Tenderloin of Beef a l'Ambassade—Whole

Pare a fine tenderloin using the same care as if intended for larding (No. 112); cover it with thin slices of fat pork, tie it well so as to keep the latter in position; fill the bottom of a narrow baking pan with slices of pork, laying minced carrots and onions on top, pour over some good, melted fat, set the tenderloin over, and put it in the oven for forty to forty-five minutes, basting it several times while it is cooking, and turning the baking pan frequently so that the meat cooks evenly and colors well, letting it be done rare. A few minutes before serving salt it; when ready untie and glaze it, dress the tenderloin on a small rice foundation, two inches high and of the same shape and size as the tenderloin. On each side arrange a garnishing of small croustades filled with baked bechamel cauliflower (No. 2715), at each end place potato balls, fried in butter, three-quarters of an inch in diameter; stick five silver skewers into the top of the tenderloin, each one made of a fine truffle and sweetbreads; the truffles to be glazed in meat glaze (No. 402). Serve a Madeira sauce (No. 492) in a separate sauce-bowl.

Should the tenderloin be needed for a plain dinner, and it were necessary to carve it in the kitchen or dining-room, or even in an adjoining pantry, then proceed as follows: Cut the two ends of the tenderloin, remove the chain (the chain is the irregular portion partly detached from the tenderloin), one-half inch from the bottom; cut the end triangle-shaped, then continue cutting very fine bias slices. Place each slice on a hot plate with a little good gravy (No. 404) and some of the garnishing; serve the Madeira sauce apart.