"Marry Me" Roast Beef Tenderloin

Actress Jennifer Grey makes this glorious beef recipe whenever she wants to impress a man she is dating. Eventually she realized that she had to be careful about whom she cooked it for. It seems they would invariably ask her to marry them after dinner. So, use appropriate caution if you are single. Adapted from "The Pollan Family Table" cookbook. Yield: 6 servings.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. beef tenderloin
2 extra-large beef bouillon cubes
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 t Dijon mustard
1 T tomato paste
1/8 t freshly ground pepper (or whatever you have)
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 T unsalted butter
3/4 C red wine
1 C beef or chicken broth
1 T cornstarch mixed with 2 T water

Directions:

Poke the meat with a sharp paring knife all over to make small holes. Set aside. In a small mixing bowl--combine bouillon cubes and the next five ingredients. Pour in 1/4 C boiling water to dissolve the bouillon. Crush the bouillon cubes with a spoon. Keep crushing and stirring until you've made a thick paste. Rub paste all over the meat--rotating it to coat all sides well. Cover meat loosely with foil and marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 1 hour in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.

Pour about 1/2 inch of water in the bottom of a roasting pan. Remove foil...place beef in pan and the pan in the oven.  Cover with foil and roast 15 minutes. Remove foil and rotate the pan. Continue cooking and check after 10 minutes. Add 1/4 C water if there is little or no water left. Roast for and additional 15 minutes for medium-rare or until thermometer registers 130 degrees F. Roast for an additional 20 minutes for medium or until the thermometer registers 140 degrees. Allow roast to rest at least 10 minutes covered with foil on a cutting board while you make the gravy. Slice and serve with gravy on the side.

Gravy: Place the roasting pan with all of the drippings on a burner over medium heat. Scrape up the brown bits with a spoon and throw out. Add the butter and stir. Whisk in the wine...sherry and broth. Add the cornstarch-water mixture and whisk until thickened (like...gravy?) another 2-3 minutes.