Andaz Savannah (formerly AVIA). Different name, same attention to detail and quality. Their new restaurant 22 Square is headed up by Chef Lauren Teague. Now, I will be honest, the old AVIA Kitchen was one of my favorite places to eat in town. They had great prime sliders, chicken and waffles and a few other things. So I was scared when I heard a new chef was coming in. Myself and a few others feared a new menu. “New chef, new menu.” one of the first things she said when I met her. Lovely woman, always willing to chat with guests about choices for her menu and sourcing. Which is entirely local. Their local Gouda cheese is to die for, but I digress. Asked to chip in to Savannah’s 12 days of Christmas recipes, she did not hesitate. We’ve had grits, donuts, and fudge sauce. Now it’s time to Eat It and Like a nice piece of beef.
Courtesy Chef Lauren Teague Andaz Savanah.
Roast Beef Tenderloin with Caesar Crust
Ingredients
- 1 4-pound center-cut beef tenderloin, fat and silverskin trimmed
- Kosher salt
- 4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper plus more for seasoning
- 2/3 cup fine fresh breadcrumbs made from day-old white bread
- 2/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 4 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained, finely chopped
- 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 4 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Preparation
Season tenderloin lightly with salt and pepper. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate overnight.
Uncover tenderloin; let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Set a rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer tenderloin to rack. Pulse 4 teaspoons black pepper and remaining ingredients in a small food processor until well blended. Generously and evenly spread and pack Parmesan mixture around tenderloin.
Roast until crust is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of tenderloin registers 110°F-115°F for rare and 120°F-125°F for medium-rare, 30-40 minutes.
Transfer to a carving board. Let rest for 20 minutes. Cut into 1/2″-thick slices, taking care not to lose too much of the delicate crust.
