No. 1430

Tournedos of Tenderloin of Beef, Plain

Tournedos de Filet de Boeuf Nature

Cut some slices about two and a half ounces, from a well trimmed tenderloin of beef; beat them lightly to flatten to a quarter of an inch thick, pare them round shaped two and a quarter inches in diameter. Each piece of tournedos after being trimmed should weight two ounces; season with salt and pepper, then warm some fat in a sauteing pan, lay in the tournedos one beside the other and cook them on a brisk fire, being careful to turn them over only once during that time. Drain, wipe and glaze them with some meat glaze (No. 402), using a brush for the purpose; dress, and pour a little clear gravy (No. 404), into the bottom of the dish. It will take about four minutes to have them rare, five to have them properly done, and six to have them well done.

← No. 1429 Tenderloin Steak with Truffles Beef No. 1431 Tournedos of Tenderloin of Beef a la Bretign →

For the Modern Kitchen

A bare-bones method from Ranhofer's The Epicurean (1894) that is really a technique rather than a dish: small rounds of tenderloin, hard-seared, glazed, and served with a spoonful of gravy. The hinge is the single turn — leave them alone until the crust sets, then flip once.

Portion sizeSlices cut at 2½ oz trim down to 2 oz each, about 2¼ inches across and ¼ inch thick. That is a small medallion; count three or four per person.
"Beat them lightly"A few taps with the flat of a cleaver or the heel of your hand, only to even the thickness. Tenderloin needs no tenderising and will turn mushy if pounded.
"Brisk fire"A heavy pan over high heat, fat shimmering and just short of smoking. At ¼ inch thick the timings are real: 4 minutes total for rare, 5 for what Ranhofer calls 'properly done', 6 for well done, so roughly 2 to 3 minutes a side.
The fatThe recipe specifies only 'some fat', most likely clarified butter, rendered beef fat, or a mix. Whole butter will scorch at this heat; clarified butter, beef tallow or a neutral oil finished with butter all work.
Meat glaze, No. 402Brown stock reduced to a syrup that sets firm when cold — what a modern kitchen calls glace de viande. A tablespoon of good reduced beef stock, or a commercial demi-glace concentrate thinned slightly, gives the same lacquer.
Clear gravy, No. 404Not a thickened flour gravy but unthickened brown beef stock, seasoned and skimmed of fat. Warm it separately; a few tablespoons in the bottom of the platter is all that is wanted.
Drain and wipeBlotting the medallions before glazing is what makes the glaze cling instead of sliding off in a greasy film. Do not skip it.
TrimmingsThe parings from rounding the medallions are prime beef. Keep them for a tartare, a quick sauté, or to enrich the stock.

A Little History

Charles Ranhofer ran the kitchen at Delmonico's in New York for over thirty years, and The Epicurean is his attempt to set down the whole repertoire in cross-referenced form — hence the numbered recipes and the constant pointing to sauces elsewhere in the book. Tournedos entered professional French cookery in the second half of the nineteenth century as chefs found uses for the tenderloin once whole-roast service gave way to plated portions; the name is usually explained as coming from the medallions being turned as they cook, though that reading is traditional rather than documented, and other accounts connect it to the position of the cut on the loin. The nature in the title marks it as the plain baseline: the numbered variations that follow it — with truffles, à la Brétigny, and the rest — all assume the cook has this four-to-six-minute sear already in hand.