BLUE CHEESE-STUFFED BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH PORT SAUCE & MUSHROOM-SPINACH BARLEY PILAF

BLUE CHEESE-STUFFED BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH PORT SAUCE & MUSHROOM-SPINACH BARLEY PILAF image

Categories Beef

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 19

Ingredients

1 4-pound trimmed beef tenderloin
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4 tsp. dried thyme
2 cups crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup bread crumbs
Butcher's twine or string
1 Tb. olive oil
1 cup ruby port wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 tsp. water
For the barley pilaf:
1 cup dried mushrooms 2 Tbs. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 pound pearled barley
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth
7 ounces rinsed baby spinach
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

Prepare beef and sauce: Slit tenderloin lengthwise, almost but not all the way through. Sprinkle with salt and 1/2 tsp. each pepper and thyme. Mix cheese, bread crumbs and 1/4 tsp. each pepper and thyme; stuff pocket with cheese mixture. Tie tenderloin crosswise at 1 1/2-inch intervals. Coat with oil and sprinkle with more salt and pepper; set aside. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed roasting pan over two burners on medium-high heat. When pan is very hot, turn on exhaust fan and sear roast until well browned, about 2 minutes on all 4 sides; transfer to a cookie sheet. Reduce heat to low; add port, scraping roasting pan to loosen brown bits. Pour port into a saucepan with 1 cup broth. Simmer until reduced to 1 cup; whisk in cornstarch to thicken. Set aside. Prepare pilaf: Place mushrooms in a bowl, cover with3 cups of water and agitate to loosen dirt. Let sit 30 minutes. Put mushrooms in a fine mesh strainer; reserve liquid in bowl. Wash mushrooms under running water. Set aside. Pour mushroom liquid through strainer into another bowl. Add 2 Tbs. oil to the roasting pan. Sauté onion until well browned, 5 minutes. Add barley. Sauté; stir constantly,1 to 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, then wine. Simmer until nearly evaporated; add reserved mushroom liquid and4 cups broth, and bring to a simmer. To cook: Set a wire rack over the barley; set beef on rack. Cook, uncovered, until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 120 (medium-rare) or 125 (medium), 30 to 35 minutes. Remove roast from rack and rack from pan. Let roast rest for about 25 minutes. Return barley to oven; cook until liquid evaporates and barley is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; stir in spinach and Parmesan until spinach wilts. To serve: Reheat port wine sauce. Cut roast into 1-inch-thick slices. Serve with sauce and barley pilaf.