Skip to main content
Main

Beef Tenderloin Medallions with Rice Pilaf

Beef tenderloin medallions served with a three‑rice pilaf.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 18 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Beef and rice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 2,175 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which smells popcorn, roasted. The science ↓

The recipe

Oven425°F
Time45 to 60 minutes

Ingredients

Contains: milk, tree nuts, soy (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

  • Marinade

Directions

Marinate the beef

  1. Combine the ingredients of the Marinade in a small bowl.

  2. Marinate the beef in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed plastic bag or deep bowl for 6 to 8 hours.

  3. Discard the Marinade.

Roast the beef

  1. Place the tenderloin on a rack in a shallow roasting pan; turn the thin ends under.

  2. Insert a meat thermometer so the bulb is in the thickest part of the tenderloin.

  3. Roast uncovered at 425°F for 45 to 60 minutes or until the thermometer registers 140°F.

  4. Allow the meat to stand 10 minutes before carving.

Cook the rice

  1. Rinse the wild rice.

  2. Add 1½ cups of broth to the wild rice in a small saucepan.

  3. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 45 to 50 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

  4. Add 1 cup of broth to the brown rice in a small saucepan.

  5. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 45 to 50 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

  6. Add the remaining 1 cup of broth to the aromatic white rice in a small saucepan.

  7. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

Finish the rice and serve

  1. Meanwhile, cook the onions, pine nuts, and currants in butter in a large skillet until the onions are transparent.

  2. Stir in the rice and mint; cook until thoroughly heated.

  3. Garnish the rice with mint leaves.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.

  1. Beef + ricetop 4% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together2,175 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).

  2. Beef + red winetop 5% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together1,017 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

  3. Garlic + marjoramtop 5% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapmoderate
    Mentioned together614 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Garlic + mustardtop 5% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together4,037 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  5. Rice + wild ricetop 6% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapmoderate
    Mentioned together79 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Beef tenderloin
Is the main protein; roasting it to a set internal temperature keeps it tender and evenly cooked.
Dry red wine
Adds acidity and flavor to the marinade, helping season the beef.
Soy sauce
Adds salty, savory depth to the marinade.
Wild rice
Provides a firm, chewy texture that holds its shape in the pilaf.
Brown rice
Adds a nutty flavor and a slightly chewy texture to the pilaf.
Pine nuts
Add rich, toasted-tasting crunch to the rice.

The step that matters

Roasting the tenderloin to temperature. Tenderloin is lean and can dry out or overcook quickly. Checking the internal temperature with a thermometer in the thickest part shows when the meat is done, and standing lets juices redistribute before carving.

Flavor stand-ins for the marjoram

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, red wine, sauce, garlic, mustard, rice, wild rice):

  1. Celerybetter flavor fit
  2. Thymebetter flavor fit
  3. Cuminbetter flavor fit
  4. Marjoramthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, red wine, sauce, garlic, mustard, rice, wild rice. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

You might also like

Illustration of Roast BeefIllustrationRoast Beef211 recipesIllustration of Beef LoafIllustrationBeef Loaf175 recipesIllustration of Corned BeefIllustrationCorned Beef87 recipesIllustration of Rice FrittersIllustrationRice Fritters84 recipes