By Beleaev Family | International Caviar & Gourmet, Head Office London | beleaev.com
Tournedos Rossini is the dish that defines 19th-century luxury cooking. Created by chef Casimir Moisson for the composer Gioachino Rossini in the 1850s, it stacks fillet steak, seared foie gras, fresh truffle, and a Madeira reduction into one of the most decadent main courses ever invented.
It still appears on the menu of every classical French restaurant in Mayfair. Le Gavroche serves it. The Wolseley serves it. La Trompette serves it. Each version uses the same components, slightly different proportions.
This recipe gives you the home version. 25 minutes of work, ingredients available from any good butcher and specialist deli, and a result that lands on the plate looking like a Le Gavroche photograph.
Key Takeaways
- Use centre-cut fillet steak, 200g per person, 4cm thick
- Foie gras goes on top of the rested steak, not cooked together
- Madeira reduction must be properly reduced, not just poured over
- Black truffle shaved at the table, not earlier
- Toasted brioche or croûton goes underneath the steak
The Ingredients
Serves 2
For the steak:
- 2 fillet steaks, 200g each, 4cm thick
- 2 small slices brioche or sourdough croûton (cut to fit under the steak)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 30g unsalted butter
- Sea salt and black pepper
For the foie gras:
- 2 slices grade A foie gras, 60g each, 1.5cm thick
For the Madeira sauce:
- 100ml Madeira (Sercial or Verdelho, dry style)
- 100ml beef stock
- 1 small shallot, finely diced
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 30g cold butter, cubed
For finishing:
- 4-5g fresh black truffle, for shaving
- A few flakes of Maldon sea salt
- Fresh chervil or parsley, optional
The fillet must be centre-cut, the most tender part. Buy from a good butcher (Ginger Pig, HG Walter) and ask for centre-cut tournedos. Each portion should be 4cm thick, weighing around 200g.
The Madeira should be a dry style (Sercial or Verdelho), not the sweet versions (Bual or Malmsey). The dry Madeira gives the right depth without being cloying.
The Method, Step by Step
Step 1: Prepare the Croûtons
Toast the brioche slices under a hot grill until deep golden. Cut to fit the size of the steaks. Set aside on warm plates.
Step 2: Make the Madeira Sauce
In a small saucepan, sweat the diced shallot in 10g of butter for 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds.
Pour in the Madeira. Reduce by two-thirds. Add the beef stock. Reduce by half until syrupy.
Take off the heat. Strain through a fine sieve to remove the shallot. Whisk in the remaining 20g of cold butter to finish. Keep warm.
Step 3: Cook the Steaks
Bring the steaks to room temperature for 30 minutes. Pat dry. Salt generously.
Heat a heavy pan over high heat. Add the oil. When shimmering, place the steaks in the pan. Sear 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Add the 30g of butter in the final minute and baste the steaks while cooking.
Lift onto a warm plate. Rest for 5 minutes loosely covered with foil.
Step 4: Sear the Foie Gras
While the steaks rest, score and salt the foie gras. Wipe the steak pan clean. Heat over medium-high heat. Place the foie gras in the dry pan.
Cook 60-90 seconds per side until deep golden and softly springy.
Step 5: Assemble
Place a toasted brioche croûton on each plate. Top with the rested steak, foie gras on top of the steak.
Spoon the Madeira sauce around (not over) the stack. Shave fresh black truffle over the top of the foie gras at the table. Add a flake of sea salt. Serve immediately.
Tips for Getting It Right
Don't cook foie gras and steak together. Some recipes suggest cooking foie on top of the steak. Don't. The foie weeps fat onto the meat and creates a mushy texture. Cook them separately, assemble at the end.
The brioche croûton matters. It catches the rendered fat and Madeira sauce, adding a textural contrast. Skip it and the dish slides around the plate.
Madeira reduction is the secret. Properly reduced Madeira sauce (cooked down to syrupy consistency) is what makes this dish. Watery Madeira sauce ruins the dish.
Truffle at the table. The aroma is volatile. Shave directly over the plate just before eating.
Don't overcook the steak. 3 minutes per side for 4cm-thick fillet gives medium-rare. Lower temperatures (medium-well, well-done) produce dry steak that doesn't honour the dish.
Variations and Pairings
With caviar topping: Add a small spoon (5g) of Beleaev Oscietra caviar on top of the foie gras alongside the truffle. The triple-luxury combination is restaurant-grade.
With wagyu: Replace fillet with A5 Japanese wagyu sirloin, around 150g per person (the marbling is intense, smaller portions work). The richer beef pairs spectacularly with foie gras.
With white truffle: In autumn, replace black truffle with white truffle (use 6-8g per portion). The aroma is more intense and floral.
Without croûton: Some chefs serve the steak directly on the plate. The croûton is optional but improves the dish.
Wine pairing: A vintage Bordeaux from the Médoc, a Brunello di Montalcino, or a vintage Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The dish needs serious red wine. Avoid light reds and whites.
For more luxury main courses, see our steak with truffle butter and roasted lobster with caviar beurre blanc recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called Tournedos Rossini?
Created in the 1850s by chef Casimir Moisson at the Café Anglais in Paris for the Italian composer Rossini, who was a famous gourmand. Rossini reportedly asked the chef to prepare a dish so luxurious that diners would have to "turn their backs" (tourner le dos) to ignore it, hence the name.
What's the difference between fillet and tournedos?
Tournedos is a specific cut: the centre of the fillet, around 4cm thick, tied with butcher's string into a round shape. Fillet is the broader cut from which tournedos are taken. For this dish, ask for centre-cut tournedos at the butcher.
Can I substitute beef stock for the Madeira?
No. Madeira is the defining ingredient. Without it, the sauce is just a beef reduction, which is fine but isn't tournedos Rossini. If you can't find Madeira, a dry sherry works as the closest substitute.
Is fresh truffle essential?
Yes for the proper version. Truffle oil tastes synthetic in this context. If fresh truffle is not available, omit rather than substitute. The dish works without truffle, the foie gras and Madeira sauce can carry it.
Further Reading
Tournedos Rossini is one of those dishes that defines what luxury cooking is about. A 200-year-old format that still works because the components were chosen perfectly. Discover Beleaev's caviar collection, the third luxury element on a proper Rossini plate, at beleaev.com.
Beleaev is an international caviar and gourmet house headquartered in London, with fulfilment hubs across the UK, Europe, the UAE, and the United States. We deliver responsibly farmed Beluga, Oscietra, Sevruga, and Kaluga caviar to customers in each region within 24 to 48 hours.
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