duck bacon and praline tenderloin roulade with whipped 
crème fraîche horseradish

 serves 2-4

what you need:

1 ½-2 pounds beef tenderloin, centercut
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced

praline crust

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
⅓ cup granulated sugarwater (as needed)
1 ½ teaspoon fleur de sel
½ cup chopped duck bacon (or applewood bacon, trimmed)
2 teaspoons minced Italian parsley
1 tablespoon minced chives
1 tablespoon olive oil

horseradish crème fraîche

4 ounces crème fraîche
2 tablespoon freshly grated horseradish
pinch kosher salt 

garnish

chive flowers (as needed)

how to:

horseradish 

• Whip And Mix. Use a whisk or a fork to whip the crème fraîche until creamy and light. Incorporate the freshly grated horseradish. Salt. Set aside until ready for service. This can be done in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

praline stuffing

• Toast Nuts.  Place the pecans in a pan over a medium-high flame on the stove.Toast the nuts until they begin to release their oils and become golden brown. Be careful to not burn them. Remove nuts from stove and place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a silplat. Add the salt to the nuts.

• Cook Bacon. Heat a pan over medium-high flame (or you can cook the bacon in a microwave on paper towels). Cook bacon until slightly crisp. Remove bacon from the pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess grease. Let cool. One cool, chop bacon.

• Cook Sugar. Place sugar in a saucepan and add enough water to the pan until the sugar looks like “wet sand”. Place a stainless steel bowl on top of the saucepan(the condensation will drip down to prevent seeding). After a few minutes, remove the bowl.  Once the cooked sugar turns amber in color (the color of syrup), remove the saucepan from the heat. 

• Make Praline. Pour the cooked sugar (carefully) over the nuts and salt. Let cool on the silplat.  

• Chop Praline. Once cool, break the praline into pieces and place in a food processor. Pulse  a few times to break up the praline.  

• Combine.  Add bacon, parsley, olive oil, and chives to the food processor. Pulse to combine. The bacon-praline mixture can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for a few days. 

tenderloin

• Cut And Stuff.  Place tenderloin on a cutting board lengthwise (facing away from you). Make an incision in the right-hand side of the meat about a 3 o’clock position and continue to cut the meat about 1/2 inch from the edge, carving a heart shape in the meat as you cut. If it does not resemble a heart, you can simply make an incision in the meat for a center of stuffing. Place the stuffing inside the meat where you made the incision and roll the meat back together tightly securing it closed with kitchen twine. 

•  Season Meat.  Season the tenderloin liberally with salt and pepper.  This can be done in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

• Room Temperature. Let the meat come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before roasting.

• Sear Meat. In a cast iron skillet or an ovenproof pan over high heat, melt the butter.  Add garlic. Once the garlic is fragrant, use tongs to add the tenderloin to the pan. Brown the meat on all sides.

• Roast Meat.  Place the pan in the oven and roast the tenderloin uncovered  at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until it reaches an internal temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit on a meat thermometer. 

• Give It A Rest. Carefully remove the tenderloin from oven and let the meat rest for about 15 minutes (cover with foil to keep it warm).  When meat reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees Fahrenheit on a meat thermometer, it  is medium rare and can be served.

• Serve. Slice the meat into filets about one inch thick. Remove the kitchen twine and serve a slice with a dollop of crème fraîche and a large helping of green salad.