Serve the meat with a variety of garnishes, which you and your guests can combine any way you like.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
One 2-pound piece beef tenderloin from the thick end, preferably at room temperature
6 cups boiling stock or water
Salt
Minced shallots, good mustard, chopped cornichons, coarse salt, soy sauce, and ketchup for garnish
Preparation
Step 1
Put the meat in a deep pan just large enough to hold it—a Dutch oven is usually ideal, but you can curve the meat into a wide saucepan too—and cover it with boiling stock or water. Add a large pinch of salt if you’re using water or if the stock is unsalted. Adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles gently—on my stove that’s medium.
Step 2
Cook until the meat reaches 120°F on an instant-read thermometer; 125°F if you prefer medium-rare. Remove the meat and let it sit for about 5 minutes, then cut into 1/2-to 1-inch-thick slices. Serve immediately, with the garnishes.
From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books.
Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
