The Palisades Women’s Club has a cooking club. The group has organized to meet once a month at the home of a member that is the designated hostess.
Kathleen Juhl, our PWC president, volunteered to be the first guinea pig, oh… I mean the club’s first hostess.
Kathleen had us cook a dinner for two to include, beef tenderloin with balsamic-port sauce, potato cakes and steamed asparagus. She organized us in groups and had us slice, dice, saute and bake until we were all sitting down at her family dining table enjoying the fruits of our labor while sharing paired wines she carefully selected for the occasion.
Conversation surrounded personal food stories, where to shop in Charlotte for food and drink and must visit local restaurant destinations.
The big share of this event was the simple but elegant balsamic-port sauce. I recommend trying it. You will WOW anyone you serve it to. FYI…Trader Joe’s has good prices on Port Wine.
Annie Kruk – Cooking Club Member
Beef Tenderloin with Balsamic-Port Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1 cup ruby Port
1 cup dry white wine
2 8-ounce beef tenderloin steaks
All purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
PREPARATION
Boil Port and wine in heavy small saucepan until mixture is reduced to 2/3 cup, about 8 minutes. Set aside.
Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Dust with flour; shake off excess. Melt 1 tablespoon butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add steaks; cook to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to platter (do not clean skillet); tent steaks with foil to keep warm.
Add Port mixture and vinegar to same skillet and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Boil until reduced to sauce consistency, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and whisk just until melted. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer steaks to plates. Spoon sauce over and serve.