Terry's Herb and Cracked Pepper Crusted Tenderloin

Over the past several years, it has become a tradition for the Schneider’s holiday party for Terry to prepare his Herb and Cracked Pepper Crusted Tenderloin. Trust us when we say, there are never any left overs! The staff is all over this one!

To begin:
Use fresh herbs - they result in much better flavor than dried herbs you by at the store.
Kosher salt instead of granulated salt – pure salt without additives for a better flavor as well as texture

1 whole tenderloin (Clean and train removed – if you are not sure you can do this on your own, please consult with your butcher as he/she will be happy to help – or feel free to come talk with me)
3 cups of fresh herbs with stems removed (rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, oregano)
1 whole head of garlic peeled (entire garlic bulb)
¾ cup whole peppercorns (black or mixture)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons cognac

Take all ingredients (except for the tenderloin) and put them into a food processor or Cuisinart and pulse chop until very coarsely ground, being careful not to over chop the peppercorns. The blend should be chunky, not fine. This will result in a green paste. Set aside.

Pat dry the tenderloin, and place on plastic wrap large enough to wrap entire tenderloin. Take the green paste and coat the tenderloin on all sides. Tightly wrap with paste coated tenderloin in the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

When ready to prepare, take tenderloin out of fridge 1 to 2 hours ahead of time so it has time to come to room temp. Preheat oven to 500º Fahrenheit. Carefully place tenderloin in roasting pan with a rack that is large enough to accommodate the full length, so as to not remove any of the green past. Roasting pan needs to include a rack that you will place the tenderloin on so it will cook evenly on all sides. Upon placing tenderloin into the oven, immediately turn oven down to 375°. Takes about 45 to 60 minutes to cook. Use thermometer to check temp. Take a larger piece out earlier as it will continue to cook after it is removed from the oven.

Rare – 120
MR – 130
Med – 140

When desired temp is reached, remove tenderloin from oven and remove from roasting pan. Wrap tenderloin in aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes in a warm place (near or on the oven, but not back in the oven). This will allow the juice to be retained when do cut the tenderloin – when removing from oven, juices are under pressure. Resting allows the pressure to reduce. Also, muscle fibers when allowed to cool will relax. The result will be a tenderer, juicer piece of meat. Slice thinly against the grain. Serve with a good mustard of your preference or horse radish sauce.

Bon appetite!
Terry Brown, Wine Manager, Schneider's of Capitol Hill