No. 1399

Minions of Tenderloin of Beef—Plain

Mignons de Filet de Boeuf Nature

Trim carefully a tenderloin of beef, remove all the fat and nerves, then cut it into slices each one weighing five ounces; beat them lightly to have them all of the same thickness, then pare and cut them into round shapes. Salt on both sides, dip them in melted butter or sweet oil, and broil on a moderate, well-sustained fire; they should take six minutes if desired rare, eight minutes to have them properly done, and ten minutes if required well done. When half cooked turn them over and finish on the other side. Dress on a hot dish and pour some clear gravy (No. 404) over.

← No. 1398 Minced Tenderloin of Beef with Potato Croque Beef No. 1400 Minions of Tenderloin of Beef a la Baillard →

For the Modern Kitchen

Ranhofer's plainest tenderloin preparation: trimmed, oiled, broiled over live fire, sauced with a spoonful of clear brown gravy. Almost everything hinges on the trimming and the heat.

"Nerves" means silverskinThe tough iridescent membrane along the tenderloin's side must come off with the point of a boning knife, taking as little meat as possible. Left on, it contracts in the heat and buckles the steak.
Portion sizeFive ounces cut from a pared tenderloin gives a steak roughly 1 1/4 inches thick and about 3 inches across. Beating them lightly is only to even the thickness, not to tenderize; a few taps with the flat of a heavy knife is enough.
Sweet oilPeriod usage for olive oil, generally the mild table grade rather than a peppery green one. Clarified butter or any neutral high-smoke-point oil serves the same purpose here, which is simply to keep the meat from sticking and to help it color.
"A moderate, well-sustained fire"Most likely a bed of charcoal burned down to even grey ash with no flare-ups: hot enough to sear but steady for ten minutes. Ranhofer does not define the term. On a gas grill, medium to medium-high with the lid up; in a heavy pan, medium-high with the pan preheated several minutes before the meat goes in.
The timings are for that fire, not yoursSix, eight and ten minutes assume Ranhofer's broiler and a steak of about this thickness. Judge by internal temperature instead: about 125F for rare, 135F for medium, 145F for medium-well and 160F and up for well done, pulling the steaks a few degrees short since they carry over while resting.
Turn once"When half cooked turn them over" is deliberate: the method assumes one turn, which gives the crust time to form on each side.
Rest before saucingRanhofer does not mention it, but five minutes on a warm dish before the gravy goes on will keep the juices in the meat rather than in the sauce.
The clear gravyNo. 404 is Ranhofer's "clear gravy," that is, an unthickened jus rather than a floured or thickened gravy. A good reduced veal or beef stock, skimmed until it runs bright, is the equivalent.
YieldOne 5-ounce medallion per person as a course in a long menu; two if the steak is the center of the meal.

A Little History

The Epicurean (1894) is Charles Ranhofer's account of some three decades as chef at Delmonico's in New York, and this entry is the baseline against which the fancier versions that follow it — à la Baillard and the rest — are measured. Mignon simply means small or dainty. Ranhofer's kitchen worked over coal and charcoal broilers, which is the context for his six, eight and ten minutes. The term filet mignon reached general American use in the decades around this book, and Delmonico's is often credited with popularizing the cut on this side of the Atlantic, though the claim is traditional rather than documented.