Recipe: Tournedos Rossini

Name: Tournedos Rossini
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4 Charolais beef tenderloin hearts, approximately 6.25 oz (180 g) each; 4 slices of fresh foie gras, duck or goose, 1.75 oz (50 g) each; 1 beautiful black truffle (Mélanosporum), 30 to 1.4 oz (40 g); 4 slices of white bread, lightly toasted; 1 dl of good red port; 0.4 cup (10 cl) of grape seed oil; 3 dl (1.25 cups (30 cl)) of veal stock; 0.4 oz (10 g) of butter cut into small cubes; salt and freshly ground pepper

By chef patrick Asfaux 4.9/5 (98 reviews) · 🍳 109 made it

Recipe Tournedos Rossini - Chef Patrick Asfaux — Photo: Aftouch-cuisine

Prep 15 min

Cook 20 min

Total 35 min

Servings 4 serv.

For a great recipe to continue living, each generation of cooks must make it evolve. Here is my version of Tournedos Rossini, which is not a dogma but a personal reflection. Tournedos Rossini is Charolais beef seared on both sides, topped with foie gras and truffle. Marinating overnight in grape seed oil with truffle allows the flavors to penetrate the meat. Allow 4 minutes total cooking time to keep a pink center. Port reduced with veal stock creates a short, glossy sauce. With toasted slices of white bread, it's the perfect dish for a festive Sunday.

Ingredients for 4 servings

Adjust for

servings

4 Charolais beef tenderloin hearts, approximately 6.25 oz (180 g) each
4 slices of fresh foie gras, duck or goose, 1.75 oz (50 g) each
1 beautiful black truffle (Mélanosporum), 30 to 1.4 oz (40 g)
4 slices of white bread, lightly toasted
1 dl of good red port
0.4 cup (10 cl) of grape seed oil
3 dl (1.25 cups (30 cl)) of veal stock
0.4 oz (10 g) of butter cut into small cubes
salt and freshly ground pepper

Step-by-step directions

The evening before:

1 In an airtight container, place your four beef steaks, salt and pepper them, place a beautiful truffle slice on each one, then pour a little grape seed oil over them. Close your container and keep it in the refrigerator.

2 Cut the remaining truffle into thin small batons (julienne), place in a small bowl and pour the red port over it. Cover with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated.

One hour before serving:

3 Take a thick-bottomed sauté pan, add a few knobs of butter and a drop of oil and heat until it reaches a golden brown color.

4 Meanwhile, drain and pat dry the beef steaks and the four truffle slices.

5 In the sauté pan, sear the tournedos for two minutes on each side, according to your preferred cooking level, to give them a nice color. Then remove them to a plate away from the heat (on an upside-down plate) and cover them with aluminum foil to keep them warm.

6 Heat some water for a bain-marie to keep your sauce warm once it's ready.

7 Remove some fat from the sauté pan and put it back on the heat. When it's hot, pour in the port without the truffles and, with a whisk, scrape up the pan drippings, then add the veal stock and let it reduce for two minutes.

8 Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, chinois with cheesecloth, and keep it warm in the bain-marie with a knob of butter on top.

9 10 minutes before serving, place your seasoned foie gras slices in the freezer.

10 When serving time comes, heat a nonstick pan and place your foie gras slices in it without any fat. Give them color on both sides, about one minute on each side, season with salt and pepper, then place them on absorbent paper.

11 In a sauté pan, reheat the sauce, add the truffle julienne, a few drops of lemon juice (3 or 4) and the beef tenderloin pieces, basting them. If they've released any juices, add those too. Remove the meat pieces according to your preferred cooking level.

12 Place your foie gras slices in the hot oven for 3 minutes.

13 Now you can plate. On beautiful warm plates, place the toast, then the beef tenderloin heart in the center, topped with foie gras, coated with hot truffle sauce and finished with a beautiful truffle slice. You can serve as a side dish beautiful Pont-Neuf potatoes, puffed potatoes, or quenelles of mashed potatoes.

Chef Patrick's Comment

As the story goes, the famous composer Gioacchino Rossini was known in his time as much for the quality of his music as for his culinary tastes, which were said to be very refined. This is how he created this recipe at the time using beef and truffle and asked the chef of the "Café Anglais", one of the greatest restaurants in Paris, to prepare it for him.

Later, its foundations evolved to become a beef tenderloin heart topped with foie gras and a Madeira sauce with truffles.

Frequently asked questions

Can I replace the foie gras with something else?

Technically yes, but you lose the dish's identity. If you must, try a sautéed porcini slice in butter, that's tasty. Count 30 seconds per side. Honestly though, Tournedos Rossini without foie gras is a different dish entirely.

Why sear the tournedos only 2 minutes per side?

Because at 180g each, 2 minutes per side gives you a 50-52°C core (pink). The fillet keeps cooking on the foil-covered plate. Three minutes gets you close to rare, which won't work here. Check with a skewer: it should feel warm at the center.

Can I prep the tournedos the day before?

Yes, the oil marinade the evening before needs just 12-18 hours. But the fresh truffle in porto stays less than 24 hours. Foie gras preps only one hour before. Summary: meat the day before, sauces on the day.