Tenderloin Steaks with Shrimp Béarnaise

yup, there's a fillet under there

One heck of a steak.

Folks, save this for a special occasion like a New Year's Dinner or as luck would have it, serve when you find beef tenderloin steaks on sale as I did last week. Would you believe the cost was much lower than rib-eyes, T-bones and even NY Strips. Yup, I had to ask the butcher if it was really a tenderloin, not some mock or knock-off like I've seen in some beef cases. It was the real deal, and I felt like it was a steal.

My first thought was Steak Oscar, but that meant a trip down to the waterfront for fresh crabmeat. The shrimp in the grocers seafood case looked pretty fresh to me. Hey, there are not that many hours in a day anymore, ya know what I mean? So a few shorter steps and a little cutting of time here and there is not gonna hurt one bit. Not even heading down the aisle to find a prepackaged sauce blend. Nope.

I like to use a Béarnaise over a good cut of beef when the steak is simply seasoned, the two works well with each other especially when incorporating seafood. I like the creamy flavors of butter, tarragon, shallots and parsley that coats the buttery sauteed shrimp. This delectable sauce along with the shrimp makes for one heck of a topping for tenderloin steaks, or a mignon.

Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin Steaks
for 2 

2 tenderloin steaks, 1 1/2 to 2-inches thick
2 thick slices smoked bacon
olive oil
kosher salt and ground black peppercorns

Wrap a slice of bacon around each of the steaks stretching if needed and secure with a toothpick. Rub a little oil on the top of each steak, season with a little salt and a several grinds of peppercorns. Repeat coating the other side. Let rest for about 45 minutes.

Outside Grilling: Prepare grill for direct grilling, medium high flame or coals. Grill on each side about 7 minutes for medium done or until desired internal temperature is reached, minimal of 145 degrees F. 

Inside Stove/Oven Method: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Heat an ovenproof skillet or saute pan over medium high heat on stove for about 3 minutes. Add steaks placing at least 1-inch apart. Sear meat for about 2 minutes on each side to form a nice brown crust. Place pan in oven and cook for 4 or 5 minutes for rare / 6 or 7 minutes for medium rare / 8 minutes for medium. Remove and test with a instant read thermometer if desired. Tent with foil for at least 5 minutes or until ready to plate (within 15 minutes).


Sauteed Shrimp with Béarnaise

1/2 pound extra-large shrimp, about 12
Béarnaise Sauce
2 tablespoons butter (or 1 tbsp with 1 tbsp olive oil)
1 garlic toe, smashed
1/4 cup dry white wine (I like to use dry vermouth)
dash of salt and white pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Peel and devein the shrimp, wash and pat dry. Put aside.

Make the Béarnaise sauce using your own recipe if you have the time or for quickness, Knorr's prepackaged is pretty good. I like to add a pinch of cayenne which I know is not in a typical Béarnaise, but what the heck, it's my taste buds I'm pleasing, right?

Heat a medium saute pan over medium high heat, add butter; swirl to melt. When foam subsides, add garlic and swirl pan to flavor the butter being careful not to burn the butter. Remove from heat as needed cooking until oil becomes fragrant and garlic turns light brown. Discard garlic. Add wine and simmer rapidly until reduced in half. Add shrimp, salt, pepper, lemon juice and arrange shrimp in single layer. Continue cooking over medium high heat. Turn shrimp over once cooking until shrimp is translucent and liquid is mostly cooked out. Shrimp will cook very fast. Remove shrimp to a warm holding plate covered.

To Plate: Remove toothpick from the steaks for goodness sake and place each on a warm plate. Place half of the shrimp on top of each steak and generously top with Béarnaise sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or scallions if desired.