Tarragon Beef

[Recipes Index] [World of Chefs]

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of beef tenderloin, 6 ounces each
• Sea salt
• 2 cups homemade beef stock
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup good cognac
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 fresh tarragon sprigs

Preparation:

In a saucepan over medium heat, pour in the stock, bring to a boil and reduce by one half. Set aside.

Season the beef with salt on both sides. In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and add the beef tenderloin. Sear and brown the beef quickly, approximately 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Add the cognac to the hot pan. Allow the alcohol to burn off. Then reduce the heat to medium and add the reduced beef stock, tarragon and the cream. Cook the beef until your desired degree of well, medium or rare is reached. Remove the beef, set aside and keep warm. Continue cooking the sauce another 6 to 8 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.

Arrange the beef tenderloin and sauce on serving plates, garnish with fresh tarragon sprigs and serve warm.