This is a dish to impress a crowd, without much in real time cooking. I served it as the main course at my Galentine’s Supper Club. Chateaubriand is the most prized cut of the steer, also known as filet mignon (once it’s sliced into medallions), or in some cases, just beef tenderloin. I used Kenji Lopez’s foolproof method of dry brining, slow roasting and a quick reverse sear and it came out PERFECT. We served it over a sweet cumin roasted carrot puree with brown butter and each bite was scrumptious. Let’s get into it! See how it’s made here.

Serves 8, Total Time: 3 hours, plus 24 hours of dry brining

Ingredients:

• 2 lb of Chateaubriand/beef tenderloin from your local butcher, ask them to tie it for you so that it’s perfectly round. If this is too expensive you can ask for a coulotte instead, it’ll cost a quarter of the price but won’t have the same rounded shape.

• Kosher salt, lots of it

• Fresh ground black pepper

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 2 shallot

• 3 garlic cloves, smashed

• a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary

For the Carrot Puree

• 2 bunches carrots, peeled and sliced in half longways

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 3/4 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth, as needed

• 1/2 cup heavy cream, as needed

Special Equipment

• Oven safe roasting rack (so that any juices can drip into the pan)

• Blender, food processor, or immersion blender

• Meat thermometer

Make it!

1. Salt your Chateaubriand generously (several tablespoons) 24 to 48 hours before the meal. Rub the salt into the meat and set uncovered on a rack with a pan or plate underneath in the fridge. Make sure to set the meat on the lowest shelf away from fresh produce so no drippings make contact with other products. The salt will season the meat all the way through and pull excess moisture out.

2. If you have time, let’s make the carrot puree in advance! Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Add a piece of parchment to your baking pan and toss the carrots in olive oil, salt, pepper and cumin seeds. Roast for 35-40 minutes, checking at 15 minutes to turn carrots. Once tender and golden, remove from the oven to cool for at least 30 minutes. While the carrots cool, make your brown butter! Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add butter. Once it starts to foam, stir constantly until you can smell a nutty aroma and see the butter turn golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

3. Once the carrots have cooled enough, add into a blender or food processor and puree. Add your brown butter and a splash of broth and heavy cream. Taste and adjust for salt (you’ll definitely need more). Continue to blend and adjust with the broth, heavy cream and salt until you have a beautiful, smooth puree that will spread easily across a plate, but still hold its shape. Cover and chill in the fridge until serving.

4. The day of! If you’d like to roast your Chateaubriand earlier in the day, you absolutely can. That’s the beauty of this dish! Remove the tenderloin from the fridge one hour before roasting to come to room temperature. Dry it off with paper towels, if it’s wet. Pre-heat your oven to 200°F. Set the meat on an oven-safe roasting rack with a pan below it. Roast for 90 minutes to 2 hours, checking every 30 minutes with a meat thermometer to read 125°F. Depending on the temperature of your oven, you may reach this reading earlier. Remove the tenderloin and set aside uncovered or lightly covered with aluminum foil (if you have a few hours until dinner).

5. To serve! Place your carrot puree in a sauce pot with a lid and heat over medium-low until warm. Heat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat and add butter, shallot, garlic and herbs. Once bubbling, add your chateaubriand and baste with the butter and aromatics for 2-3 minutes MAX, or until all sides of the meat are golden brown. Remove and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut the butcher twine off and slice into medallions. Smear each plate with your carrot cumin puree and place a medallion on top. Sprinkle with flaky salt and enjoy!