Beef and Gorganzola Toasts with Herb Garlic Cream

Sorry I have not been making updates to my blog lately. I've been too busy cooking! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Last weekend the house was filled with food, fun, and friends. Jamie and his son, Henry, were here, as well as my son, Brett. We cooked everything from gingersnap French toast for breakfast to pizzas for dinner. I've been wanting to make a beef tenderloin ever since I saw my latest Cuisine at Home magazine. When I mentioned it to the boys, it reminded Henry of something he ate this summer at his uncle's house. It was a beef tenderloin appetizer served with an herb-garlic spread, spinach, and gorganzola cheese. At first, I was skeptical. Who wants to eat beef on toast?  I eventually gave in and decided to give it a chance. We went to the store, bought our "fresh ingredients", and proceeded to the kitchen. Henry was in charge of picking the herbs from my front yard "garden", and Brett was in charge of making the spread. With Slap Chop in hand, the boys make quick work of the chopping duties. By the time the filets had rested and the bread was toasted, we were ready for our assembly line. After eating my first one, I had to eat my words as well. It was delicious. As usual, I've made some adjustments to the recipe, which you'll see below. This is a great appetizer that can be made ahead.  Instead of a whole tenderloin, we used filets. To mix it up, we made half with spinach and half with arugula.

Adopted from Cooking Light

1 beef tenderloin, 1 1/4 lbs (we used two huge filets)
Cooking spray
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
30 French bread toasts, 1/4 inches thick (we used Cuban bread)
30 baby spinach leaves (we made half with arugula)
5 Tbsp gorganzola cheese

Herb Garlic Cream - Mix all together
2/3 cup fat free sour cream
2 Tbsp low fat mayonaise
2 Tbsp chopped chives
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 clove minced garlic

Preheat oven to 475. Spray cooking sheet with cooking spray. Salt and pepper tenderloin. Bake at 475 for 10 minutes, then turn heat down to 425. Continue cooking until meat thermometer reads 145 for medium rare, approximately 20 minutes. (If using filets, time will be shorter). Remove from oven, cover, and let rest 10 minutes. Cut very thin slices across the grain.

To assemble: Toast, herb-garlic cream, spinach or arugula leaf, beef, gorganzola cheese