I have a wonderful neighbor who needed some help. She purchased everything for a dinner party through our “Pantry”. When she came to our home to borrow some soup bowls, she was nervous.
I sent some instructions home with her. She said the evening was magical!
Bread Service:
Sprinkle a litte water on the top of each baguette and put in oven (any temperature) for 3 to 4 minutes.
Leave whipped butter out at room temp and transfer into little plates or bowls to spread around table.
Chicken and Mushroom Soup:
Combine three quarts of soup and bring to a simmer in a sauce pan. Garnish with parsley.
Soup spoons are in this bag.
Feta and Beet Salad:
Toss Arugula with diced red onions and 1/4 of the Citrus Vinaigrette. Arrange on the bottom of the plates or 2 serving platters. Just two pieces per order.
Arrange the two different colored beets on top. Wash your hands after adding the red beets or everything will be red.
Top with the Feta. Drizzle remaining Vinaigrette over beets.
This dish would be great family style. I would recommend 2 platters for this.
Beef Tenderloin:
This beef is just seared, completely raw inside.
Remove plastic wrap and put the three pieces on a half sheet pan. If you have a rack that fits, you can use it, but not necessary.
Leave at room temp for 30 minutes if possible
Place in a warm 350 degree oven and cook for about 15 minutes. Insert meat thermometer (included) into center of each tenderloin.
Rare: cold red center; soft 125–130 ̊F
Medium rare: warm red center; firmer 130–140 ̊F
Medium: pink and firm 145 ̊F
Medium well: small amt of pink in the center 150–155 ̊F
I think you want to cook to 130 for mid rare. You’ll have to gauge how much longer to cook in your oven to reach this point. One tenderloin is a little bigger, so if someone wants rare, you could cook them all the same time and this one should stay 125-130 while the others are med rare.
You must let them rest after coming out of the oven for 5 minutes before you slice to let the juices come back into the meat.
I would slice them ½ inch thick and arrange on a two platter. Then people could choose what temp they prefer when they see the platter. Put a serving fork on each platter. Sprinkle with gorgonzola, unless someone doesn’t want cheese. But there is cheese already in the sauce
Gorgonzola Sauce: Heat in a small pan on stove until simmering.
Either pour over sliced steaks or pass in a separate dish.
Vegetables:
For Cauliflower. Reheat in microwave until hot and put in serving bowl.
For Green beans: have a medium size pot of boiling water going on stove. Drop beans in, till they are hot. They are already cooked. Drain off water and toss with the shallot herb butter (room temp) and put in serving bowl.
This is how it should go…
1. Have butter for the bread and the shallot butter for the green beans at room temp. Arrange butter for bread how you want to serve it on the table 30 minutes before guests sit down.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Have pot of water ready to simmer for green beans.
4. Have cauliflower in a microwaveable dish.
5. Put soup in pot on stove.
6. Put Gorgonzola sauce in small saucepan.
7. Pull tenderloin out of fridge 1 hour before sitting down to dinner.
8. Lay baguettes out and sprinkle with butter.
9. 10 minutes before dinner. Turn on Soup, turn on water for green beans.
10. 5 minutes before dinner – put bread in oven and beef tenderloin too.
Turn on Gorgonzola Sauce (low heat)
11. Toss feta and beets, but hold on the final amount of dressing until you bring it out of the kitchen.
12. When beef is ready, and resting, you could heat up the veggies and turn your oven off and put in the oven with the door ajar.
You may want to slice the beef, arrange on platters and cover with foil. Put in a warm spot, but not in oven.
13. Serve Soup
14. Bring out feta salad, add remaining vinaigrette.
15. Bring out meat platter, sauce, veggies, garnish with cheese.