Beef Tenderloin with Port-Beach Plum Reduction

Buttery beef tenderloin serves as the dinner's grand centerpiece. A reduction sauce of port and a Nantucket favorite, beach plum jelly, enhances the meat. Tiny wild beach plums are too sour to eat out of hand, so they are often made into jelly, which balances their tartness. Red currant jelly is a readily available substitute.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 2 beef slices and 3 tablespoons sauce)

Ingredients

• 1  (1 3/4-pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed
• Cooking spray
• 1  tablespoon  coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 3/4  teaspoons  kosher salt, divided
• 1 1/2  cups  thinly sliced shallots (about 4 large)
• 1  tablespoon  butter
• 1 1/2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  cup  ruby port
• 1/2  cup  beach plum jelly
• 2  tablespoons  balsamic vinegar
• 2  teaspoons  fresh thyme
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation

1. Lightly coat beef with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly on all sides with pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Loosely cover beef with plastic wrap; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 450°.

3. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef to pan; cook 2 minutes on all sides or until browned. Place beef on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 128° or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from oven; let stand 15 minutes.

4. Return skillet to medium-high heat; add shallots and butter to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth, port, jelly, vinegar, thyme, and rosemary; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1 1/2 cups (about 17 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.

5. Cut beef crosswise into 16 slices. Serve with sauce.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

227 (25% from fat)

Fat:

6.4g (sat 2.8g,mono 2.3g,poly 0.3g)

Protein:

22g

Carbohydrate:

19.7g

Fiber:

0.5g

Cholesterol:

53mg

Iron:

1.9mg

Sodium:

557mg

Calcium:

34mg