Tenderloin Steak with Mushroom Garlic Butter

 

Pan seared beef tenderloin steak recipe with a garlicky mushroom compound butter. This is keto dining at its finest! And a review of Brasada Ranch Resort.

I want to tell you about a magical place nestled in the high desert of  central Oregon called Brasada Ranch.

I’ve actually been meaning to tell you about this for over a year but you know…life happens. But this delicious recipe for tenderloin steaks with melty delicious mushroom garlic compound butter was inspired by our stay there.

A little bit of backstory is necessary. I purchased a three night stay at Brasada at our school auction several years ago, because I was told by a friend that it was amazing. Naturally the stay was for the shoulder season or off season, and couldn’t be used during the summer. But I am of the mind that the off season is usually the best time to go anywhere. Fewer people and cooler weather are more my style.

Due to a few family issues, we actually couldn’t make it to Brasada until almost a year and a half after we purchased the package, but when we finally got there, I was blown away. It was the end of September, and it was one of the most relaxing family vacations we’d ever had.

Family Getaway to Brasada Ranch

Now let’s be clear, Brasada Ranch is absolutely a luxury resort and it’s big on the golf, which none of us play. But for such amazing amenities, a 3 night stay for a family of five was very well priced (around $1200). We had a gorgeous and large 2 bedroom “cabin” to ourselves, replete with a hot tub, a fireplace, and stunning views of the surrounding desert and mountains. I hesitate to truly call it a cabin because it was more like a small well-furnished house, comfortable and cozy at the same time as being luxurious.

There is so much to do at the ranch. The fitness and pool center is huge, with an enormous game room for kids, and an outdoor pool with a water slide, lazy river, and cafe/bar area. We spent the majority of our two full days hanging out there, as we lucked into some fantastic fall weather. Cold crisp mornings and warmish afternoons, and I could hardly get my kids out of the pool most of the time.

If golf is your thing, then Brasada has that in spades. It also has horseback riding, but it was quite pricy for a family of five, so we opted to rent bikes instead and rode around the entire property. It’s quite hilly but even my youngest, who was 7 years old at the time, managed it well enough. And we had striking views of the Three Sisters, a gorgeous volcanic mountain range near Bend, OR.

Speaking of Bend, it’s close enough to drive in easily so you aren’t just stuck on the ranch, as it were. Bend is a really fun small city, with lots of activities, fabulous restaurants, and plenty of shopping. My husband and I went in to town for an anniversary dinner and ate at Bos Taurus, a very upscale steakhouse. This is a restaurant that devotes itself to the best steaks in the country, prepared to absolute perfection. The restaurant itself is inviting and warm, but not dingy and dark like so many steakhouses. They also have wagyu beef on the menu, and while I was tempted to try it, I simply couldn’t settle my mind to paying $60 for 2 ounces of meat. So I opted for a filet mignon with a large pat of truffle butter on top, along with the roasted cauliflower topped with a gorgeous runny egg. Do I need to tell you that the dinner was fabulous?

I will say that the least impressive part of our Brasada stay was the food at the resort itself. Because our stay was during the shoulder season, we were there just before they closed the Range, which is their fine dining restaurant. We actually booked it for one night but then decided to go to the more casual Ranch House instead, where the food was really only so-so and the service was a bit below par. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t great either. But we weren’t there for the food and our cabin was outfitted with a wonderful kitchen, so we cooked and ate most meals at home.

The final tally definitely falls in Brasada Ranch’s favour. It was a glorious long weekend and if ever you are looking for a fantastic Oregon getaway, this is the place. At the very least, it needs to be in your top 10 places to visit!

Pan Seared Tenderloin Steaks

This recipe was inspired by my delicious dinner at Bos Taurus. Now, I don’t honestly have any idea where to purchase fresh truffles, and knowing that they are expensive and hard to find for all of us, I opted for a compound butter made with sautéed mushrooms and garlic instead!

I did my research before tackling this tenderloin steak recipe. Beef tenderloin isn’t cheap but done correctly, it is so tender and so melt in your mouth delicious. It’s often sold in whole pieces for roasting but filet mignon also comes from the tenderloin. I purchased grassfed tenderloin steaks from my local farmer’s market.

Tenderloin requires high heat and a light touch when cooking. A wonderful site called Steak University (don’t you love it?) gave me the best instructions for searing the steaks on the outside while keeping the insides tender and juicy. Depending on how thick your steaks are, this should be about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Mine was in the 4 to 5 minute range.

Tenderloin doesn’t have a lot of fat on it but it still comes out remarkably tender. That said, for a keto diet, you probably want to add some fat in the way of butter sauces or toppings. The mushroom garlic compound butter here was the perfect compliment!

Tenderloin Steaks with Compound Butter

Pan seared beef tenderloin steak recipe with a garlicky mushroom compound butter. This is keto dining at its finest! 

5 from 5 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef tenderloin steak, compound butter, tenderloin steak

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 406kcal

Ingredients

Mushroom Garlic Butter

• 6 tablespoon salted butter softened, divided
• 4 ounces mushrooms finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced

Tenderloin steaks

• 1 ½ lbs beef tenderloin steaks about 1 ½ to 2 inches thick each
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil

Instructions

Compound Butter

• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the mushrooms slices and sauté until golden brown, about 4 minutes. 
• Add the garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook one minute more. Remove and let cool, then use a fork to mix the mushrooms into the remaining butter. Place the butter on a piece of waxed paper and wrap it up, then roll into a log. Refrigerate until firm. 

Tenderloin Steak

• Allow the steaks to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the oil and let heat for about 1 minutes. Add the steaks and sear 3 to 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Remove from heat and let rest in the pan another 3 minutes or so, until the internal temperature reaches 140F to 150F. 
• Serve with a large dollop of Mushroom Garlic Compound Butter on top. 

Nutrition Facts

Tenderloin Steaks with Compound Butter

Amount Per Serving (6 ounces)

Calories 406 Calories from Fat 217

% Daily Value*

Fat 24.1g37%

Carbohydrates 2.6g1%

Fiber 0.3g1%

Protein 38.1g76%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.