The Kindest Cut of All

A beef tenderloin isn’t something most of us think of when we want to keep dinner simple. We usually end up buying steaks for the grill. But the tenderloin--the most tender of cuts--is what filet mignons are cut from. As one of my colleagues said: “It’s so tender you could cut it with a harsh word.”

What’s more, it’s easier to cook one piece of meat than to keep an eye on six steaks. All a good piece of meat like this needs is a little seasoning, then into the oven it goes while you prepare the salad.

It takes about 20 minutes to roast the tenderloin to rare or medium rare.

When the meat and mushrooms are done, I like to add a little butter to the mushrooms in the pan, scrape up the drippings, then spoon the mushrooms around the sliced tenderloin.

One of my favorite fast salads is sliced tomatoes and whole basil leaves arranged on a serving platter and seasoned with salt and cracked pepper. Drizzle some good olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the salad, then sprinkle with goat cheese and garnish with slices of avocado.

A big bowl of cut fruit that you can pick up in the produce section of your market along with fresh strawberries and a nice wedge of Stilton cheese make a good ending to the meal.

MENU (30 MINUTES OR LESS)

Whole Roast Tenderloin With Mushrooms

Tomato and Basil Salad

Hard Rolls

Fresh Fruit Bowl With Stilton Cheese

INGREDIENTS

SHOPPING LIST

1 small avocado

1 bunch basil

1 (5 1/2-ounce) package goat cheese

1 wedge Stilton cheese

6 large mushrooms

6 to 12 hard rolls

1 pint strawberries

1 (2-pound) beef tenderloin

3 tomatoes

1 container pre-cut fresh fruit

STAPLES

Butter

Olive oil

Cracked black pepper

Sea salt

Balsamic vinegar

COUNTDOWN

30 minutes before: Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Drizzle oil over tenderloin. Season with salt and pepper. Clean mushrooms, quarter and arrange around meat in pan.

25 minutes before: Put roast in oven.

20 minutes before: Prepare salad and let stand until serving time. Wash strawberries and put in bowl with pre-cut fresh fruit. Chill until serving time.

5 minutes before: Remove meat to carving board. Add butter to roasting pan and deglaze. Slice meat and arrange on serving platter with mushrooms.

WHOLE TENDERLOIN WITH MUSHROOMS (IT’S A SNAP)

1 (2-pound) beef tenderloin

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt

Cracked black pepper

6 large mushrooms, quartered

1 tablespoon butter

Put tenderloin in roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Rub oil over roast and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Wipe mushrooms with damp paper towel to remove dirt and cut into quarters. Scatter mushrooms around meat in roasting pan.

Roast meat at 500 degrees 20 to 25 minutes or to 140 degrees on meat thermometer for medium rare.

Remove meat. Add butter to roasting pan and heat on top of stove to deglaze pan, stirring mushrooms in butter and drippings. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cut tenderloin into 6 slices and arrange on serving platter. Spoon mushrooms around meat.

6 servings. Each serving:

233 calories; 130 mg sodium; 75 mg cholesterol; 15 grams fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 24 grams protein; 0.09 gram fiber.

TOMATO AND BASIL SALAD

3 tomatoes, cut into 1-inch slices

Sea salt

Cracked black pepper

12 basil leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 (5 1/2-ounce) package goat cheese, crumbled

1 small avocado, sliced

Arrange tomatoes on serving platter. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste. Tuck basil leaves between tomato slices. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with goat cheese and top with avocado slices.

6 servings. Each serving:

125 calories; 93 mg sodium; 5 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.70 gram fiber.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Short Cuts

* Have the butcher remove any of the tough silverskin from the tenderloin. This will save you from having to do any trimming in the kitchen.

* Don’t bother cutting the stems off the strawberries. Just wash them off and arrange them nicely. The stems make a nice presentation--and you save yourself a few minutes of slicing.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Kitchen Tip

*Purchase large mushrooms like those used for stuffing. They’re usually cleaner and quicker to prepare than the smaller button-type.

*

Nancy Calhoun platter and blue frosted plates from Bristol Kitchens, South Pasadena.