David Denis

 

Le Mistral

Location 1420 Eldridge Pkwy. Houston, TX 77077

Reservations 832.379.8322

Web www.lemistralhouston.com

 

David Denis was raised in le Revest les Eaux, France, the third generation of restaurateurs in his family. After formal training at L’École du Beausset, Chef Denis joined the famed Hôtel le Carlton International in Cannes as the youngest sauce chef in its history. He then became head chef at Restaurant le Bois de Lune-Montvenix in Savoie. Chef Denis was invited to join the staff at Hotel Gasthof Baren, Switzerland, before coming to Houston in 1995. Le Mistral is named for a warm, southern breeze in the south of France. When you enter the West Houston restaurant in the heart of the Energy Corridor, it has the same warm, relaxed feel of a village restaurant in Provence. The menu is a blend of comfortable, richly flavored dishes with the exacting execution and flair of the world-class resorts in which Chef Denis trained. Opening soon, the new Le Mistral will feature a separate lounge area, chef’s table, private wine cellar, banquet room and soon will feature a specialty foods store

Half Roasted, Half Smoked Beef Tenderloin with Fingerling Black Truffle Mashed Potatoes, topped with Bordelaise Horseradish Sauce

 

Ingredients

6 6 oz. tenderloins

hickory chips

2 full carrots

2 peeled shallots

3 garlic cloves

1 pint veal stock

1 liter Bordeaux wine

1 celery stalk

3 sage leaves

6 teaspoons horseradish sauce

1 soup spoon butter

1 pound of fingerling potatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

2 soup spoons truffle oil

salt and pepper

1 1/2 liters of water

 

Method

1) Place a small bowl inside a larger bowl and place tenderloins inside the larger bowl. 2) Place hickory chips inside small bowl and light them. 3) Once chips begin to smoke, cover big bowl with aluminum foil and let sit for 15 minutes. 4) In sautée pan, lightly color carrots, shallots, garlic and celery. 5) Déglacé with Bordeaux wine, veal stock, sage, and water. Cook for 40 minutes. Strain. 6) Before serving, add horseradish, then butter and incorporate in salt and pepper. 7) Boil fingerling potatoes, skin on, with garlic until tender. 8) Mash potatoes. 9) Add truffle oil, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

 

To Serve

In a sauté pan, roast tenderloin, using a little butter to give it color. Place a spoonful of mashed potatoes on the plate. Place the tenderloin on top of the potatoes and top with the Bordelaise sauce. Garnish the plate with cheville.