Beef Tenderloin with Wild Mushroom Pan Gravy Recipe

Jenny Bravo/Warm Your Bones

When the days are cold and the evenings are long, comfort food is essential. Enter the beef tenderloin with wild mushroom pan gravy recipe from Vanessa Seder’s new cookbook, Warm Your Bones: Cozy Recipes for Chilly Days and Winter Nights.

“Pan-searing the loin allows you to brown and caramelize the exterior while ensuring the interior remains tender and juicy,” Seder writes. “Make sure you don’t forget to let the medallions rest after removing them from the oven…Letting the meat rest allows the juices to redistribute and ‘carryover cooking’ (chef shorthand for cooking that continues post-oven) to take place.”

While the meat rests, work on the drool-worthy gravy. As for sides, garlicky mashed potatoes, French fries or roasted carrots would pair beautifully.

^{Recipes reprinted with permission from Warm Your Bones: Cozy Recipes for Chilly Days and Winter Nights by Vanessa Seder ? 2024. Published by Union Square & Co. Photographs ? Jenny Bravo.}

Polenta with Roasted Mushrooms and Bacon

471 calories

34g fat

11g carbs

29g protein

3g sugars

Four 6- to 8-ounce beef tenderloin medallions, about 2 inches thick

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons (? stick) cold, unsalted butter, divided

2 medium shallots, finely chopped

1 pound wild mushrooms (such as chestnut, cremini, oyster, black trumpet, chanterelle or shiitake), halved, sliced or quartered into roughly 1-inch pieces

? cup dry sherry

2 cups low-sodium beef broth

4 sprigs rosemary

4 sprigs thyme

? cup soy sauce

1. Pat the medallions dry and season them all over with the salt and pepper.

2. Gently tie a piece of kitchen twine around each medallion. (The twine will help the tenderloin maintain its shape and cook more evenly.) Let the tenderloin rest for about 1 hour at room temperature.

3. Heat a large cast-iron or other heavy-bottomed, oven-proof skillet over high heat until very hot. Pour the olive oil into the skillet and swirl to coat the pan. Add the medallions to the skillet and sear until browned, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare or about 4 minutes per side for medium. You can also check the temperature by inserting a digital thermometer into the thickest part of the meat (120°F to 125°F for medium-rare or 125°F to 130°F for medium). Transfer the medallions to a cutting board to rest while you make the gravy.

4. In the same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring with a large metal spoon and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until the shallots are soft, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, 6 to 7 minutes.

5. Add the sherry, then reduce the heat to low and cook until the alcohol has almost evaporated and the liquid reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, add the broth, rosemary and thyme, and cook until reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes.

6. Stir in the soy sauce, then turn off the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, a bit at a time, until the gravy thickens slightly and becomes shiny, about 3 minutes. Remove the twine. Serve the beef with the gravy.