BEEF RED WINE SAUCE RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 140ºC/275ºF/gas 1.
  2. Using a sharp knife, remove the sinew from the beef cheeks. Peel and halve the shallots and peel and finely slice the garlic.
  3. Place half the butter in a medium ovenproof casserole dish over a medium heat. Sear the meat all over, until browned on all sides, then leave to one side.
  4. Add the shallots and fry for 8 to 10 minutes, or until slightly browned. Stir in the garlic and pick the thyme leaves straight into the pan. Fry for a couple of minutes, then return the beef cheeks to the pan and pour in the red wine.
  5. Bring to the boil, cook the wine for around 5 minutes, until reduced by half, then finely grate in the chocolate (if using).
  6. Pour in enough beef stock to cover, and turn up the heat. Bring back to the boil, season, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover with a tight layer of tinfoil and a lid, then place the pan in the oven and slowly braise for 4 to 4½ hours, or until incredibly tender.
  7. When the beef is almost ready, make the creamed parsnips. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
  8. Peel and chop the parsnip, celeriac and apples into 3cm chunks, taking care to remove the apple seeds and core. Add the fruit and veg to the pan, and simmer for about 12 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain and steam dry over the hot pan.
  9. Stir in the rest of the butter and then spoon into a food processor. Pour in the milk and add a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then blitz until smooth, adding a little more milk if needed (you can do this in the pan with a hand blender if you prefer).
  10. Remove the cheeks from the casserole dish, then place the dish over a high heat. Cook rapidly until the sauce thickens. Stir in the jam, taste and adjust the seasoning, then add the cheeks back to the pan and baste.
  11. Serve with the creamy parsnips and all your favourite trimmings.

Steps:

• Remove the tenderloin from the refrigerator 1 hour prior to cooking.
• On the tail end of the tenderloin, about a third of the way from where it begins to taper, make an incision almost all the way through the beef. Fold the tail onto the larger portion to make an even cylinder throughout. Use ten to twelve 8-inch pieces of butcher's twine to tie the tenderloin crosswise every 3/4 to 1 inch. This will help it to keep its shape and cook evenly.
• Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.
• Pat the tenderloin dry. Brush with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season heavily with salt and pepper all around. Put the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the beef and sear on all sides until a nice crust is formed, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Add the thyme, garlic and 3 tablespoons of the butter to the pan. Once the butter is melted, use a spoon to baste the beef with the herb and garlic infused butter for 30 seconds.
• Transfer the beef to a rack on a baking sheet, spoon over 2 tablespoons of the herb and garlic butter mixture from the cast-iron pan (reserve the pan) and roast until the internal temperature of the thickest part reaches 120 degrees F (for medium rare), 1 to 2 hours, depending on the size of the tenderloin. Cover the beef with foil and rest for 15 minutes.
• Add the shallots to the remaining herb and garlic butter mixture in the cast-iron pan and sweat over medium heat until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Deglaze with the red wine and reduce until almost dry, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the beef stock, bring to a simmer and reduce by half, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, thoroughly mix the remaining 2 tablespoons butter with the flour in a small bowl.
• Reduce the heat to low and slowly whisk in the butter and flour mixture bit by bit, until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Serve with the perfectly roasted beef.