Beef Tenderloin

I have a confession to make: I have slighted a friend and I need to come clean.

A dear pal visited me from the East Coast recently. It was a visit that we each had anticipated for a long time, and I put a fair amount of effort into planning an itinerary of things to do and see, and where and what we would eat for dinner. I tried to imagine what she would enjoy most and so our days were filled with a variety of activities. We toured the Ojai Olive Oil Ranch and tasted some marvelous oils and vinegars, and purchased some beautiful soaps and creams. I drove her around our interesting neighborhoods, and spent some time taking in the panoramic views of the Ojai Valley from several vista points. We shopped in the downtown boutiques and looked at some of the beautiful private schools here. We saw a couple of good films. We visited two amazing spas and the magnificent chapel and library at St. Thomas Aquinas College. We shopped at the Farmers' Market and ate at several local restaurants. And every night we made a batch of Blood Orange martinis (which I will share in an upcoming post).

So what went wrong? Well, I tried to plan some good meals at home so we wouldn't have to be in restaurants every night, so before she arrived I cooked some main dishes and put them in the freezer, ready to be reheated whenever we wanted. You'd think it must have been cold and dreary when I started my cooking binge, but it wasn't. The weather was warm and sunny, but I was in the mood for comfort food. I made a ton of chicken and dumplings and we feasted on that for a couple of nights. Thank goodness we both liked it. And I also made a large meatloaf, following the recipe I posted here on March  10. I paired it with mashed potatoes, a salad, and a decent Cabernet. Not bad at all for meatloaf, and, like the chicken and dumplings, we ate meatloaf for a couple of nights, too. But by now I was getting decidedly uncomfortable with the avalanche of comfort food (pun intended).

By the time she left California, I was hankering to cook something more elegant. This weekend, I picked up a beef tenderloin and made myself a lovely dinner, but felt guilty with every bite that Karen hadn't been treated as well. I promise I'll make it for her when she returns.

Beef Tenderloin

1 2-3 pound center cut beef tenderloin, trimmed and tied, at room temperature
1 teaspoon each coarse ground pepper and salt
2 gloves garlic, finely chopped
5-6 rosemary sprigs, about 4 inches long
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Heat the oven to 350, and put the oven rack in the middle position.

Pat the tenderloin dry. Coat all sides with salt, pepper and garlic. Tuck the rosemary sprigs under the strings on all sides. Heat the olive oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown the tenderloin on all sides, about 10 minutes total.

Transfer the browned tenderloin to an oven rack fitted over a shallow roasting pan and roast until a meat thermometer inserted 2 inches diagonally into the the center of the meat reaches 120 degrees, about 25-30 minutes. Remove the meat from the oven and transfer to a cutting board and let stand for 15 minutes. The temperature of the meat will rise to 130 degrees. Discard the string and rosemary before slicing.

I served the tenderloin with a simple green salad dressed with balsamic vinegar, oil, garlic and mustard, and a nice Ghost Pines Cabernet from Northern California. A dollop of whole grain mustard from Napa Valley gave the meat a nice zesty accompaniment.

Comfort Food: Meatloaf Done Right

In Ojai, the churches take turns hosting the Family Shelter, providing a good meal and overnight shelter to those without adequate housing. Nightly hot meals, showers and a clean sleeping space, followed by breakfast the next morning, are provided by volunteers from December through March, and this week my church recruited its members to do some cooking. The menu was already set: meatloaf, green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, rolls and butter, and chocolate cake. It had also already been decreed that everything but the meatloaf would be purchased in bulk from Costco, including instant mashed potatoes and gravy that needed only water added to bring it to life.

Since it's pretty much against my religion to eat canned green beans, or powdered mashed potatoes and gravy, I volunteered to make a meatloaf. I think meat loaf is a wonderful comfort food, bringing back memories of simple suppers around the family table, the house redolent with the smell of it baking in the oven.

But I also have grim memories of my mother lifting that same meatloaf out of the oven in a loaf pan, swimming in a pool of its own juices and fat. Depending on the grade of ground beef used, she could easily drain off close to a cup of greasy stuff, leaving the meatloaf tough and dry.

I knew there must be a better way, and I found it on Cook's Illustrated. In their test kitchen, they found that by baking the meatloaf on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet, all the juices flow away from the loaf, leaving it moist and grease-free.

I've tried this recipe a couple of times, and while it takes quite a bit longer to assemble than the way I was taught, the results are worth it.

Glazed Meatloaf

3 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated on small holes of a box grater, or in a grattoir
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
1 celery rib, chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika (I used smoked paprika)
1/4 cup tomato juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (Knox)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2/3 cup crushed saltines
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds lean ground beef (85% lean)

Heat oven to 375. Place oven rack in the middle position. Spread grated cheese on a plate and place in the freezer until ready to use. Prepared baking sheet by cutting heavy duty foil into a 10" x 6" rectangle, and with a metal skewer, poke holes in the foil about 1/2 inch apart. Place pierced foil on a cooling rack fitted into a rimmed baking sheet and spray with non-cooking spray.

Here is the meatloaf hot out of the oven. It was cooked on top of a rectangle of foil 

(pierced with multiple holes for draining and sprayed with Pam) 

which has been positioned on a cooling rack which in turn is placed in a rimmed baking sheet.

Melt butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until foaming. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally until beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and paprika and cook, stirring until fragrant, about a minute. Reduce heat to low and add the tomato juice. Cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the pan, until thickened, about 1 minute. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the broth and eggs in a large bowl until combined. Sprinkle gelatin over liquid and let stand about 5 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, mustard, saltines, parsley, salt, pepper and the onion mixture. Crumble the frozen cheese into coarse powder (no lumps!) and sprinkle over the mixture. Add the ground beef and mix gently with your hands (I wear clean rubber gloves) until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Transfer meat to the foil rectangle and shape into a 10 x 6 oval about 2 inches high. Smooth top and sides with a moistened rubber spatula. Bake at 375 for 55-65 minutes. Remove from oven and turn on the broiler.

While the meatloaf is cooking, make the glaze:

1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

Combine all five ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Spread half of the glaze evenly over the cooked meatloaf, using a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon. Place the meatloaf under the broiler until the glaze bubbles and begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove meatloaf from the oven and spread evenly with the remaining glaze. Place back under the broiler and cook until glaze is again bubbly and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes more. Let meatloaf cool about 20 minutes before slicing.