Beef Tenderloin with Rhubarb and Red Wine

Last year I purchased two large rhubarb roots to plant in my back yard. The rhubarb did produce a few stalks, but the directions said DO NOT PICK during the first year of growth, so I obeyed. Unfortunately only one of the rhubarbs made it through our Indiana winter, but the one I do have is producing like crazy!

My husband Mike, and his father Bert both adore a rhubarb pie.  I prefer a rhubarb crumble with lots of vanilla ice cream and did a posting on that very thing in May of 2010. With so much of the vegetable coming in I had to come up with other ways of preparing it and the April 2011 issue of Bonappetit did not let me down. The sugared tart rhubarb paired perfectly with the savory tenderloin.

BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH RHUBARB AND RED WINE
Prep: 1 hour     Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons prepared cream-style white horseradish
1-3/4 pounds slender fresh rhubarb stalks, trimmed, cut crosswise into  3" long pieces, pieces halved lengthwise if thicker than 3/4 inch.
1/2 cup red wine (such as Pinot Noir)
1/2 cup sugar
1 21/4-to 21/3- pound beef tenderloin roast
Olive oil
Fresh Italian parsley sprigs (for garnish)

Mix mustard and horseradish in small bowl for sauce.




Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange rhubarb pieces in single layer in 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Pour wine over rhubarb, then sprinkle with sugar; set aside.








Place roast on small rimmed baking sheet. Rub roast all over with oil; sprinkle generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Roast beef 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Place rhubarb in oven alongside beef. Roast until rhubarb is tender but still intact and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of beef register 125 degrees F for medium-rare, 12 to 15 minutes for rhubarb and 15 to 20 minutes for beef.

Remove rhubarb and beef from oven. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer rhubarb to plates, dividing equally. Pour juices from rhubarb baking pan into small saucepan and boil until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes; pour syrup over rhubarb on each plate. Transfer beef to cutting board; cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices and arrange beef slices atop rhubarb on each plate. Spoon mustard sauce over beef. Garnish with parsley sprigs.

My Thoughts:

The timing on this was a little off for me - for some reason it took me about an hour and a half. I cooked a couple of sides, egg noodles and green beans, and that may have thrown the timing off a bit. When I asked the butcher if he had a beef tenderloin roast his eyes got really big and he asked me if I realized how expensive it was. I guess that will teach me to go to the market looking like I can't afford something from The Dollar Store. I paid the $12.00 per pound and found that it was worth every cent.

I paired the meal with a bottle of Fortis Pinot Noir and my birthday flowers. It is also the wine that I used in the recipe.

Life is good - enjoy!