Recipe #002 February 2005: Beef Stroganoff

For 500 years the term �cordon bleu� has been associated with outstanding cuisine and excellent culinary techniques. The name �Le Cordon Bleu� (meaning blue ribbon) originated with a 16th century French order of knights, L�Ordre du Saint Esprit (The Order of the Holy Spirit). Members of the Order were dubbed 'Cordons Bleus' because of the broad blue ribbons on which they wore the cross of the Holy Spirit. They held legendary sumptuous banquets and as a result the term cordon bleu became synonymous with culinary excellence. Today, this term refers to the famous cooking school "Le Cordon Bleu".


In 1895 Marthe Distel, author of �La Cuisini�re Cordon Bleu� a weekly journal devoted to the culinary arts, founded the first Le CordonBleu school in Paris, France. Since that time, the school has flourishedaround the world with programs ranging from Le Cordon Bleu Le Cordon BleuCulinary Arts Patisserie and Baking Diploma programs to Baking and Pastry Certificates, Le Cordon Bleu Associate degrees in Specialized Business; and Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality and Restaurant Management DiplomaPrograms.


If you would like a taste of some of the mouth-watering recipes originating from Le Cordon Bleu you can start here! Each month we will publish a tried and tested recipe from one of the great Le Cordon Bleu publications. You can amaze your family, impress your friends and maybe even inspire yourself to go on and qualify at a Le Cordon Bleu school.

Recipe for Beef Stroganoff

Serves 4
Beef Stroganoff is an authentic Russian dish that originated in a 19th Century St. Petersburg cooking competition. This variation consists of thin strips of tenderloin, shallots and mushrooms saut�ed in butter and served in sour cream sauce.

Preparation Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Total time: 50 minutes Cut tenderloin into thin 2 x � inch strips Finely chop the shallots Thinly slice the button mushrooms Cut gherkins and beets into Julienne strips Julienne strips are vegetables cut to the size and shape of matchsticks.

Ingredients 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 � lb. beef tenderloin steak 1 oz unsalted butter 3 large shallots 1 tablespoon sweet paprika 1 � oz button mushrooms � fl oz white wine vinegar 1 � fl oz brandy 8 fl oz chicken stock Chicken stock is the strained liquid that results from cooking chicken with vegetables and seasonings in water. The purchased product will always be inferior to anything you make yourself. 6 � fl oz sour cream � oz pickled gherkins Gherkins are a variety of cucumber, whose small fruits are picked unripe, and pickled in vinegar. In France, they are known as "cornichons". � oz cooked beetroot

Cooking utensils Sharp knife Chopping board Tablespoon Spatula or wooden spoon Skillet Serving dishes

Chef�s Tip

Serve with vegetable pilaf rice for a mouth-watering dish fit for a Czar.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat the oil in the skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the meat and fry in batches for 2-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the meat is lightly browned. Remove from the pan, set aside and keep warm.



2. Melt the butter in the pan, add the shallots and cook for two minutes or until soft but not colored. Stir in the paprika for 45 seconds, then add the mushrooms and cook over high heat until dry.



3. Add the vinegar and cook for one minute or until the pan is nearly dry.



4. Add the brandy, cook until the liquid is reduced to half, then add the stock and reduce to half again.



5. Add half the sour cream and return the meat to the pan to reheat.



6. Best served with vegetable pilaf rice
   Vegetable pilaf rice is long-grain rice cooked with chopped onion ("sweated" in a small amount of butter or oil), to which chicken stock is added. The proportions are approximately 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of liquid. A variety of finely diced, cooked vegetables are folded in at the end. To sweat means to gently cook vegetables in a little fat without coloring to bring out the flavor. The term in French is "suer".
   , dot with the remaining sour cream and garnish with he gherkins and beets.



7. Eat and enjoy!

Permissions

• This recipe has been reproduced from Le Cordon Bleu's Complete Cook Home Collection, published by Thunder Bay Press 2001 (� Text Le Cordon Bleu International BV 2001)
  
  
• Permission to reproduce the recipe was granted by Le Cordon Bleu �, Paris, France



• Permission to reproduce photo granted to Le Cordon Bleu by Murdoch Books, a division of Murdoch Magazines, GPO Box 1203, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia (� Le Cordon Bleu 1996).