Beef Stroganoff

The first time I made this was for Ted Bock and Liane Chalmers at the lake. Typically, I like to control everything that goes on in my kitchen - unless Liane is there. I had read the recipe carefully, had all the ingredients prepped, had a clear plan but found myself deferring to Liane. I made her brown the beef! I think she was somewhat puzzled as to why I couldn't brown the beef myself and let her enjoy a glass of red but, I think I knew that as easy as this recipe is, the one thing that could go wrong is over cooking the beef and I knew Liane would never let that happen! Beef was seared to perfection, browned while still red inside!

This recipe looks long but it really isn't. If you look at this way it's really not intimidating: fry mushrooms and shallots, sear some beef, deglaze the pan, add some cream and put the mushroom and beef back into the sauce. Voila!

INGREDIENTS

  • ½ pound fresh mushrooms (white or crimini)
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 3 tbsp minced shallots
  • 2 ½ pounds beef tenderloin
  • ½ c Madeira or dry white vermouth
  • 1 c beef stock
  • 1 c whipping cream
  • 2 tsp cornstarch blended with 1 tbsp of cream
  • salt and pepper
  • parsley sprigs

Icing

SAUCE

toppings

dressing

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Trim any excess fat and remove the filament from the beef.
  2. Slice the beef into strips about 2" x 1" x 1/2-inch thick. Dry thoroughly on paper towels.
  3. Sauté the mushrooms in half the butter and oil for about five minutes, or until lightly browned. Stir in the shallots and cook for a minute longer.
  4. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and set aside.
  5. Place remaining butter and oil in the skillet and set over medium heat. When the butter foam begins to subside, sauté the beef, a few pieces at a time, on each side to brown the exterior but keep the interior rosy red. When done, set aside and discard any fat.
  6. Pour the wine and stock into the skillet and boil it down rapidly, scraping the bottom to incorporate anything left in the pan (this is the deglazing). Cook until reduced to about 1/3 cup.
  7. Add the cream, then the cornstarch mixture. Simmer a minute.
  8. Add the mushrooms and simmer a minute more. The sauce should be lightly thickened.
  9. Season the beef lightly with salt and pepper and return it to the skillet along with any juices which may have escaped. Baste the beef with the sauce and mushrooms, or transfer everything to a serving dish.
  10. Top with some minced parsley and serve immediately.

TIPS & HINTS

Despite the fact that this looks like a long recipe, read it through once and you will see it's really not! The watch out it to not overcook the beef.

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This is nice served with a broad egg noodle or nice crusty bread, a fresh, crisp salad and a green vegetable.