Recipe: Tenderloin Steak with Pumpkin Mash and Caramelised Onions

Looks like I'm going in reverse order for my Christmas postings this year... starting with dessert (passion fruit meringues) and for my second Christmas 2014 post, it will be the main course.

Tenderloin Steak with Pumpkin Mash and Caramelised Onions

Being meat lovers, beef is usually the star of our Christmas dinner. In the past, we've served roast beef (rib eye is best), op rib (also known as tomahawk, prime rib) and this year, we're thinking of serving individual steaks for Christmas. This is definitely a good option if you're hosting a small Christmas dinner party for your family.

Since it's Christmas, why not splurge on some tenderloin... otherwise, rib eye or striploin would be good too. Since tenderloin is a thick cut, we usually cook it in the grill pan (as we would a normal steak) for about 4 minutes to get a nice sear, then in the oven to finish cooking.

Steaks are fantastic paired with pumpkin. The pumpkin is roasted first, then mashed and simply seasoned with butter, salt and pepper. The sweetness of pumpkin complements steaks perfectly. Also made some caramelised onions to accompany the steak. I'm sure there will be many happy faces in my family if this was served on Christmas Day. :)

Perfectly cooked steak... agree?

Have you planned your menu for Christmas Day yet?




Tenderloin steaks with pumpkin mash and caramelised onions
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Serves 4


Ingredients
For the steaks
4 tenderloin steaks, about 200-250g each and 2" thick
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Thyme


For the pumpkin mash
800g ripe pumpkin, cut into thin slices
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
A handful fresh rosemary, leaves snipped
A bunch of fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp milk or whipping cream (optional)

For the caramelised onions

2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
2-3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp salted butter
1 tbsp chopped parsley


For the pumpkin mash
1. Start with the pumpkin mash. Preheat oven to 180°C (roast mode).

2.  Arrange the pumpkin on a baking tray in a single layer. Tuck rosemary and thyme beneath each piece of pumpkin and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until tender and the top layer looks slightly wrinkled. Remove from oven.

4. Remove skin from the pumpkin and place the pumpkin pieces in a bowl. Mash and then add butter, and season with more salt and pepper as necessary. Add a touch of milk or cream if the consistency is too thick.


For the steaks
1. Remove the steaks from fridge one hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature.

2. Wash and pat very dry with kitchen towel. Rub olive oil, salt and pepper all over the steaks.

3. Heat a grill pan over medium high heat for a few minutes,until very hot.

4. Place the steaks in the pan and cook for 2 minutes, then flip over and cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Place steaks on a baking tray, and then place in preheated oven (180C) for 5-6 minutes, or until the meat has reached your desired doneness. To check for doneness, use a meat thermometer.  To test, insert the meat thermometer in the centre of the steak. The temperature you should aim for is between 120°F and 125°F for medium rare.

6. Once it has reached your desired doneness, remove from oven and cover the steak loosely with foil to rest for 5 minutes. Do not cover too tightly or the meat will sweat. After resting, the meat temperature should be around 130°F to 135°F (ie perfect medium rare).

Beef Doneness Temperature Chart

Beef Doneness	Temperature (°F)
Rare	120 - 125
Medium rare	130 - 135
Medium	140 - 145
Medium-well	150 - 155
Well Done	160 & above

Note: You can start cooking the steaks 5 minutes before the pumpkin comes out of the oven.


For the caramelised onions

1. While the steaks rest, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat in grill pan (clean with a kitchen towel beforehand if the pan has any black burnt bits). Add onion, and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes (again, this depends on your preference, how soft you want it). Add Worcestershire sauce, sugar and butter and toss to coat. Season with salt as necessary. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, then turn off heat.

To serve

1. Spoon pumpkin mash onto serving plate, then top with steak and caramelised onions. Garnish with thyme. Serve with good quality salt such as Maldon or Fleur de sel.

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I am submitting this to the "Cook & Celebrate: Christmas 2014" event which I am co-hosting with Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Diana of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe. To join, simply cook or bake any Christmas recipes for the whole month of December 2014.

Your post must be a current post i.e. posted in December 2014 - please do not link older posts.Please mention our "Cook & Celebrate: Christmas 2014" event in your post and link back to Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Diana of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Baby Sumo of Eat your heart out.

Happy cooking! Do check out the other bloggers recipe below:


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