The tenderloin and even the sirloin are sometimes called, or rather
known, under the name of fillet, when cooked. It comes from the French
_filet_--tenderloin.
Sirloin means surloin; like stock and several others, sirloin is purely
English. The surloin is the upper part of the loin, as its prefix
indicates; it is _surlonge_ in French.
A fillet is generally larded with salt pork by means of a small brass
larding-needle; the salt pork cut in strips to fit the needle (_see_
Larding).
If you use a tenderloin, trim off the fat. If it is a piece of ribs,
prepared fillet-like, shape it like a fillet as near as possible; the
rest is used as directed above.
A piece of ribs is certainly cheaper, and can be had at any time, while
the other is as difficult to procure as it is dear.
_To lard it._--Have a towel in your left hand and place the meat over
it, the most flat and smooth side up, holding it so that the upper part
will present a somewhat convex surface, and commence larding at either
end and finishing at the other, in this way:
Run the needle through the upper part of the convex surface, commencing
at about a quarter of an inch from the edge of one side, running through
the meat a distance of about one inch and a half, about half an inch in
depth at the middle, and the strip of salt pork sticking out at both
ends; that is, where the needle was introduced into the meat, and where
it came out of it. Repeat this till you have a row of strips across the
meat, the strips being about one-third of an inch apart.
Lard row after row in the same way, and till the whole flat side is
covered; the ends of the strips of pork sticking out of each row being
intermingled.
_To cook it._--It may be roasted or baked exactly in the same way as
directed above for roast and baked beef. It may also be improved in the
same way.
When cooked in either of the two above ways, it is served with its gravy
only, or--
With fried potatoes.
With potato coquettes.
With truffles.
With tomatoes.
With quenelles.
With Madeira-sauce.
With green peas.
The same as roast or baked beef above. It may also be decorated in the
same way.
A fillet is also cooked exactly like beef _a la mode_, with the
exception that it does not require as long; for a large one, it requires
only about three hours.
When cooked thus, it is served with its gravy strained, and decorated
with skewers, as above.
_With Macaroni._--While the fillet is cooking, prepare a pound of
macaroni au jus, and serve the fillet on the macaroni spread on a dish;
the gravy of the fillet being mixed with the macaroni when both are
done.
_Fillet a la Brillat-Savarin._--Cook it in a pan as above, and serve it
decorated with sweetbreads and slices of truffles, as described for
roast-beef, and with a Champagne-sauce.
_A la Chateaubriand._--This is prepared and served like the preceding
one, with a _Madeira_ instead of a _Champagne_ sauce.
_Saute._--When cooked in a pan as directed above, cook mushrooms about
ten minutes in the gravy, and serve mushrooms and gravy all around the
meat.
A fillet _saute_ is always made with a tenderloin.
As is seen by the above receipts, all the good pieces of beef may be
prepared in the ways described, ribs as well as other pieces, and from
the plainest to the most _recherche_ way, from the cheapest to the most
costly manner.
Several names are given to the different ways we have described, such as
fillet _financiere_ (fillet served with a ragout of chicken-combs),
fillet Richelieu (fillet with half a dozen skewers), etc.
_En Bellevue._--This is the best way to serve it cold. It may be served
whole, or part of it, that is, what is left from the preceding dinner.
For a supper or lunch, it is the most handy dish, as it can be prepared
in advance. Make some meat jelly or calf's-foot jelly, put a thickness
of about three-quarters of an inch of it in a tin dish or mould, large
enough to hold the fillet; then place on ice to cool, and when congealed
and firm enough, place the fillet on it, the larded side downward; fill
now with jelly till the fillet is covered, and have a thickness of about
three-quarters of an inch above it.
The fillet must not touch the sides of the mould, but be perfectly
enveloped in jelly. If the thickness of jelly is even on both sides and
all around, it is much more sightly. When the jelly is perfectly
congealed and firm, place a dish over the mould, turn upside down, and
remove it. Serve as it is.
As a tenderloin is very expensive and rather difficult to get, buy a
fine piece of ribs, cut the fleshy part of the shape of a tenderloin,
and prepare it as directed above; it makes an excellent and sightly
dish. The bony part with the rest of the flesh is used to make broth.