Cajun-Seared Tenderloin of Beef with Oven-Roasted Tomatoes and Blue Cheese

Main Ingredients

• 6 plum tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Four 6-ounce beef filets
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 teaspoons Cajun spice mix (recipe below)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 small red onion, sliced thinly
• 1/2 batch smashed potatoes
• 1 cup Bordelaise (recipe below)
• Seasonal vegetables of your choice
• 3 ounces blue cheese (good quality cheese like Stilton, Gorgonzola or Danish Blue Castello), crumbled
• 3 Tablespoons of your favorite blue cheese dressing
• 1 teaspoon coarsely chopped Italian parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush the paper with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil.
2. Cut the plum tomatoes in half lengthwise and place them cut side up on the baking sheet. Drizzle the tomatoes with the remainder of the 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle the tomatoes with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 2 hours.
3. Place the beef filets on a plate and coat on both sides with olive oil. Coat all around with Cajun spice mix and kosher salt. Marinate the beef in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
4. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is very hot, sear the beef filets for 4 minutes. Turn the filets over and sear on the other side for 4 minutes. Depending on how you like your beef cooked, it may be necessary to preheat an oven and finish the beef in the oven. Cook it to your preference.
5. Heat a medium-sized sauté pan over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Add the sliced red onions and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.
6. Place a scoop of Hartstone smashed potatoes on the plates and top with the seared beef filet. Place seasonal vegetables of your choice on the back of the plate, and ladle the Bordelaise on the front of the plate. Top the beef with an oven-roasted tomato half, and place two more halves in the Bordelaise. Top the beef with the crumbled blue cheese, the sautéed onion and drizzle with the blue cheese dressing. Sprinkle with Italian parsley and serve.

Cajun Spice Mix Ingredients

• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup ground sweet paprika
• 3 Tablespoons ground cayenne pepper
• 2 Tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons dried thyme leaves
• 2 Tablespoons celery seed
• 2 Tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 Tablespoons onion powder
• 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Bordelaise Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/2 small bay leaf
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 10 black peppercorns, cracked
• 2 cups Brown veal stock (recipe below)
• salt to taste

Bordelaise Instructions

1. Heat a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter to the pan and then the minced shallot. Stir for 1 minute and add the flour. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
2. Add the red wine, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns and veal stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Season to taste with salt, then strain through a fine mesh strainer. Bordelaise will keep for 1 week covered in the refrigerator and freezes well for up to 3 months.

Brown Veal Stock Ingredients

• 10 pounds veal bones (a combination of meaty breast bones and gelatinous large bones works well)
• 2 Tablespoons canola oil
• 1 pound yellow onions
• 1 pound carrots
• 3 stalks celery
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 cups red wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Brown Veal Stock Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Coat the bottom of two roasting pans with the canola oil and divide the veal bones between the two pans. Place the pans in the hot oven and roast for 30 minutes, browning the bones well.
3. Roughly cut the onions, carrots and celery into1-inch pieces. Add the vegetables to the browned bones and roast for another 15 minutes.
4. Brush the bones with the tomato paste and return to the oven for 10 more minutes.
5. Empty the contents of the roasting pans into a 14-quart (or larger) stockpot. Place the roasting pans on the stove over medium heat and divide the wine between the two pans. Deglaze the pans by scraping all the fond (brown cooked-on bits) from the bottom of the pans with a metal spatula. Use additional water if necessary to clean all fond from the pan. Place all of these juices into the pot with the bones and vegetables. Cover the bones with about 2 gallons of water and add the bay leaf, fresh thyme and peppercorns. Place the stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer the stock for 12 hours.
6. Strain the stock through a fine strainer and discard all the solids. Skim off any visible fat.
7. The next step is reducing the stock. I like to take a large saucepan (4-quart) and fill it with the stock. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce to a high simmer. Skim and discard any impurities or fat from the surface of the stock during this stage. As the stock reduces, replenish with the remaining stock until it has all been added and has further reduced to about 3 quarts.
8. It is important to cool the reduced stock to room temperature before you place it in the refrigerator. This can be done many different ways: divide the stock into shallow containers to cool, immerse a pot of the strained stock into a sink full of ice water or set the pot in a snow bank outside the kitchen door. Once the stock has cooled, refrigerate it in a covered container. The stock will gel up firm after it has cooled. Stock will keep up to 1 week in the refrigerator or can be frozen in freezer bags or small covered containers for up to 3 months.