Ellen Sullivans Lavender Tenderloin Recipes

GARLIC AND LAVENDER CRUSTED BEEF TENDERLOIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rub beef with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Brown on all sides in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Place beef on a wire rack in roasting pan. Place vegetables on bottom of pan. Mix all herbs in a bowl with the crushed pink peppercorns. Brush the tenderloin on all sides with Dijon mustard. Place herb mix on all sides of the tenderloin. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, medium rare. Internal temperature is 125 degrees. Transfer to platter and let rest for 10 minutes. Then slice and serve with Red Wine Sauce.;
• FOR SAUCE: Sweat vegetables in olive oil until deep brown in color. Add red wine and reduce by 75 percent. Add stock and reduce by 30 percent. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and reserve. In a separate pan heat olive oil and caramelize pearl onions until golden. Add quartered mushrooms and continue cooking until mushrooms wilt. Add red wine sauce and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Finish sauce with 2 ounces of unsalted butter.

PEPPERED LAVENDER BEEF

Steps:

• Bring the tenderloin roast to room temperature before cooking.
• Trim the tenderloin of fat and silverskin.
• Note: Silverskin is a silvery-white connective tissue. It doesn't dissolve when the tenderloin is cooked, so it needs to be trimmed away. If the silverskin is not trimmed off, it will cause the tenderloin to curl up into the shape of a quarter moon. If you ask, your butcher will do this for you.
• Once the tenderloin roast is trimmed, it no longer has any structure and will start to flatten out. As you want the meat as round as possible for even cooking and also for presentation, trussing is the key.
• Using individual pieces of kitchen twine/string to truss the roast. Tie the kitchen string around the tenderloin roast with equal spacing between each truss. Tie the meat firmly, but not too tight. NOTE: I usually have my butcher do this for me.
• Pat the beef dry with paper towels (this is important as surface moisture will interfere with good browning). Lightly oil outside of the roast.
• In a small spice or coffee grinder, coarsely grind the black peppercorns, white peppercorns, fennel seeds, thyme, and lavender flowers; rub mixture all over the meat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight (preferably).
• Heat a large cast-iron frying pan over high heat. Without adding any cooking fat, sear the roast on all sides (about 3 rotations, approximately 1 minutes each). NOTE: Resist the temptation to constantly turn the beef from side to side and you'll be rewarded with a beautifully browned crust. When browned, immediately remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Tenderloin, like other lean cuts of meat, are best roasted at a high heat rather than baked at lower temperatures. Flavor comes from the browning, not from fat slowly melting into the meat.
• Place the seared roast in a large baking pan or roasting pan and bake, uncovered. Roast in oven approximately 20 to 40 minutes (depending on size of your roast) until a meat thermometer registers desired temperature (see below). NOTE: Turn tenderloin over halfway through cooking for even browning.
• Rare - 120°F
• Medium Rare - 125°F
• Medium - 130°F.
• When the tenderloin roast is cooked to your liking, remove from oven, and transfer onto a cutting board; cover with a tent of aluminum foil and let stand 15 minutes before carving (meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the oven).
• When ready to serve:
• Cut the roast into 1/2-inch slices. Transfer onto a serving platter and serve immediately with any accumulated juices.

ELLEN SULLIVAN'S LAVENDER TENDERLOIN

Steps:

• 1. The day before serving, grind the lavender, fennel, peppercorns, thyme, and salt to a powder with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder. Rub the tenderloin with the spice mixture, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.
• 2. Remove the tenderloin from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Place an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a rack inside a roasting pan.
• 3. Remove the plastic wrap, brush off the spices from the tenderloin, and rub with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Place the tenderloin on the rack and roast for 15 minutes, turning once halfway through.
• 4. Reduce the heat to 325°F and roast for 5 to 15 minutes longer, to the desired doneness (an instant-read thermometer will read 125°F for medium rare).
• 5. Transfer the roast to a carving board and let rest, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add the remaining olive oil to the roasting pan, scrape well, and stir to combine the drippings.
• 6. Cut the tenderloin against the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices and transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle the pan drippings over the meat and serve.