This Saturday we attended a Bourbon tasting. For the tastings we attend everyone brings a dish to share and it becomes a potluck meal too. I like to challenge myself when attending tasting events and try to come up with a brand new recipe that will pair well with the drink of the night.
I know nothing about bourbon so google was my friend. I found out a lot of interesting things about how the bourbon was made. That the grain and type of mash used effects the taste. More corn sweeter. More rye spicier.
The level of proof also effects the taste and what you food you pair with your bourbon. 80 proof is smoother and more drinkable, it pairs well with lighter foods. Fruits, nuts, cheese and fish. 90 proof pairs better with heartier dishes such as beef, lamb and blue cheese. 100 proof and above goes well with desserts and foods with heavy cream sauces.
Not knowing what everyone was bringing I chose the middle road and made a meat dish.
This is our first attempt at making a video to post online. You can tell I was nervous. It is a learning process. A couple scenes are blurry but I know they will improve as we learn more techniques for editing and using correct camera functions and editing. My husband did a great job of being camera man and director. I hope you enjoy the video.
This video is also on youtube.
Beef Tenderloin Crostini with Blue Cheese
Preheat oven to 350
Take about 20 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients:
3/4 pound Beef Tenderloin
1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
2 Sprigs Rosemary
Chives
Baguette
2 Cloves Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Blue Cheese Sauce
2 TBS Horseradish
5-7 ounces Blue Cheese
1 1/2 Teaspoon Milk
2 TBS Sour Cream
A note on the cheese sauce in the video I said 2 tablespoons of milk. I was going off a recipe I saw that did not have horseradish. The sauce was too thin I adjusted it until it was the correct consistency.
Directions:
To make Balsamic reduction pour 1 cup of balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan. Cook until reduce in half and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Set aside.
Slice your baguette into 1/4 inch angled slices and arrange on sheet pan. Mix chopped garlic with 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil salt and pepper to taste. Spread on baguette slices. Place in 350 oven to toast for about 7 minutes or until golden.
While bread is cooking make your cheese sauce. Break up you blue cheese and add to small pot with milk and horseradish. Cook on medium heat until melted. When most of it is melted lower temperature and continue cooking until cheese is smooth. Once smooth turn off heat, add sour cream and stir until well incorporated.
Set aside to cool and thicken.
To prepare meat finely chop rosemary into salt to flavor the salt with rosemary oil. Add pepper to taste. Coat meat with herb mixture firmly pressing into meat to coat.
Get a pan extremely hot and add a good coating of olive oil. Brown meat on all side. When browned set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
After beef is done resting slice cross grain as thin as possible.
Plating:
Spread Blue cheese sauce on bread slice. Top with a small slice of beef. Drizzle with vinegar reductions then top with chives.
Enjoy!
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