Many of you may have already noticed a pattern in my various food and wine postings…French wines, French-inspired dishes, ingredients, and certainly my love for the city of Paris. Paris is famously known as La Ville Lumière, “the city of lights.” There is nothing more special than venturing out in the city just when magic hour is about hit, that fantastic hour when the sun is about to set.
The best part of this time is seeing how different the historic buildings and landmarks look, the sounds of the streets, and of course, the aromas of the many culinary options that Paris has to offer. For the foodies in all of us, you will never go wrong at most traditional Parisian brasseries (traditional French tavern-like restaurants and breweries) and the ever charming bistros (small restaurants serving home-style cooking). I often find myself meandering between these two types of restaurants and certainly the world renowned French haute cuisine. They all are so magnifiques!
In finding French-inspired dishes, I try to give it my own twist with something new. Interestingly enough, I also have been wanting to incorporate trending ingredients to see what the whole hype is about. Behold…the pomegranate. Pomegranates are jam-packed with antioxidant, vitamin C, and other numerous health benefits. Using them in dishes all but guarantees to give a sensationally fresh punch.
Having seen many dishes and recipes with pomegranate, a wine-based sauce is the perfect fit for accentuating this phenomenal fruit.
À la cuisine! Allons cuisiner. To the kitchen! Let’s get cooking.
Pan-Seared Beef Tenderloins with Pomegranate Pinot Noir Sauce
Served with Roasted Rosemary and Leek Potatoes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Beef
- 4, 1/2 lbs beef tenderloin steaks
- Sea salt
- Cracked pepper
- 3 garlic cloves (whole)
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons of extra Virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons of butter
Pomegranate-wine sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots
- ⅓ cup pinot noir or burgundy wine
- ⅓ cup pomegranate juice
- ⅓ cup fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
Roasted potatoes
- One 1.5 lbs bag of small yellow potatoes, cut in small quartered cubes (skin on)
- ½ cup of leeks (the brighter part), thinly sliced into rings (rinse sliced rings in a colander)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons of fresh rosemary
- 3 tablespoons of extra Virgin olive oil
- Sea salt & cracked pepper (to taste)
Garnish
- One 8 oz package of Pom Poms Fresh Pomegranate arils
Directions:
Steaks
- Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steaks evenly with salt and pepper.
- Coat pan with olive oil. Add steaks to pan and cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Add garlic cloves, thyme, and butter. Spoon melted butter and oil mixture over steaks for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove steaks, garlic, and thyme sprigs from pan; keep steaks warm. Later, cut steaks into half-inch slices.
Pomegranate-wine sauce
- Add shallots to pan and sauté 30 seconds. Add wine, juice, and broth; bring to a boil. Add Dijon mustard.
- Cook for 7 minutes or until reduced to about 3 tablespoons. Remove from heat.
- Add butter to sauce, stirring until butter melts.
Roasted potatoes
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place potatoes, leeks, garlic, and rosemary into a large mixing bowl. Add olive oil and mix together well.
- Place coated potato mixture onto a baking sheet. Spread potatoes and leeks out evenly. Sprinkle sea salt and cracked pepper over the potatoes.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
To serve:
I have often found that less is more when it comes to plating and presentation. This menu should apply this method. Trust me, it will be beautiful to look at and delightful to eat.
On each plate, place a small-sized heap of the roasted potatoes. Next to it, carefully arrange a few slices of the steak, in delicate layers. Spoon some droplets of the pomegranate-wine sauce next to the steak and garnish with some fresh pomegranate arils on the sauce and around the steak.
Bon appetit!
Wine pairing
2017 Louis Jadot Pinot Noir Bourgogne (Burgundy, France)
Jadot’s numerous long-term relationships with wine growers guarantee that the highest-quality fruit is sourced every year from vineyards across the Côte d’Or and Côte Chalonnaise. This wine was aged in French oak for 9 months to develop delightfully smooth tannins.
Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir
Taste: This is an exceptionally elegant Pinot with complex aromas of plums, raspberries, cherries, and fresh red fruit flavors in the mouth with earthy floral, mushroom, and mineral notes with a balanced acidity.
