Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary, Mustard and Mushroom Cream Sauce

My mother makes a beef fillet with rosemary that's a 10 out of 10. Every time she makes it, I ask her afterwards how it's done, but I always forget — I think it's because the explanation seems too simple for how spectacular the dish is. This time I was next to the computer and I wrote it down.

It's also a dish with surprising aromas and presentation: it's served on a slice of toasted or fried bread, so the bread for mopping up the delicious sauce is already included on the plate. The crunchy bread gradually soaks up the sauce, so the dish evolves as you eat it and every bite is different.

Without further ado, here's the recipe.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 4 large pieces of beef tenderloin, or 8 small ones (you can use another cut of meat, or pork tenderloin)
• A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 150 ml cream
• Mustard (classic Dijon works well)
• Button mushrooms
• Cognac
• Bread

Method

Start by seasoning the meat with salt and pepper and spreading both sides with a good mustard.

Then stick a sprig of fresh rosemary into each fillet and leave them to rest for 1 hour.

In a frying pan big enough to hold all the fillets, melt a little butter (not much) and brown the meat, keeping the rosemary sprig stuck in the fillets.

Once they're done to your liking, remove the rosemary and flambé them with a small glass of warm cognac.

When all the alcohol has evaporated, take the fillets out of the pan and set them aside.

Separately, sauté the sliced mushrooms in a little butter.

In the pan with the juices left by the meat, add the cream, stir for 1 minute, then return the meat and add the fried mushrooms.

As I said at the start, the dish is served on a slice of fried bread, with the fillet on top and the sauce and mushrooms, garnished with a little fresh rosemary.

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