Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan assisted)/350F/gas mark 4. Place a large, wide pan over high heat and get it good and hot. Season the roulade well on all sides with salt and pepper. Lay the beef in the hot pan and sear it all around to form a crust.
Carefully remove the tenderloin from the pan and place it on a wire rack so it cooks evenly. Transfer the rack with the tenderloin to the oven and continue to cook for about 20 to 25 minutes for medium doneness (120 to 125 degrees F internal temperature - 49-52C).
Remove the meat to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This will ensure that the meat is not dry. Remove the kitchen string and slice the roulade into 1/4-inch slices.
Red Wine Sauce
Heat a medium saucepot over medium-high flame, and coat with the oil. Add the shallots and mushroom and saute until they are soft and browned, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle in the sugar, and continue to cook and stir until the mixture is caramelised, about 5 minutes.
Pour in the vinegar and cook, stirring often, until the liquid is reduced and the mixture is almost dry, about 3 minutes. Pour in the wine and continue to cook down for 15 minutes until the wine is concentrated and the mixture is tight and moist.
Stir in the demi glace, chicken stock, bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns; bring to a simmer and cook for approximately 15 minutes more, until a sauce consistency is reached and the aromatic flavors have combined; stirring here and there. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and reserve warm.
Servings: 8
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Ready in: 50 minutes
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 serving
Percent daily values based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.
The following ingredients were not linked to the ingredient database and were not included in the nutrition information:
Coarse sea salt and pepper
Amount Per Serving
Calories
491.20
Calories From Fat (30%)
149.53
% Daily Value
Total Fat 24.84g
38%
Saturated Fat 7.28g
36%
Monounsaturated Fat 10.99g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3.13g
Trans Fatty Acids 0.00g
Cholesterol 109.85mg
37%
Sodium 270.57mg
11%
Potassium 852.64mg
24%
Carbohydrates 12.64g
4%
Dietary Fiber 0.35g
1%
Sugar 5.37g
Sugar Alcohols 0.00g
Net Carbohydrates 12.29g
Protein 38.40g
77%
Vitamin A 134.25IU
3%
Vitamin C 2.17mg
4%
Calcium 27.99mg
3%
Iron 5.51mg
31%
Vitamin D 13.30IU
3%
Thiamin 0.22mg
15%
Riboflavin 0.48mg
28%
Niacin 7.67mg
38%
Vitamin B6 0.69mg
34%
Folate 23.47µg
6%
Vitamin B12 3.18µg
53%
Pantothenic Acid 0.78mg
8%
Phosphorus 360.50mg
36%
Magnesium 57.93mg
14%
Zinc 7.36mg
49%
Copper 0.40mg
20%
Manganese 0.67mg
34%
Selenium 34.65µg
49%
Alcohol 8.23g
Caffeine 0.00mg
Water 313.24g
Cooking Tips
One of the great classic French sauces, demi-glace is a rich brown sauce that is itself a base for many other sauces. Making it is not exactly a walk in the park, for it is a combination of an Espagnole or brown sauce, beef or veal stock, and Madeira or sherry, which is reduced by half.
So the first order of business is the Espagnole sauce. A couple of carrots, celery and onions are chopped into a mirepoix, and sautéed in butter until the onions are golden brown. Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and continue cooking gently. Make a brown roux over low heat in a heavy pan with 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of flour. When the roux is a hazelnut color, add 6 cups hot stock, and whisk together. Add the vegetables, as well as a bay leaf, a little thyme and some parsley stems. Simmer the mixture for 2 to 3 hours, skimming off the scum that rises to the surface. Strain it through a fine strainer, and press the mirepoix gently to extract their juices.
Then, for the demi-glace, add an equal amount of beef or veal stock, bring it to a boil, and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half, again skimming the surface as necessary. Off the heat, add 2 tablespoons Madeira. The sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for a week or frozen for 6 to 8 months. Having said that, these sauces are seldom made any more, even in restaurants. The more common alternative is Jus Lié, a stock quickly thickened with cornstarch, potato starch, or arrowroot. (Heat 3-1/2 cups of stock to the boil. Mix 5 teaspoons of starch with 1/2 cup of cold stock, and mix it into the simmering stock. Simmer the mixture until thickened and clear.) The quality of your stock is what will make your jus lié work or not. That is also true of the traditional sauces, but it has more to hide behind in the demi-glace.
