you now have a very yummy meal. 🙂

Not the best picture, but trust me…it was yummy!

 

I also added pictures to a few recipes that I made over the holidays:

Blueberry French Toast Bake

Breaded Tilapia with soy-honey-wasabi glaze

Panzanella