Tournedos with Parma ham and crispy sage
Tournedos is always a celebration. The most tender cut of beef is hard to beat. Tournedos / tenderloin is perfect for an evening when you want to impress without fuss and without much effort. Just pure flavours, good meat and attention to detail. Preparing a tournedos is not rocket science. Follow this recipe by Siebe Grijpma from @bbqmoods and you will have a wonderful dish on the table in just fifteen minutes. Add a few beautiful side dishes and you are good to go.
Ready to begin? Your dish starts with high quality meat. I [Siebe] chose 100% grass fed Simmental this time, but feel free to explore the wide selection.
Summary
Preparation in a skillet or pan
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Preparation
Let the tournedos come to room temperature. Then take your tournedos and wrap the sides tightly with two slices of Parma ham. This ham will not only add flavour but will also give a beautiful crispy edge. Secure the Parma ham with two pieces of butcher’s twine – tight, but not too tight. You want the tournedos to hold its shape while cooking, but it is not a roulade. Bring your skillet to temperature – make sure it gets properly hot so you can sear your meat quickly.
Cooking the tournedos
Add a knob of clarified butter (or a splash of peanut oil) to the pan. Wait until the butter has melted and is hot. Place the tournedos in the pan on its flat side. Do not slide it, do not move it – just leave it for one minute to sear. Turn it over and sear the other side. Then roll the side – the part wrapped in Parma ham – briefly through the pan so that it becomes nice and crispy.
Tournedos arroseren
Reduce the heat slightly. Add a generous knob of butter along with the crushed garlic, thyme and sage. Let the flavours infuse the butter. Take a spoon and begin to baste the tournedos by pouring the fragrant, bubbling butter over the meat. Let the herbs and garlic flow over it. Do this for about a minute and a half. Turn the tournedos over and repeat the basting.
Measure the core temperature. We aim for 46°C. Is it still too low? Continue basting for a bit or place the tournedos in the oven at 120°C until you reach the desired temperature. Place the crispy sage leaves on a piece of kitchen paper – this will make them perfectly crispy.
Once the core temperature reaches 46°C, it is time to rest. Loosely cover the tournedos with aluminium foil for five minutes. This keeps the juices inside, making every bite a celebration.
Serving the tournedos
Grab a sturdy wooden board. Place the tournedos on it and garnish with the crispy sage. Only now season with black pepper and optionally some coarse sea salt. Want to slice it? You can. But since the Parma ham is wrapped tightly, you may prefer serving it whole. Bold, stylish and delicious.
ENJOY!
Still in doubt? Just take one more look at this cuisson.
