80 December 2013 www.womanthismonth.com LIFESTYLE | food The love for your family, children and friends is far greater than any store-bought gift. So this Christmas, use the joy of cooking and dining to bring the family together. If you have invited loved ones to indulge in a holiday banquet, get them involved in the preparation stage of the lavish spread for a fun-filled dining experience. Merry Christmas and happy holidays! by JAMES CLAIRE 2kg beef tenderloin roast 4 tbspns pure maple syrup 2 tbspns whole-grain mustard 2 tbspns olive oil 2 tspns fresh thyme, coarsely chopped 1 tspn fresh rosemary, chopped 2 tspns fresh garlic, finely chopped 1 tspn sea salt flakes 1/4 tspn black pepper, freshly cracked For mushroom sauce: 200g fresh button mushrooms 200g porcini mushrooms 200g shiitake mushrooms 80g butter 1 white onion, finely chopped 1/2 tspn salt 1/8 tspn black pepper, freshly cracked 1 tbspn fresh thyme, chopped 120ml water 1/4 vegetable stock cube 80ml cream Festive Feast MAPLE MUSTARD ROAST TENDERLOIN WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE How to prepare the beef • Position a rack in the centre of the oven and heat the oven to 140 degrees Celsius. • In a small bowl, mix together the pure maple syrup, mustard, olive oil, thyme, rosemary, garlic, salt and freshly cracked black pepper. • Put the tenderloin in a deep roasting dish and rub the paste mixture all over it, really massaging it into the meat. • Cover the meat with foil and refrigerate for four hours. • Remove and massage the meat again with additional marinade. • Roast the tenderloin for approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes. • Remove and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving. • Serve with the mushroom ragout. How to prepare the mushroom sauce • Wash and clean the mushrooms. Remove the shiitake stems and discard. • Quarter all the mushrooms and put in a bowl. • Heat half the butter in a large frying pan over low heat. • Add the mushrooms and spread them out evenly in the pan, increase the heat. • Let the mushrooms cook undisturbed until they brown, then shake the pan and use a spoon or fork to turn all the mushrooms. • Add the remaining butter along the sides of the pan as the mushrooms cook if the pan seems very dry. • Continue to cook for a further five minutes. • Add the onion and cook until translucent. • Season it with the salt and pepper. Add the thyme. • Pull the pan off the heat and add the water and stock cube. • Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil. • Remove from the heat and serve with the beef.
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