Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin with Bacon Chive Butter

We were so very gourmet growing up — we “discovered” the idea of putting garlic butter onto our steaks. Although looking back, we probably had made garlic margarine. Ah, we knew so little. As an adult, I still love a steak with a good compound butter. Here I top the steak with a blend of the flavors that top classic baked potatoes. How could this not be delicious? Cook the bacon quite crisp and save a bit for a final garnish.

Author

Barbara Freda

I grew up in a cooking family and after getting a degree in Spanish and Anthropology, realized what I really wanted to do was to go to culinary school. After working in a NYC bank for a few years, I managed to get to culinary school and got my first jobs in NYC kitchens, including a long stint at Union Square Cafe in its earliest years. After (sadly) leaving NYC, I realized I needed to step away from the 80-hour work weeks, so I left the heat of the kitchen for the cool of the computer keyboard: I started writing about food, the business of food, and technology in the food industry, as well as teaching cooking classes. Recipe development remains one of my top loves, and the opportunity to develop recipes for Anova has been fun every step of the way.

Prep Time: 00:15

Recipe Time: 00:45

Temperature : 134.6F / 57C

Ingredients

• 2 (8-ounce) thick-cut tenderloin steaks
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, plus 1/2 bunch whole chives
• 3 strips thick-cut bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• 2 teaspoons sour cream

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 134ºF (57ºC).
2. Season steaks with salt and pepper and place in a large zipper lock bag. Add a few whole chives. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique.
3. Place the bag in the water bath and set the timer for 45 minutes.
4. While steaks cook, prepare the compound butter: Combine 3 tablespoons butter with the minced chives, 2/3 of the bacon, and sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Spoon butter onto piece of plastic wrap. Roll butter into a log, wrap tightly, and refrigerate until steak is finished.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Remove the steaks from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. Melt the remaining tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the steaks and sear until well-browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes.
2. To serve, plate steaks with any side dish (we choose mashed potatoes) and top each steak with a generous slice of the chive, bacon and sour cream butter. Garnish with any extra crumbled bacon and a few whole chives. Serve.