As we wind down in the last week 2021 and prepare for the 2022 New Year, I think about how fast this year went! For many of us, we wish the new year would start sooner rather than later, having to still worry about the COVID pandemic and the impact it has on spending time with family and friends, and celebrating the Holidays with the ones we love. Our Christmas Eve dinner was interrupted by COVID, and we didn’t have the large group we had anticipated. We had our immediate family of 10, and were still blessed to enjoy the Feast of the Seven Fishes and Kahlua Cheesecake for dessert.
WHAT DO I LIKE TO MAKE TO RING IN THE NEW YEAR?
As I think about a special dinner for New Year’s Eve, I love treating my guests to something special, and this night, I like to prepare and cook something that is easy and I’m not at the stove for hours and hours! It’s going to be a long night and I have to save my strength! So what comes to mind? Surf and Turf! And the turf has to be my Filet of Beef! The Tenderloin! The tenderloin comes from a very small area of the cow in the mid-back section, so no wonder why it’s so expensive! It’s a very lean piece of beef, and when cooked right, it can cut like butter and melt in your mouth! So you’ll really wan to take care preparing this particular piece of meat!
Over the past few years, our dear friends in our neighborhood do a progressive dinner for New Year’s Eve, where one of us has the appetizers, one has the entrée and the one has the dessert and rings in the New Year. I love to cook the surf and turf entrée typically making a Filet of Beef Tenderloin, and adding my Roasted Shrimp or a Bourbon Glazed Salmon. And the best part is we can enjoy our adult beverages and just walk past a few houses to get home!
WHAT’S ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO COOK A FILET OF BEEF TENDERLOIN?
Now you can do this one of two ways: purchase a beautiful cut from your butcher all trimmed and ready to cook which you will pay for but it makes up for it in time and skill. Or, you can purchase a filet that is not fully trimmed and still has the membrane and fat on it with an extra couple pieces surrounding the long, main piece. This will be much less expensive but it will take some work to trim it up in order to prepare it properly.
I opt for the less expensive piece since I learned from my cousin’s husband how to trim it up to look as nice as the cut from your local butcher looks. But if you are not comfortable with a sharp knife and working for about 30 minutes removing the fat and membrane from the beef, then I would recommend buying your filet from a butcher or local grocery store with a reputable butcher and meat department.
One your filet is all trimmed you can lay it in a large roasting pan or a large aluminum pan. I like to cook my filet according to Ina Garten’s instructions, make a richer crust topping for it and use her horseradish sauce as inspiration for my version of her Horseradish Sauce. I like to add a few additional spices and garlic to kick it up a notch!
And putting my Rosemary Herb Crust on it gives it a delectable flair! Ina recommends you preheat your oven to 500°.and when you put the filet in, immediately turn it down to 400°. Cook until temperature reaches 130°, take it out and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing. DONE! Nothing left to do but slice, dip in my Horseradish Sauce and let it melt in your mouth!
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE 2022 NEW YEAR?
There’s something about New Year’s Eve that lets everyone say good-bye to the existing year of challenges, achievements, sorrows, wins, dreams realized, hopes left unanswered and surprises that happened that we never anticipated. And we look forward to a New Year with a clean slate, writing down resolutions we hope to achieve, and feeling like we can reset and have a fresh start just like we had when we started a new school year! New clothes, new copybooks, textbooks, new classes, and teachers. I know I felt like I had a new lease on life every time I started a new school year.
And in this 2022 New Year, I’m already thinking about what my resolutions will be and how I can take better charge of my life! I hope I can continue to share my love of food, decorating and entertaining with you and my wish that you have all the joy and love you deserve in life. And when it come to the highs and lows, let’s take the journey together to learn how to balance what’s important with what we shouldn’t sweat, and when we make the time for certain things and when we don’t. When we lean in and when we don’t.
Do until next time,
Let’s get cookin’
Madeline
Filet of Beet with Madeline's Garlic Rosemary Herb Crust
Equipment
- Large Roasting Pan or Large Aluminum Pan
- Medium Mixing Bowl (2)
Ingredients
- 5-6 pound Filet of Beet (trimmed and prepped to cook)
Rosemary Herb Crust
- ½ cup fresh rosemary, chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 4 tbsps butter
- 7 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsps Madeline's Blended Oil Seasoning you can substitute 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tsp Hoby's Essentials Rosemary Salt Blend (optional)
- 2 tsp Hoby's Essentials Happy Paprika you can substitute 1 tsp smoked paprika and 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsps Kirkland Organic No-Salt Seasoning you can substitute ½ tsp minced onion, ½ tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp dried Italian Herb Blend
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 4 tsp Dijon Mustard
Horseradish Garlic Sauce
- 1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
- 2 tbsps Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp prepared horseradish
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup fresh rosemary, chopped
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
- ½ tsp Hoby's Essential's Rosemary Salt Blend you can substitute kosher salt
- 1 tsp Hoby's Essential's Happy Paprika you can substitute ½ tsp smoked paprika and ½ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
Filet of Beef and Rosemary Herb Crust
- Remove Filet from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes at room temperature, pat dry the filet with a paper towel. Place filet in the roasting or aluminum pan.
- Preheat Oven to 500°.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together until well blended.
- Spread mixture on top of filet until entire top is covered.
- Once oven is preheated to 500°, turn temperature down to 400°.
- Place Filet in oven and bake for 40 minutes, until filet reaches 130°.
- Remove Filet from oven and cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 - 20 minutes.
- Heat any juices from the pan in a small pot or in a microwave safe bowl.
- Slice Filet into ½ inch size slices and lay out on a large platter garnished with fresh rosemary.
- Drizzle some juice from Filet over sliced meat before serving.
Horseradish Sauce
- While Filet is cooking, mix all horseradish sauce ingredients together in medium mixing bowl.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes while filet is cooking.
- Pour horseradish sauce in a small serving bowl with a tablespoon and place on the serving platter or separately next to the Filet. .
Notes
