Fillet of Beef With Texas Blue Cheese Sauce

This recipe was shared by NLB on Gail's, and although I haven't been able to find a definitive source for where it originated, it does look delicious!

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  lbs  center piece beef tenderloin
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 -2  tablespoon  vegetable oil
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons  minced shallots
• 3  tablespoons  dry madeira wine or 3  tablespoons  ruby port
• 2  cups  meat stock, reduced to 1/2 cup or 1⁄2 cup demi-glace
• 1⁄3 cup heavy cream
• 2  ounces  texas blue cheese
• 4 -5  tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6  tablespoons  chopped walnuts, for garnish
• 1  tablespoon  minced fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

1. Lightly sprinkle meat with salt and pepper and rub a little oil on the beef (at this point you can refrigerate it, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for up to 24 hours).
2. If meat is chilled, one to two hours before cooking remove meat from refrigerator - you want the meat to come to room temperature.
3. Pat meat dry.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Heat a non-stick skillet and rub a little more oil all over the fillet, then sear it on all sides, about 4 minutes total.
6. Transfer meat to a wire rack and let rest at least 20 minutes or up to several hours.
7. Discard any fat in the pan, add the shallots and Madeira to the skillet and reduce to a glaze.
8. Add the stock and reduce to a syrupy consistency, about 10 minutes.
9. Add the cream and cook until the sauce has a nice beige color.
10. Place the nuts on a baking tray and lightly toast, about 10 minutes.
11. In a food processor mix the blue cheese and 4 Tbsp of the butter till smooth and creamy - if too salty, add up to another tablespoon of butter; separate into 4 parts and refrigerate.
12. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (30 minutes before the final cooking).
13. Finish the beef fillet in the oven, 20 minutes for medium rare.
14. Over low heat gently rewarm the syrupy sauce in the skillet; swirl in the cheese-butter pieces one by one.
15. Spoon sauce onto warm serving plates.
16. Slice meat and arrange in overlapping slices on the sauce, garnish with nuts mixed with parsley, and serve.