Publius & Co.

Beef Medallions in a Mustard-Cream Sauce (for two)

But first, a little background: On Monday, Rob and The Big Hair celebrated their Second Anniversary.

CongRATulations, guys! (BTW, that's a Rat Person version of "congratulations" but you probably figured that out). In his little post, Rob mentions he enthralled The Big Hair with his Chicken Tetrazini, but he fails to post the recipe.

Bad Rob!

So, in hopes of encouraging Rob to post said recipe, I present something I made up many years ago, and have farted around with ever since. I remember it as being one of the first meals I cooked for the gf and, sometime during the course of the meal, she put her hand on mine and said, "It's really good, Victor."

It was, too. It hasn't come out that good before or since, but maybe the company had something to do with it. Anyhoo, enough background--on to the recipe!

Beef Medallions in a Mustard-Cream Sauce (for two)
NOTE: I've never, ever measured any of this in my life. I suppose I should make it again sometime soon and maybe roughly measure, but I'm gonna take a chance here. After all, I took a chance the first time I made it, so why should I mess with it now?

Also, damn few recipes are cast in concrete; this one sure as hell isn't. I'm sure I put diced onions in with the peppercorns the first time I made it for the girlfriend, but I'm leaving them out here because I know some people don't like onions. Other times I tried putting capers in it, which wasn't bad, but it didn't really add anything, so I took 'em out. Mushrooms might go good in here, but I don't think I've ever tried them. Give it a shot and let me know--for God's sake, don't be afraid to experiment!

INGREDIENTS:
Four beef medallions, two to three ounces each (The first time I made it, I used these little small steaks from Giant, that were, to be honest, a bit tough. Try it with beef tournedos, cut from a tenderloin).

Cooking fat/oil (The first time I used clarified butter; for the gf I used vegetable oil--might have been olive but I wouldn't swear on it).

Cracked peppercorns, about 1 teaspoon total (To crack: put whole peppercorns on a cutting board and crush them by pressing on them with the bottom of a pan, or the flat of a knife or cleaver. You'll lose some if you try to do too many, so only crack 4-6 at a time).

Red wine, one-quarter to one-half cup (I use a cabernet sauvignon, preferably from the Boordy vineyards).

Heavy whipping cream, one-quarter to one-half cup.

Dijon mustard (Maille is the best. Trust me on this one).

Salt to taste.

PROCEDURE:
1. Heat fat/oil in a pan, add cracked peppercorns. Toss them in the fat a bit.

2. Brown beef medallions in fat until just short of preferred degree of doneness. You're going to heat them up briefly again later, so no need to go overboard. Remove to a platter.

3. Deglaze pan with red wine. Let wine reduce by one-half. Turn down the heat before it reaches the one-half point.

4. Add cream to the pan and let it reduce. The sauce will thicken slightly as the water in the cream evaporates. You should stir it pretty constantly to keep it from burning.

5. Add a tablespoon or two of mustard and swirl it into the sauce. Also swirl in a shake of salt (you won't need much).

6. Warm the medallions in the sauce for a minute or two (include any drippings from the medallions). Serve with the sauce over the medallions.

7. Also serve with the rest of the wine and a nice bread to soak up the extra sauce. And don't forget your veggies!

Posted by Victor at Mayo 21, 2004 11:59 AM