Recipe #3: Herbed Beef Tenderloin

My wonderful husband celebrated a birthday not too long ago, as did my brother. We celebrated with family (a couple times, in fact), and, as you would suspect, food was always included. When my family was over for the occasion one Saturday night, I had a lovely menu planned. To start, Cheesy Spinach Dip with Bagel and Pita Chips. For the main course, Pulled Pork Sandwiches (with a variation on the spice rub, which will have to be modified again next time; it was a wee bit too spicy...) swerved with coleslaw, salt and vinegar chips, and Homemade Onion Rings. And for dessert – Lemon & Lime Meringue Puffs. Most of these dishes were easy to prepare ahead of time; the pork was in the slow cooker; the puffs were in the oven; and the onion rings were sliced and ready to go. Luckily my brother, also a talented chef, was there to lend a hand for the final steps with the onion rings.

The next night the two of us enjoyed a quiet dinner in, and on the menu that night was this new Recipe #3 – Herbed Beef Tenderloin. When I originally came across this recipe, it called for one long tenderloin, but discovering the butcher had only individual pieces, we made due. These were quite big pieces, so there was even enough left over for Matt to take for lunch the next day, which means we probably could have gotten away with sharing one tenderloin. As a side to the beef I simply roasted some potatoes in the oven, drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkle of garlic powder and dried onions. You can bake them in the oven, same temperature, but put them in about 20 minutes before the beef.

I followed the directions in the recipe for this one, but next time I might fry/grill the steaks for a couple minutes on both sides to get the coating nice and crispy before finishing it up in the oven. And the original recipe didn’t call for the fresh Parmesan, but I added it for a bit of extra nuttiness and flavour.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs

2 tablespoons fresh Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano and thyme

1/4 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 beef tenderloin steaks (1 inch thick and 4 ounces each)

DIRECTIONS

COMBINE bread crumbs and seasonings in a small bowl. Rub on both sides of steaks. Place steaks in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan.

BAKE, uncovered, at 425° for 25-28 minutes or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145°; medium, 160°; well-done, 170°).