Name: Center-cut Tenderloin Steaks with Truffles and Foie Gras (Tournedos Rossini)
Yield: Makes 6 Main-Course Servings
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons clarified butter, duck or goose fat, or olive oil (for sautéing the steaks); 1 section (2 pounds [900 g]) center-cut tenderloin (trimmed of all fat, silver skin and side muscle removed); pepper; salt; 3 tablespoons butter (for the sauce); ½ cup [125 ml] semidry or semisweet Madeira; ½ cup [125 ml] concentrated beef broth; 1 chunk (12 ounces [340 g]) foie gras terrine (bloc or entier) (for more information about foie gras); 1 stick (¼ pound [115 g]) butter, clarified (only if you’re making the croûtons); 1 black winter truffle (1 ounce [30 g], or as large as you can afford;); 6 thin slices dense-crumb white bread such as Pepperidge Farm (only if you’re making the croûtons)

Preparation info

Makes
6
Main-Course Servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Glorious French Food

By James Peterson

Published 2002

About

I serve this dish once every few years, only to very good friends and during the holidays, when I can better justify its wanton excess. It’s a dish that nouvelle cuisine chefs used to make fun of for being old-fashioned, pretentious, and excessive. Well, give me a little pretense and excess anytime, because tournedos Rossini is a marvelous thing and makes a glorious main course for a luxurious dinner. Because it’s so very rich, you can get by serving relatively small portions. Still, be pre