In the South, pecans most often wind up in pies and pralines and other sweet treats, but the versatile nut can be a secret weapon in savory dishes, too. “The Italians readily use walnuts and hazelnuts in savory applications; cashews often play the creamy foil in spicy Southeast Asian dishes; the French use chestnuts like a root vegetable and almonds with fish,” says Jenni Lata, a Charleston, South Carolina-based recipe developer who created this nutty tenderloin dish for Schermer Pecans in Glennville, Georgia. “For some reason, we have pigeon-holed pecans into the baking aisle, but they are a wonderful ingredient that really belongs in the produce section.” In this recipe, Lata uses pecans two ways: To crust the garlic-slathered meat and to enhance the chilled horseradish sauce served alongside the tenderloin.
Pecan-Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish-Pecan Sauce
Ingredients
2 cups toasted pecan halves or pieces (Lata recommends Schermer Pecans)
2 tsp. finely chopped rosemary
¾ cup sour cream
3 tbsp. prepared horseradish
Coarse kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 head garlic
1½ tbsp. olive oil, divided
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ tsp. smoked paprika
1 (4 to 5-lb.) trimmed beef tenderloin roast
6 shallots, peeled, stems trimmed but left intact, halved if large
¼ cup red wine, divided
2 cups unsalted beef broth
Preparation
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse pecans until finely chopped. Remove all but ¼ cup of the pecans to a bowl and stir in rosemary; reserve. Add sour cream and horseradish to the food processor with the remaining ¼ cup pecans and process until smooth. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut the top ½-inch off the head of garlic, exposing the cloves. Drizzle with ½ tablespoon of olive oil and wrap tightly in a foil packet. Bake for 45 minutes, or until cloves are golden and tender. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out into a bowl and mash with a fork. Stir in mayonnaise and smoked paprika; reserve.
- Season tenderloin generously on all sides with salt and pepper. In a roasting pan or large ovenproof skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high. Add tenderloin and sear until well-browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate or baking sheet to cool. Add trimmed shallots and 2 tablespoons of the red wine to the pan and stir to deglaze for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat.
- When tenderloin is cool enough to handle, smear on all sides with the roasted garlic mayonnaise. Press chopped pecans and rosemary firmly onto all sides to form a crust. Place pecan-crusted tenderloin on top of the bed of shallots in the pan. Transfer to the 375° oven and roast until meat reaches an internal temperature of 120-125°F for medium rare, about 45 minutes.
- While the meat cooks, combine remaining 2 tablespoons red wine with 2 cups beef broth in a small pot and simmer over medium heat until reduced by half, about 15-20 minutes.
- Once cooked, transfer beef to a serving platter and let rest for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the pan sauce: place the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat and whisk in reduced beef broth. Let simmer for 5-7 minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Slice tenderloin and serve warm with roasted shallot pan sauce and chilled horseradish-pecan sauce.