Close-to-Perfect Beef Tenderloin with Cheese Sauce and Baked Potato

This recipe is perfect for those who are taking their first steps on the journey of sous-vide cooking. On the other hand, those of you who have already entered the upper echelons of sous-vide mastery, can also use the recipe in conjunction with your preferred sous-vide equipment and cooking techniques.

With all my naturally-endowed humility, I call this steak 'close-to-perfect'. I only say this, though, because through this method the meat is perfectly and evenly cooked through. I usually use an immersion circulator to cook the meat but I wanted to introduce an alternative method to achieve similar results. This method - wrapping the meat in plastic foil and cooking in an oven set to 60°C - is closer to how the whole sous-vide movement began, and therefore also serves as a ideal introduction. And don't worry about using plastic in the oven; the temperature is too low to influence any chemical reactions in the plastic. The issue has been thoroughly researched!

The cheese sauce is almost purely made from cheese. It is based on a French recipe named after the cheese that is used, Saint-Marcellin cheese, which is a lovely soft cow's milk cheese. This cheese comes from the Dauphiné region France. However, you can use any soft cheese that you like, such as brie or camenbert. Be adventurous in your gastronomic experiments and trust in your taste! 

Close-to-Perfect Beef Tenderloin with Cheese Sauce and Baked Potato

Beef tenderloin
Salt and pepper

Cheese sauce:

250 g delicious soft cheese
60 ml cream
Salt and pepper
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg





First step is to rinse the meat, and cut away sinews and tendons. Don't use salt at this point because it will absorb moisture from the meat as it cooks. Pepper is fine, encouraged!




Wrap the steak in plastic foil, at least 6 layers - and the regular household kind will suffice. Heat the over to 60°C. Transfer to the oven and roast for around 2 hours.




Remove the meat from the oven and let it rest for a few moments. Melt the butter in a pan, season the
steak with salt and brown on the outside.




Allow the steak to rest for 5 minutes before slicing it.




Heat the cream in a small pot. Chop the cheese and add it to the warm cream.




Melt and mix together on low heat. When the cheese is fully melted, grate the nutmeg into the sauce and season to taste.






We had this vigorous Merlot wine with the food, 2012 Marques de Casa Concha Merlot from Chile. Pungent red wine, thick texture and juicy full bodied mouthfeel. Fruit forward - plums and ground spices. Delightful pour!




If you are interested in exploring this cooking technique, I highly recommend the Sansaire immersion circulator. It's definitely worth it!

The feast continues!