Ingredients

1 4-pound trimmed beef tenderloin

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. black pepper

3/4 tsp. dried thyme

2 cups crumbled blue cheese

1/3 cup bread crumbs

Butcher’s twine or string

1 Tb. olive oil

1 cup ruby port wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 tsp. water

For the barley pilaf:

1 cup dried mushrooms 2 Tbs. olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 pound pearled barley

1 cup dry white wine

4 cups chicken broth

7 ounces rinsed baby spinach

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Prepare beef and sauce: Slit tenderloin lengthwise, almost but not all the way through. Sprinkle with salt and 1/2 tsp. each pepper and thyme. Mix cheese, bread crumbs and 1/4 tsp. each pepper and thyme; stuff pocket with cheese mixture. Tie tenderloin crosswise at 1 1/2-inch intervals. Coat with oil and sprinkle with more salt and pepper; set aside.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed roasting pan over two burners on medium-high heat. When pan is very hot, turn on exhaust fan and sear roast until well browned, about 2 minutes on all 4 sides; transfer to a cookie sheet. Reduce heat to low; add port, scraping roasting pan to loosen brown bits. Pour port into a saucepan with 1 cup broth. Simmer until reduced to 1 cup; whisk in cornstarch to thicken. Set aside.

Prepare pilaf: Place mushrooms in a bowl, cover with3 cups of water and agitate to loosen dirt. Let sit 30 minutes. Put mushrooms in a fine mesh strainer; reserve liquid in bowl. Wash mushrooms under running water. Set aside. Pour mushroom liquid through strainer into another bowl.

Add 2 Tbs. oil to the roasting pan. Sauté onion until well browned, 5 minutes. Add barley. Sauté; stir constantly,1 to 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, then wine. Simmer until nearly evaporated; add reserved mushroom liquid and4 cups broth, and bring to a simmer.

To cook: Set a wire rack over the barley; set beef on rack. Cook, uncovered, until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 120 (medium-rare) or 125 (medium), 30 to 35 minutes. Remove roast from rack and rack from pan. Let roast rest for about 25 minutes. Return barley to oven; cook until liquid evaporates and barley is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; stir in spinach and Parmesan until spinach wilts.

To serve: Reheat port wine sauce. Cut roast into 1-inch-thick slices. Serve with sauce and barley pilaf.