Julia Child’s The New Way to Cook was my very first cookbook. Ever. Almost thirty years ago, Tom got it to mark our move from Manhattan to New Jersey and the start of our new life. The book started my cooking craze. Until then, I didn’t really know how to boil eggs or peel potatoes. New life — new way to cook.
This sauté of beef was the first recipe that caught my attention. Since then, I went for this recipe many times — it never got boring. What’s not to like? It’s beef. With cream. And vermouth. And mushrooms. And potatoes. And you can herb it up any way you want — I use thyme.
Julia referred to it as a “jazzy good meal for an important intimate informal twosome in a hurry prepared to a meaningful conversation and apéritifs together in the kitchen.” This is exactly how we roll.
WHAT WENT IN
— butter
— olive oil
— fresh chopped parsley
— salt and pepper to taste
THE ONIONS
— 8 pearl onions or small shallots
— 1/2 cup chicken stock
— dried thyme
THE POTATOES
— 4 large boiling potatoes, peeled, cut in 3/4” cubes
— dried thyme
THE MUSHROOMS
— 10 large fresh mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
— 1 TBSP minced shallots or scallions
THE BEEF
— 2 beef tenderloin steaks 1 1/2” thick, cut into 1/2” chunks
THE SAUCE
— 2 Tbsp minced shallots or scallions
— 1/3 cup dry vermouth
— 1/3 cup beef or chicken stock
— 1/3 cup heavy cream (or 1/2 cup stock with 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch)
— fresh thyme
THE PROCESS
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Drop onions or shallots for one minute into boiling water. Drain, cool, peel trying to keep the root side intact. Cover them with stock, add herbs, a pinch of salt, and simmer covered for about 20 min.
3. Meanwhile, spread potatoes tossed with oil and lightly salted on a parchment lined cookie sheet, sprinkle the herbs, and roast for about 30 min, until they develop a nice color and become crispy.
4. While onions and potatoes are cooking, in a large pan or a dutch oven, saute mushrooms in hot butter until they give out their water. Keep going until the water evaporates and absorbed butter reappears on the surface of the mushrooms. Add shallots and let everything lightly brown. Remove to a bowl.
5. In the same pan or pot, over high heat in a mix of butter and oil brown meat on all sides and don’t worry about cooking it through — that will happen later. Remove to a bowl with mushrooms. Spoon most of the fat out of the pot.
6. Into the remaining fat, stir minced shallots or scallions and soften them over medium heat. Pour in vermouth, stock, cream, and whatever liquid left from cooked onions. Boil rapidly, reducing the juices to a syrup consistency.
7. Add meat, onions, and mushrooms to the juices in the pot, and simmer for a few minutes, until the beef is ready to your liking. I just warm it through.
8. Taste for seasoning, add potatoes, more herbs, parsley, and serve.
