My mother made this delightful Beef Tenderloin Tips with a Bourbon Mushroom Sauce and caramelized onions for Christmas dinner. It was seriously delicious and can be prepared in less than an hour. The beef was so tender that we could easily cut it with a butter knife. The bourbon added a richness to the sauce and the mushrooms and onions paired very well with the beef. I know that Charles will love this meal, and I look forward to preparing it for him soon (partially because I really want to have this meal again).
We served the beef tenderloin on top of our famous holiday mashed potatoes, with a big spoonful of the mushroom caramelized onion sauce on top.
Total time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4
You will need:
4 tablespoons Butter
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 pound Beef Tenderloin Tips
2 cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
2 large Yellow Onions, thinly sliced into rings
a sprinkle of Sugar
8 ounces Mushrooms
3 tablespoons Bourbon, or Whiskey
a pinch of Thyme
a pinch of Tarragon
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
Salt and Pepper
Step 1:
Generously sprinkle salt and pepper over the beef. Then in a large skillet over high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Once hot, add the beef tenderloin tips. Evenly sear each side until browned. Then remove from the pan, and let rest.
Step 2:
Using the same pan that was used to sear the beef, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium low heat. Then add the garlic, shallot, and onions. Sprinkle some sugar over, and saute for about 20 minutes, until the onions have caramelized.
Step 3:
Meanwhile, combine 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the mushrooms. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top. Saute until the mushrooms have browned lightly.
Step 4:
Once the onions have caramelized, deglaze the pan with the bourbon. Pour the bourbon into the pan, and scrape up any brown bits from the pan and stir them into the bourbon. Then add the thyme, tarragon, and heavy cream. Let the sauce reduce over medium high heat until it thickens. Once it has thickened, add the mushrooms.
Step 5:
Slice the beef, and serve the beef with a generous amount of sauce.