When we were in the throes of a Gordon Ramsey YouTube bender a while back we happened across this video:

We don’t eat Beef very often. Mostly we just can’t afford it since really good Beef is significantly more expensive than really good Chicken (and we deserve the best, goldurnit!). Thus, more often than not – and in spite of multi-million dollar ad campaigns to the contrary – its actually Chicken that’s “what’s for dinner” in our house (sorry, Beef).

We do, however, love us some Beef when we can afford it and – more specifically – we love Beef Tenderloin.  Through LifeSource Natural Foods we have a standing order with a local producer of grass fed beef for exactly one Beef Tenderloin that comes through every few months, which is just about right for our budget. We compete directly with some of the better local restaurants for this stuff and since the producer can only make so much we only get it if no else needs it.

Since our turn for Tenderloin (tenderturn? turnderloin?) comes around pretty rarely (and we essentially eat no other Beef) it’s always a special occasion so we try to do something – um, special with it. This usually involves guests and some kind of fancy recipe. We posted one of these recipes a while back but we decided we needed another one to fill out the ol’ culinary quiver.

Chef Ramsey uses Ribeye for this recipe (and we don’t argue with Gordon Ramsey because he frightens us) but we have a thing for Beef Tenderloin (and it’s awesome this way too, shhhh…).

Now, you can probably figure out how to cook the basis for this mostly by watching that video (which is what we did). Or you can read the rest of this post and discover that we brilliantly found a way to include Whiskey in OUR steak…HA! In your face Gordon!!

Objects:

• 4 6 to 8 oz steaks
• 4 Garlic Cloves, crushed with the skin left on
• 1 6 inch Rosemary sprig
• 3/4 stick of Unsalted Butter (mmmm, butter…) cut in half
• 1/2 cup Whiskey, Bourbon is best…because we said so
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

Actions:

• In a screamingly hot pan add a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Make sure the pan is large enough so that the steaks have plenty of room to breathe, if you’re pan’s a little too small to give the steaks an inch or so of space all the way around then you might need to work in batches…
• Salt & Pepper the steaks and get them in the pan
• Immediately add the Garlic Cloves and the Rosemary to the pan
• After the Steaks are a nice dark brown on the underside (5 to 7 minutes) flip them over and add 1/2 of the butter to the pan
• Garlic & Rosemary on top of the steak as well as you can and baste them with the melted butter
• When the steaks are done pull them out and let them rest while you make the sauce
• Add the whiskey to the pan and scrape up all the fond (the brown bits) and swirl it all around until the whiskey has reduced a bit – about 2 minutes
• Take the pan off the heat and add the remaining Butter
• Swirl it all around some more until the Butter melts in and the sauce gets a lovely sheen
• Serve the Steaks with the sauce

Pant, gasp, and drool…then eat.