Beef Fillet Cream Goulash à la française

Ingredients

• 500 g beef fillet (e.g., French Charolais beef)
• 150 g shallots
• 100 g small cornichons
• 250 ml beef stock (homemade or from the glass)
• 250 g heavy cream
• 50 g crème fraîche
• 3 tbsp pickled cucumber juice (cornichon liquid)
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp Raw Sugar
• 1 Tbsp clarified butter
• 1 tsp butter
• salt (from the mill)
• black pepper (from the mill)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Take the beef fillet out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before cooking so it is not too cold. If needed, pat it dry with a kitchen towel.

2. 2.

   Cut the beef fillet first into slices about 2 cm thick with a very sharp knife and then cut the slices into cubes of any size you like.

3. 3.

   Peel the shallots and cut them into quarters or eighths. Slice the cornichons about 3 mm thick.

4. 4.

   Heat 1 tbsp clarified butter in a pan. Add the shallots, sprinkle 1 tbsp brown sugar over them, and sauté for about 4 minutes until the shallots are light brown.

5. 5.

   Stir in Dijon mustard and the finely chopped cornichons briefly, then deglaze with 3 tbsp cucumber water and 150 ml beef stock. Let it simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid has almost evaporated.

6. 6.

   Add the cream and crème fraîche and let everything gently simmer on very low heat.

7. 7.

   Meanwhile season the beef cubes with a little salt. In another pan heat 1 tbsp clarified butter and sear the beef cubes over high heat for about 1.5 minutes per side. Then add the cubes to the sauce. Note: Sear the beef cubes in two batches. If all the fillet is cooked at once, liquid will form quickly because the bottom heat cannot handle the amount of meat. The result is that the meat cooks rather than sears and becomes tough. The beef actually finishes cooking by resting in the sauce.

8. 8.

   Deglaze the pan with the remaining beef stock, bring to a boil briefly, then stir in 1 tsp butter.

9. 9.

   Add the resulting sauce to the cream goulash, mix everything together, and season with salt and pepper to taste.