Marinated Beef Tenderloin with Carmelized Onion and Mushroom Ragout

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!  Apologies for the long hiatus, things got a little hectic prior to the wedding. But now I'm back, married (weird) and ready to blog!  I'll be adding several posts today, some from before the wedding and a few we made this week.

We made this recipe this week, after searching Wegman's for the right beef (both in quality and price). This calls for 2 pounds of beef tenderloin, which can be quite pricey (we found 3 pound beef tenderloin at Wegman's for $45).  So naturally since we don't want to spend $45 dollars for approximately 2-3 meals, we go for cheaper cuts.  The first time we made this we used flank steak and this time we used 'first cut' strip steak.  If you can find beef in your price range, this is so worth it.

If you look at the ingredients, it looks like it calls for a lot of items. However, most of these I have in my house so it doesn't take a lot to make this.  This requires some prep time beforehand--hours of marinating, so make sure you plan accordingly! I really think the sherry makes the flavors in this dish outstanding, so don't skip on it. Other than choosing a different cut of beef, we make no changes to this recipe. The sauce takes longer to simmer down than as mentioned (which seems to be standard for us with cooking light recipes) and the beef tends to cook more quickly than the allotted time, so be sure to watch it closely with your thermometer.

This is really quite tasty.  The caramelized onion and mushroom sauce is really flavorful and delicious.  However, the marinade is a combination of everything I love, so it's good as well.  This would be great with a fuller bodied red wine and perfect for a cold fall night.

Recipe by David Bonom, Cooking Light, November 2008

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces tenderloin and about 1/3 cup ragout)

Ingredients

• Beef:
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped shallots
• 2  tablespoons  balsamic vinegar
• 2  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce
• 1  tablespoon  Dijon mustard
• 1  tablespoon  honey
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  (2-pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• Ragout:
• 1  teaspoon  olive oil
• 2  cups  thinly sliced sweet onion
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 8  cups  sliced mushrooms (about 1 pound)
• 1  tablespoon  low-sodium soy sauce
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4  cup  Madeira wine or dry sherry
• 1/3  cup  fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 1  tablespoon  balsamic vinegar
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. To prepare beef, combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add beef to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 4 hours, turning occasionally.
2. Preheat oven to 450°.
3. Remove beef from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place beef on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 35 minutes or until a thermometer registers 135° or until desired degree of doneness. Place tenderloin on a platter; let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
4. To prepare ragout, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 15 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high. Add mushrooms, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and thyme; sauté 8 minutes. Stir in Madeira; cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Add broth; cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 212 (26% from fat)

Fat: 6g (sat 2.1g,mono 2.5g,poly 0.4g)

Protein: 25.1g

Carbohydrate: 12.1g

Fiber: 1.4g

Cholesterol: 52mg

Iron: 2.1mg

Sodium: 502mg

Calcium: 35mg