Perfect French Chateaubriand
This impossibly tender, center-piece cut of beef tenderloin is the steak dinner of your dreams.
Serves4 to 6
Prep10 minutes
Cook35 minutes
Chateaubriand (pronounced shaa-tow-bree-aand) refers to a larger cut of meat that is the most center part of a beef tenderloin. Meant to serve at least two people, it has a high price tag because the meat is taken from the most expensive part of the animal. Cuts from high up on the animal get less exercise and are, therefore, very tender.
Traditionally chateaubriand is served with a compound butter or pan sauce. Here, we paired the roast with a flavorful red wine sauce enriched with demi-glace. Demi-glace adds more depth to sauces than, say, straight beef broth because of how concentrated it is. You can find demi-glace at grocery stores, butchers, and online.
The richness of the meat and red wine sauce is best served with something simple. Potatoes in almost any form are a great choice. Mashed, baked, gratin or roasted would all be delicious. A simple vegetable like green beans, asparagus, or spinach round out the elegant meal. If you and your dinner guest drink wine, the full-bodied red that you made your sauce with will pair perfectly with the roast.
If you have any leftover meat and plan to eat it the next day, horseradish sauce is a really nice accompaniment. Here’s how to make it.
Why You’ll Love It
- It’s a showstopping main dish. Chateaubriand is an impressive (yet easy to prepare) meal that’s perfect for the holidays or any celebration.
- The red wine sauce is rich in flavor. The deeply flavored sauce is fortified with butter, shallots, and red wine. Plus it can be cooked while your roast is in the oven.
Key Ingredients for Chateaubriand
- Center cut beef tenderloin: When buying meat for this recipe, your best bet is to visit a butcher or a supermarket that has a decent butcher counter. Ask them for “a two-pound chateaubriand roast” and what you’ll receive is a nicely trimmed roast usually tied with butcher twine. The twine is to help the roast keep its shape during cooking, which helps the meat cook evenly.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for the sauce.
- Shallot: Shallots are mild and sweet. Here, we start the sauce with minced shallot cooked in the butter until softened.
- Thyme: The red wine sauce is infused with flavor from sprigs of fresh thyme.
- Red wine: Choose a full-bodied dry red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon.
- Demi-glace: Demi-glace is a very rich brown sauce that’s made by reducing stock and aromatics. The result is a flavor-packed ingredient that adds instant richness to the sauce. Veal or beef demi-glace would work great here.
How to Make Chateaubriand
- Sear the meat. Season the beef all over with kosher salt and black pepper. Sear the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, turning every few minutes, until the outside is evenly browned. Transfer onto a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast the meat. Roast the beef until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 115° F for medium-rare or 125°F for medium, 18 to 22 minutes. Remove from the oven, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the pan sauce.
- Make the sauce. Melt the butter in the reserved pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and thyme sprigs and cook until the shallots are softened. Pour in the red wine and scrape up any stuck bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer until slightly reduced. Add the demi-glace, stir to combine, and simmer until slightly reduced. Remove from heat and pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a serving bowl.
- Serve. Remove any butcher’s twine from the roast if needed and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with the pan sauce.
Helpful Swaps
- Herbs: You can substitute 1 fresh rosemary sprig for the thyme sprigs.
- Stock: You can substitute 1 cup of high-quality beef stock or beef bone broth for the demi-glace and simmer until it’s reduced by half. This evaporates half the water, leaving behind a richer beef stock.
Storage Tips
Refrigerate leftover beef and sauce in separate airtight containers for up to 4 days.
What’s the Difference Between Chateaubriand and Filet Mignon?
Both of these cuts hail from the same super-tender part of the cow. The difference is size.
- Chateaubriand: This is a larger roast meant for serving at least two people.
- Filet mignon: Tender and juicy filet mignon are single-serve steaks cut from the smaller end of the tenderloin.
Helpful Tips
- Mise en place: Measure and prep all your ingredients before you start cooking to ensure success. Timing is everything here and the sauce comes together quickly.
- Rest the meat: After roasting, resting the meat for 10 minutes is very important. This helps the juices redistribute and stay in your meat once you cut into it.
What to Serve with Chateaubriand
Chateaubriand Recipe
This impossibly tender, center-piece cut of beef tenderloin is the steak dinner of your dreams.
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 35 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2 pounds
chateaubriand roast (center cut beef tenderloin)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons
kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon
neutral oil, such as canola or safflower
- 1
medium shallot, minced
- 2 sprigs
fresh parsley, finely chopped until you have 1 tablespoon
- 2 tablespoons
unsalted butter
- 3 sprigs
fresh thyme
- 3/4 cup
full-bodied dry red wine
- 1/2 cup
beef or veal demi-glace
Instructions
Prepare the meat:
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Let 2 pounds chateaubriand sit at room temperature while the oven heats.
Roast the meat:
Season the beef all over with 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
Fit a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a large cast iron skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the beef and cook, turning every few minutes, until the outside is evenly browned, 8 to 12 minutes total. Transfer onto the rack. Set aside the pan without cleaning it, you will use it to make the pan sauce later.
Roast the beef until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 115° F for medium-rare or 125°F for medium, 18 to 22 minutes. It’s helpful to start checking the meat early, after about 16 minutes, and check in more than one part of the roast. Remove from the oven, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the pan sauce.
Make the pan sauce:
Add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter to the reserved pan and melt over medium heat. Add 1 medium minced shallot with 3 fresh thyme sprigs and cook until the shallots are softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in 3/4 cup dry red wine and scrape up any stuck bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer until slightly reduced, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup demi-glace and stir to combine. Simmer until slightly reduced, 3 to 4 minutes more. Remove from heat and pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a serving bowl.
Remove any butcher’s twine from the roast if needed and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Garnish with 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley and serve with the pan sauce.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Refrigerate leftover beef and sauce in separate airtight containers for up to 4 days.