It’s a question that demands an answer, so let’s get into the serious meat dishes! I am a carnivore by nature. I love seafood; I love chicken; I adore desserts. But nothing – I mean NOTHING – compares to a slab of beef on my dinner plate for making me swoon! In over 300 pages, Magnolia Table only dedicates 11 recipes to the delicious cow. But that’s only one reason I saved #131 Beef Tenderloin (With Pickled Jalapeño Sour Cream) for the end of my journey with this cookbook. Actually, I had quite a few qualms. For starters, this is one of the very few recipes Jo snuck in that required me to think about dinner well in advance before diving in. Most of her dishes lean towards the grab-and-go, dinner-on-the-table-in-less-than-an-hour style. This had “PRE-PLANNING” written all over it; not one of my stronger suits. Because of this, I had several false starts trying to make this meal over the past year. Secondly, I had to make a whole other recipe that goes INTO this recipe: #40 Pickled Jalapeños, in order to concoct the sour cream topping. Adding insult to injury, the pickling process required an additional three days at a minimum… We’re now talking about a week’s advance thought to make dinner!
I actually made the pictured batch of jalapeños months ago during an aborted attempt at the tenderloin, so I had to use those for an alternate dish, #47 Jalapeño Corn Bread. This was good, and I always love a cast-iron skillet recipe, but honestly I’d have been just as happy to leave the peppers out.
But I’m not finished with my list of objections! When I finally buckled down and made a fresh batch of pickled peppers and let them sit for the appropriate length of time, I went to the store with my trusty cookbook in hand and started searching for a three pound beef tenderloin. Easier said than done, my friends. Referring to the picture, I knew I was looking for a roast, similar in size and shape to a pork tenderloin. All I could find on the shelves were small cuts of steak. I inquired with the butcher, and he pointed me back to where I was already looking. After explaining I needed a three-pounder, he gave me a skeptical look, and with a shake of his head, went to the back of the meat department. I understood his reluctance when he returned, asking, “Are you sure?” as he presented me with a $113.00 piece of meat. I thanked him for his trouble and walked my happy butt back to the steak-cuts! I have to take a moment to ask Jo… What WERE you thinking?? I know where she gets the money to afford such an extravagance on a random Thursday, but for those of us without publishing, merchandising, remodeling and television empires, the $25 package was far more reasonable. (Side note: my beloved Pioneer Woman recently released a Labor Day cookout menu featuring a SIX pound roast, but I’ll give her a pass considering she lives on a literal cattle ranch and probably couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting a fresh tenderloin. But we can’t all be so lucky!) Finally, much like Arby’s, I “has the meats”, so now I was ready to marinate overnight in a heavenly melange of soy sauce and Worcestershire, the pickling brine from those (homegrown!) jalapeños, and some Montreal seasoning. You could get creative here and season with whatever you want, or maybe add some fresh minced garlic to the mix, but I kept it pure for science! The hits just kept on coming for the “preparation” phase though. Once it was marinated I had to drain the liquid, pat the beef dry and let it come to room temperature for one hour, all while keeping a horde of cats at bay, before slathering the steaks with softened butter. You’re killing me, Jo!
Here’s where things got tricky: her directions assumed I was a Rockefeller relative and had indeed purchased the obscenely overpriced cut. Luckily she included a cooking breakdown of three minutes per pound in a 500 degree (!!) oven, then with the door remaining closed, turn off the heat and let the pan sit in the hot box for another 20 minutes. You guessed it; mine only cooked for three minutes, as my paltry half-pound steaks barely required even that long. Was it done yet? Heck no! Next the meat had to rest another 15 minutes while I again defended the kitchen against feline thieves. With fingers crossed and a short prayer uttered, we cut into what I hoped would not be a giant disappointment after such a labor intensive process. I needn’t have worried. If I’d made this dish on “Beat Bobby Flay”, I would have annihilated him. It was FLAW. LESS. The moral of this story is: if a meal takes a week to make it right, it’s probably worth it! So suck it up, take out a loan, and go make this beef tenderloin!
Have Book, Will Cook 