The Memories of the Past

Can you believe we've never been invited to nor hosted a progressive dinner party?!? Well, until last night, that was in fact the case. Our sweet neighbours, Sarah and Tony Bleything, came up with the idea. Our part of the dinner - hold on to your hats here - was red wine and meat! No surprise there, huh?

Here's the recipe I used; it's sure to contribute to your joie de vivre.


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What you'll need for 8-10 people.

Purchase one 6.5-7.0 lb. whole beef tenderloin USDA choice or higher (untrimmed so that a decent fat cap will remain over meat; usually the ones in the pre-packed section of the market are trimmed, so ask the butcher to get you one from his stock and not to trim it up. Look for one that is as close to the same size at both ends as possible; avoid ones that have only one thick end and one skinny; make him get you only the best. Note the exact weight and DO NOT throw this number away; you will need it for cooking)

3 TBSP of black or white truffle oil
1/3 cup good olive oil
1/3 cup good red wine (cabernet based, please)
1/4 cup fresh thyme sprigs (stems culled)
1/4 cup fresh chopped rosemary
dried oregano (just a pinch for dusting the top)
fresh cracked (i.e., coarse) pepper mélange [Penzey's has a good one already cracked in a bag]
maldon sea salt (substitute kosher in a pinch) to taste
4TBSP lemon rind (use micro planer to grate)

Instructions
1. Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees (bake, not broil).
2. Place meat in foil lined roasting pan. Sometimes the tenderloin must be turned diagonally to fit on the pan! Keep the weight measurement handy.
3. coat the meat on all sides with the truffle oil, olive oil, and red wine.
4. coat all sides of the meat with the pepper and salt. The pepper should liberally cover the meat.
5. coat the top and visible sides with the remaining herbs and lemon rind.
6. place meat in 500 degree oven for 3.0 minutes per pound (3 minutes per pound for rare +) and not a second more! (calculate this exactly to the second and set a timer and DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR)
7. afterwards, turn oven off and DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR for 2.0 hours.
8. take roast out and let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and pouring mushroom sauce over the top. Carve nice thick pieces. 3.0 minutes per pound, depending on the fat cap, yields a nice medium rare. If the cap is fatty, opt for 3.5 minutes per pound.
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For the Mushrooms
2 lbs of large white whole button mushrooms (Costco has the best), stems removed, and sliced into equal halves.
1/4-1/2 cup good red wine (cabernet based, please)
five liberal dashes of white wine Worcestershire sauce
three liberal dashes of regular Worcestershire sauce
1/4 stick of unsalted butter
1 TBSP fresh thyme
2 TBSP veal demi-glace (buy from Williams-Sonoma; this is the key ingredient)
cracked pepper mélange (don't be bashful)
no salt needed! (the veal demi-glace has enough salt)
Instructions
1. place mushrooms in a sauté pan.
2. add all remaining ingredients.
3. cook on high heat without reducing the heat until liquid has reduced and mushrooms have a nice glaze (usually 10 or so minutes). Turn off. Don't overcook, for the mushrooms will turn to nothing and only a grease spot will be left for the sauce.
4. pour the mushrooms and the sauce over the sliced beef.
Serve the dishes with a good Bordeaux or California cab/merlot blend.

Notes:
Let the meat reach room temp before you cook. You can marinate the meat a day ahead if you wish. The mushrooms can be assembled and cooked while the meat stands. Pay close attention to the weight and time; that's the key to the tenderness of the meat. Make sure none of your guests open the oven door. I usually put up a sign.

Theology has its place here, too. Do you remember important family dinners as a child or adolescent? I can remember Christmas Eve dinners quite well. I can still smell the pies, prime rib, and cornbread dressing coming out of the oven! Even with all that food, the pièce de résistance was Edith's homemade rolls topped with her very own plum jam. Yummy!

I can also remember everyone sitting round the table all dressed up and sipping eggnog, seemingly befitting for such a grand dinner. Oh the desserts - they stretched across the kitchen, and they were all tasty, fresh, and homemade! I am blessed to have wonderful memories of childhood upon which to reflect.

However, each ensuing Christmas usually meant some loved one was no longer with us. Life's last enemy, death, had overtaken them. This too, I'm afraid, becomes part of our memory bank as we age. Sometimes it's a song or trip that reminds us of loved ones no longer with us. But for me, I often think of those departed loved ones when I cook this beef tenderloin. This was the beef we always had at Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving (don't ask me why I made it last night for a progressive dinner; maybe I'm a tad homesick).

So indulge me for a moment while I bring this home. Basically, I'm saying I miss departed loved ones, and I'm trying - as best I can - to reproduce the cherished memory of their presence. To do this, I cook something they loved. I then sit down with a glass of wine and the memories stream into my conscience. Those same smells come back, reminding me of so many good times. And so it goes.

The flaw in my thinking, however, is thus: as Christians we know that our loved ones, though death o'er take them, do not die. Quite the contrary is true. They are not gone forever. They live, and so shall we, brothers and sisters!

Now the question becomes: how do we, as humans limited by time and space, recall their presence in our life together as Christians? Well, dear ones, it's the same way we experience God's presence now. Namely, in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, the Eucharistic Feast.

For at every Mass, time stands still, itself being utterly consumed by the transforming presence of numinous One in our midst. The temporal and infinite merge, the chasm between heaven and earth are bridged, and the Saints - in heaven and on earth - all dwell as one in the Sacrament. In a very real manner, our loved ones are there with us, just as the host of the heavenly banquet, Christ Himself, invites us forward one by one to feed not on faint memories of the past, but on Him, who for the sake of our souls, came down from Heaven and dwelt among us. And He didn't stop there, did He? No, He gave Himself up for us, leaving for us so great of mystery of His passion and presence, saying:

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.

And just think about it; all this grace is just a foretaste of the eternal banquet. Don't even try to imagine the full beatific vision of God - just marvel at Him now on the Altars of His holy Church.

Blessed, praised, and adored be Jesus Christ on His throne of glory in Heaven, and in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar! And may the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. May light perpetual shine upon them.