Madiera and Mushroom Stuffed Beef Tenderloin

It doesn't get much better than beef tenderloin. For our March meal with Dale and Susan, we attempted to make Paula Deen's Madeira and Mushroom Stuffed Beef Tenderloin. I say attempted because we made some changes in the preparation. First of all, we had to trim the tenderloin which is not one of my favorite preps and is better left to the butcher. And the directions were hard to follow when it came to cutting the meat for stuffing. But the results were delicious. Here is our version.

Madeira and Mushroom Stuffed Beef Tenderloin

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces proscuitto, finely chopped
24 ounces baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup Madeira wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 (6 pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Roasted Garlic Madeira Sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add proscuitto and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until crispy. Remove the proscuitto, leaving the drippings. Add mushrooms and onions to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add wine and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until all liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked proscuitto, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside to cool.

Cut the tenderloin down the center to within 1/2 inch. Open the tenderloin and spread 3/4 of the mushroom mixture over the tenderloin. Reshape the tenderloin and tie at with butcher's twine. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Place tenderloin on a greased baking rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake in oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 145 degrees. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve diwth Roasted Garlic Madeira Sauce.

Roasted Garlic and Mushroom Madeira Sauce

1 head garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup Madeira wine
Reserved mushroom stuffing
1 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut off the top of the garlic and place on a square of heavy duty aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil, seal in the foil and bake for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool.

In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Squeeze pulp form the garlic into the skillet and cook for 2 minutes. Add wine and mushroom stuffing and simmer until the wine is reduced by half.

In a small bowl, combine the beef broth and cornstarch. Add to the wine mixture and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute or until thickened. Serve over Stuffed Beef Tenderloin. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.