Help,what is beef tenderloin?

Live in Belgium and am looking for beef tenderloin.Saw that it was translated as chateaubriand so I precipated towards a reputed butcher who had a large cut of chateaubriand.A large fatless rose colored mass.56. euros and 2 kilos of this later upon returning to the kitchen the resident romanian exclaimed that "This Is not a filet of boeuf" as had been translated by his dictionary.The point is this:looking chez Erma Bombeck' s Joy of Cooking the cut in question resembles a silverloin. All I want to do is paint it with mustard,herbs and garlic,bang it in the oven for 40 minutes or so.Romanian swears that after 40 minutes it will be inedible.Romanian is known for panicing unnecessarily. Panic is contagious.Do I chuck it in the freezer and hold out for mysterious muscle or can I use it as Bon Appetit recommended?Any illumination on this subject could really help both me and said romanian before I even out his flat head with my frypan. Thanks clarifications, or relevant information here.

tillie
  • Posted by: tillie
  • December 15, 2011
  • 2928 views
  • 1 Comment

1 Comment

hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour December 15, 2011
In the US chateaubriand typically refers to center-cut beef tenderloin. Make sure to remove any silverskin (if the butcher didn't already do it.) Cooking at 400º F (about 205º C) for 40 minutes should give you an internal temperature of about 52º C which is medium-rare.
It would be best to use a thermometer to judge how long to cook it and shoot for a range of 44º C and 52º C for rare to medium rare.
If you don't have a thermometer I'd suggest cooking for 30 to 35 minutes - it would be better to err on the side of rare for this cut of meat, especially if you don't want to hear "I told you so" from your Romanian friend.
 
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