At Bar Cañete, this dish is enjoyed as a small ritual: the beef tenderloin, pink and juicy, is gently bathed in butter and rosemary; the foie gras, barely seared, melts on contact; and the truffle demi-glace sauce falls thick and glossy, with that dark fragrance that fills the table before the first bite. The potato cake, crispy on the outside and tender within, holds everything together with elegance. A dish designed for a Christmas dinner without rush, glass nearby and long conversation ahead.
Ingredients
Tenderloin
- 140 g of beef tenderloin
- Olive oil (as needed)
- Salt (as needed)
- 30 g of butter
- 1 sprig of rosemary
Baked potato cake
- 2 medium starchy potatoes (units)
- Salt (as needed)
Sauce
- Truffle demi-glace sauce (as needed)
- Black truffle paste (a little)
Foie gras and finishing
- 60 g of duck liver
- Maldon salt (as needed)
- Freshly ground black pepper (as needed)
- Fresh chopped chives (as needed)
Method
1) Baked potato cake
Peel and wash two medium starchy potatoes. Slice them with a mandoline (or by hand) into a straw/julienne format. Season and spread them over a tray lined with baking paper, making sure to form an even layer. Bake for 40–50 minutes in convection mode at 200 ºC, speed 2. Once ready, cut a 7 x 10 cm rectangle and set aside.
2) Tenderloin: searing and rosemary basting
Season the beef tenderloin and sear it rare in a pan with olive oil. At the last moment, add the sprig of rosemary and the 30 g of butter. Baste the meat with the aromatic fat, spooning it over to add shine and fragrance. Transfer to a tray.
3) Truffle demi-glace sauce
Remove the excess fat from the pan and add the demi-glace flavoured with a little black truffle paste. Let it come together and reach temperature, aiming for a bound, silky texture.
4) Final crisping of the potato
Crisp the potato base in a non-stick pan on both sides, to restore the crunch and golden colour just before plating.
5) Foie gras: fat-free searing
Sear the duck liver (60 g) in a very hot pan with no added fat, on both sides. It should be nicely golden, but rare, keeping the inside creamy.
6) Slicing and finishing touches
Slice the beef tenderloin into six pieces and overlap them to maintain the original shape. Add Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper. Warm on a tray the potato base, the sliced beef tenderloin and the foie gras.
Decoration (finishing and presentation)
Plate starting with the potato as the base. Place the sliced beef tenderloin on top and coat with the truffle demi-glace sauce. Finish with the foie gras on top of the tenderloin and dress the whole dish with Maldon salt, freshly ground black pepper and fresh chopped chives. For a clean visual effect, make sure the sauce falls centred and the chives crown the foie gras without covering it.
A finale worthy of a festive table
When you serve it, let the dish arrive at the table still hot: the foie gras will finish melting, the sauce will perfume the air and the beef tenderloin will show its perfect doneness with pride. It is one of those dishes that fits naturally into a Christmas meal, designed to be shared and enjoyed without noise. Tell us how it turned out: at Bar Cañete, classics are savoured… and celebrated.