Grilled beef medallions with Chilean fresh tomato salsa, avocado and corn paired with Chile's signature varietal Carmenère
4 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 (4 oz. each) medallions of beef tenderloin 1 ½-inch thick
- 4 thin slices of smoked bacon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon mixture of black peppercorns, cumin seeds and coriander seeds, coarsely ground
- 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 red onion, finely sliced in half moons
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, finely chopped
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled en diced
- 1 cup cooked corn kernels
- ¼ cup cilantro, finely minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Wrap the smoked bacon slices around the beef medallions and secure with a toothpick. Brush the meat on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with the spice mixture. Reserve.
- Place all the ingredients for the Chilean fresh tomato salsa in a bowl and stir to combine; season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Preheat gas or electric grill on high heat: lightly oil grill rack. Sear the medallions, turning once; reduce the heat to medium and grill, turning occasionally until the desired doneness. Transfer to a plate and let stand for 3-4 minutes. Serve the medallions with the fresh tomato salsa on the side.
Ruth Van Waerebeek is an adventurous traveler, international chef and cookbook author from Belgium. She was born in 1959 in Ghent, Belgium, where she learned to cook at the side of her mother, grandmother and her great-grandmother. This wealth of home cooking knowledge would eventually lead Ruth on a marvelous journey around the world and to some of America's important culinary schools and positions.
In 1985, Ruth set out on what was to become the adventure of her life, sailing around the Atlantic Ocean on a small two-man sailing yacht. Stopping in Africa, South America and the Caribbean, Ruth continued to work in restaurants and exclusive resorts to enable her and her friend to continue their journey. In every place, she learned a great deal about culinary traditions, as well as enjoying some unique culinary experiences.
She returned to Belgium, continuing to work as a chef in the trendy FLOR restaurant before moving on to a number of positions in the culinary world, including Head Chef and Manager of the kitchen in the Hotel Mount Nevis, in Nevis, West Indies; Executive Chef at the corporate headquarters of Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, New York City; a full-time management and teaching position at Peter Kump's School of Culinary Arts in New York.
With the wealth of knowledge acquired regarding America's cuisine and traditions on her trips, Ruth quickly became familiar with the new trend called the "New Latin Cuisine" that was born in United States and trumpeted by the chef Douglas Rodríguez (New York) , Norman Van Aken (Miami) and Guillermo Perron (Philadelphia). It was in this way that she began to use traditional French cooking techniques together with products from America, paving the way for the birth of unusual and exotic tastes.
Eventually, Ruth would bring this new trend with her when she came to Chile. She first settled in Melipilla, a small town in Chile's Central Valley, where she promptly started a small restaurant with Chilean friends. Her passion over the munificence of nature would then grow to new limits.
In Chile, she discovered the extent to which the vitality of Chilean wines complemented the flavors issuing from her kitchen. "I found the perfect match for these flavors: the vibrant Concha y Toro wines possess a natural affinity with these new foods. What we have before us is the successful marriage of the products of this new land". Since 2000, she is Concha y Toro's official chef and culinary advisor for the Company's large events abroad and in Chile.
Recently, Ruth opened her spacious adobe home, set in the foothills of the Andean Mountains, as an exclusive guesthouse, the "Mapu Yampai", or "Land of Resplendence" in the language of the Mapuche Indians, Chile's native population. Here the fortunate guests can taste firsthand her culinary creations combined with the best wines of Concha y Toro and other wineries from the region.
Ruth has published the below cookbooks and written articles in Food & Wine magazine and is a regular culinary contributor to the Chilean magazine Paula.
Ruth will be at the San Mateo Fish Market TONIGHT from 6-8PM
All you ever wanted to know about your favorite wine pairing and oysters!
$ 20 a person
Space is Limited
1855 South Norfolk
San Mateo, CA 94403
(650) 349-3474
