Tournedos Rossini (Fillet Rossini)

Ingredients:

4 beef fillet steaks (from the middle portion) [approx. 180g each]
50g of Perigord truffles, thinly sliced substitute summer truffles for a cheaper dish. Chop any truffle leftovers to add to the sauce
Enough goose/duck liver pate to cover each steak
one slice each of brioche or brown bread instead of artichoke base
150ml Madeira wine
150ml good quality beef stock
3 sprigs of thyme
2-3 shallots, coarsely chopped (do not peel)
7 tbsp cold butter
cornflour (as a thickener). as needed
Salt, freshly-ground black pepper, sugar to taste

Method:

Take the fillet and remove any white sinews or veins. Now cut the fillet into four equal rounds. If needed, use butcher's twine to tie the fillet pieces into rounds. Place a pan over medium heat, add the butter and when the butter is foaming. Add the beef tournedos and cook for about 3 minutes per side, until nicely coloured all over (during this time spoon the butter over the steaks to add more flavour). Transfer the steaks to a roasting dish then place in an oven at 80°C for 25 minutes to finish cooking.

In the meantime, prepare the sauce. Add the shallot pieces to the butter remaining in the pan then deglaze the pan with the madeira wine. Use a spatula to loosen any residue. Add the beef stock, bring to a boil then tip the mixture into a small saucepan.

Add the thyme, bring to a boil and reduce to 1/5 the original volume. Now add the leftover chopped truffle and cook briefly then strain the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve, squeezing down on the solids with the back of a spoon to force them through the sieve. Return to the pan and reduce a little more.

Beat in the remaining cold butter and thicken with cornflour if needed. Taste and adjust the seasonings then set aside to keep warm.

Roast or toast the bread then cut into rounds the same size as the beef. Also shape the pâté to the same size as the beef. Remove the steaks from the oven and add any pan juices to the sauce.

To serve, arrange the bread on each of four warmed serving plates. Sit the beef on top of the bread and the pâté on top of the beef. Arrange the truffle shavings around and on top of the dish then spoon over the sauce and serve.