Beef Tenderloin with Cranberry Dijon Mustard Sauce

Serving a beef tenderloin will make you a star in the kitchen. The only thing that can ruin this elegant roast is over-cooking it. The colorful sweet-tart-hot sauce makes this a truly festive holiday main course and can be made ahead and reheated just before serving.

Ingredients:
Sauce:
1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce (home made or canned)
3/4 cup beef stock
1/4 cup cranberry juice
6 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
4 tablespoons heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Tenderloin:
1 beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat, weighing about 5 pounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon whole mustard seed, crushed or coarsely ground

Directions:
For the sauce: Place all ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to break up the cranberry sauce. Turn down to a simmer and cook until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, about eight to 10 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper.

For the beef: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rub meat all over with the oil. Combine the salt, pepper and mustard seed and sprinkle mixture all over the meat. (You might have to press mixture on roast if mixture doesn't adhere.)

Set tenderloin on a wire rack on a shallow roasting pan. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers about 135 degrees F for medium-rare to medium. Let stand at room temperature about 20 to 25 minutes before slicing. Cut meat into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange overlapping slices on a serving tray and spread a 2-inch wide "ribbon" of cranberry mustard sauce down the center. Pass the remaining sauce.


Serves 8.


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Recipe submitted by: - http://www.wineanswers.com by Louise Fiszer and provided by wineanswers.com