Sleuth’s Corner

Q. I will be grateful if anyone can help me find a recipe for my husband’s birthday. He loved meat medallions with blue cheese that I made once from a recipe I cut out. It also had panko.

Maria Teresa Vicaria

Main Dish

Perfect Beef Tenderloin

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) softened butter

1 beef tenderloin (about 5 pounds)

Garlic salt to taste

Heat the oven to 475 degrees, with one rack set in the center. Use your hands to press the butter into the tenderloin, then sprinkle evenly with garlic salt. Place in a shallow roasting pan.

Roast beef for 15 minutes, then, without opening the oven door, turn off the heat. Let stand in the oven 15 minutes. Remove pan and place on a rack. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and let stand 30 minutes before slicing. Makes 10 servings.

Per serving: 471 calories (69 percent from fat), 36 g fat (15 g saturated, 14.5 g monounsaturated), 166 mg cholesterol, 35 g protein, 0 carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 117 mg sodium.

Quick Bread

Orange Pecan Tea Bread

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

3 tablespoons 1 percent low-fat milk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons orange marmalade

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

2 large eggs

Cooking spray

Glaze

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons fresh orange juice

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped pecans, toasted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and allspice in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center. Combine sugar, buttermilk, pecans, milk, oil, marmalade, orange zest and eggs. Pour into well in dry ingredients, stirring just until moist.

Spoon batter into an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake 45 minutes or until loaf tests done. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan and cool completely.

Combine confectioners’ sugar and juice, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over bread and sprinkle with pecans. Makes 14 servings.

Per serving: 171 calories (29 percent from fat), 5.6 g fat (0.9 g saturated fat, 2 g monounsaturated) 2.4 g polyunsaturated fat, 3.2 g protein, 27.4 g carbohydrates, 0.7 g fiber, 31 mg cholesterol, 144 mg sodium.

Main Dish

Real Sauerbraten

1 (1.5-ounce) bottle pickling spice

1 quart white vinegar

1 medium onion sliced

2 carrots cut into chunks

4 tablespoons dark brown sugar

4 tablespoons of white sugar

5- to 6-pound beef roast (bottom round or sirloin tip)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water

In a large nonreactive pot, combine the pickling spice, vinegar, onion, carrots and both sugars. Gently warm (do not boil). Set aside.

Place the roast in a large glass bowl or zippered plastic bag, and pour on the vinegar mixture. Cover or seal, and refrigerate for 2 days, turning occasionally.

Remove meat and strain and reserve the brine mixture, reserving the vegetables. Brush off the extra seeds from the roast, and pat dry.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown meat on all sides. Slowly pour the brine mixture into the pot, and add the onion and carrot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a bare simmer and cook about 2 1/2 hours. Meat will be very tender. Remove from the pot and set aside.

Stir the cornstarch mixture into the pot liquid and cook over medium-high until thickened. Slice the roast and serve with the sauce. Makes 12 servings.

Per serving: 472 calories (59 percent from fat), 30 g fat (12 g saturated, 13.8 g monounsaturated), 121 mg cholesterol, 38 g protein, 8.8 g carbohydrates, 0.5 g fiber, 1,041 mg sodium.