Peppercorn Crusted Beef Tenderloin in a Cabernet Sauvignon Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 Cup whole peppercorns
• 1/4 Cup salt
• 5 lb. whole beef tenderloin or filet mignon
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 1/2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon
• 5 medium shallots, cut into slivers
• 6 tablespoons butter

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375F (205C). Lay a sheet of wax paper on a flat surface. Scatter peppercorns on wax paper. Lay another sheet of wax paper on top of peppercorns. Place a heavy frying pan on top of wax paper and press down cracking peppercorns into coarse bits.
• Rub salt over surface of beef. Roll beef in cracked pepper until outer surface in coated. Place beef in a large roasting pan and insert a meat thermometer into beef. Roast for 45 - 60 minutes or until desired doneness. The meat thermometer will register 140F (60C) for rare meat and for 170F (75C) well done meat. Remove beef from oven and transfer to plate. Tent with foil to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, add broth, wine, and shallots to a large skillet and cook over high heat until mixture boils and reduces to half, about 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from heat and swirl in butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Pour drippings from roasting pan into mixture and stir until combined.
• Cut beef into thick slices and arrange on a serving platter or individual plates. Spoon sauce over beef and serve hot.
• Note: A whole beef tenderloin weighing 5 lbs. may be hard to find. When I prepared this dish, I used 2 (2.5 lb) tenderloins. Figure your cooking time at approximately 20 minutes per lb. in a 375F oven and insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the largest piece of beef.
• While most sauces start with the drippings from the pan, this recipe instructs to add the drippings at the end of the cooking process. The Cabernet Sauvignon sauce takes about 20 minutes to prepare and you don't want perfectly cooked tenderloin to cool just because you needed the drippings.