Dinner Club

Last night we had our second successful dinner club and the meal was fantastic. Amy and Sean hosted and it was a hit on multiple levels, the food was great, the company fun and festive and almost best of all... they have AC. I was in heaven. Amy picked a south american theme and it was the perfect compliment to our hot, hot weather. This chimichurri sauce was SO GOOD. I'm definitely making this recipe soon. (Oh and Amy made it all the night before so all she had to do was cook the beef - that's my kind of dinner party menu!)

char-grilled beef tenderloin with three-herb chimichurri
Bon Appetit

Spice Rub
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika*
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder or ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Chimichurri sauce
3/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 medium shallots, peeled, quartered
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
3 cups (packed) stemmed fresh parsley
2 cups (packed) stemmed fresh cilantro
1 cup (packed) stemmed fresh mint

Beef tenderloin
1 3 1/2-pound beef tenderloin

2 tablespoons olive oil

For spice rub: Combine all ingredients in small bowl.

Do ahead: Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

For chimichurri sauce: Combine first 8 ingredients in blender; blend until almost smooth. Add 1/4 of parsley, 1/4 of cilantro, and 1/4 of mint; blend until incorporated. Add remaining herbs in 3 more additions, pureeing until almost smooth after each addition.

Do ahead: Can be made 3 hours ahead. Cover; chill.

For beef tenderloin: Let beef stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Prepare barbecue (high heat). Pat beef dry with paper towels; brush with oil. Sprinkle all over with spice rub, using all of mixture (coating will be thick). Place beef on grill; sear 2 minutes on each side. Reduce heat to medium-high. Grill uncovered until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of beef registers 130°F for medium-rare, moving beef to cooler part of grill as needed to prevent burning, and turning occasionally, about 40 minutes. Transfer to platter; cover loosely with foil and let rest 15 minutes. Thinly slice beef crosswise. Serve with chimichurri sauce.

*Available at specialty foods stores and from tienda.com.