April 2010 Tournedos of beef fillet with wild garlic crust, blueberries sauce and sour cabbage.

First, beat the butter with a food processor until the butter is foamy! Add the egg yolk and breadcrumb and season with salt, pepper and grated lemon rind. Wash the wild garlic, drain well and chop finely. Add this to the butter mixture and allow to cool. Now shape the butter into a roll (preferably with baking paper) and place it in the fridge! Wash the potatoes well and place them in a roasting tin with the rosemary and drizzle on some olive oil, place in the oven at about 160C for approximately 30mins. Next trim the silver skin and sinew from the beef, and cut into four portions. Fry the pieces in a hotpan to seal them, transfer to a rack and place in the oven for 6 - 8 mins. Add the stock vegetables and half the onion and fry in the same pan as the beef. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, bring to the boil and reduce. While the sauce is reducing, cut the cabbage into thin strips and place in a pan and sweat it down with the other half of the onion. When it is cooked, remove it from the heat and add the sour cream and fold in gently, leave to rest. Remove the beef from the oven and rest for a few minutes. Once cooled down a little, cut the butter mixture into 5mm slices, place on top of the beef and return to the oven, for the desired time, (medium will be 3-5min) In the meantime, you can add the blueberries to the reduced red wine sauce and season. Now, the tournedos and the potatoes will be finished at the same time. Cut the potatoes and place 3 pieces on the plate, arrange the cabbage and tournedos and place some of the sauce over the beef, the rest can be served separately.

Ingredients For 4 people you need: 800g beef fillet (from the Harz red Hoehenvieh) 1bch. wild garlic 100g butter 100g breadcrumbs 1 egg yolk 100g blueberries 100ml red wine 700g young cabbage 100g sour cream 600g small potatoes (new potatoes) One diced onion and stock vegetables chopped (carrots, leeks, celery, parsley), salt and pepper, fresh rosemary, olive oil and lemon.

Footnote: The Harz red mountain cattle numbers were very low by the late 1960's and the cattle were threatened with extinction. In 1997 they were officially declared as 'working endanger animal race of the year'. Historically the Harz red mountain cattle were useful in three ways, they supplied milk, meat and working power for the miners. Today although the numbers are still low, their is continual programme to reinstate these fine animals. More information can be found in English at www.harzer-rotvieh.de

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