This recipe comes from the Southern Living Christmas Cook Book that my Nana gave us back in 1999. The recipe claims to feed 10 people, but that must assume nobody rushes back for seconds. Fair warning, a good beef tenderloin will hit you in the wallet, but the outcome is absolutely amazing. And I think we enjoy the Royal Butter just about as much as we enjoy the tenderloin. This is a favorite holiday alternative for us when we want to do something a little different than traditional turkey or ham. You can make this extra fancy by garnishing with some shiitake mushrooms and flat-leaf parsley.

Ingredients

• 1 (5 to 6 lb) beef tenderloin, trimmed

Marinade

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 green onion, chopped

Royal Butter

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup prepared horseradish, drained

Instructions

1. Combine marinade ingredients and stir well.
2. Place beef tenderloin in a large heavy-duty zip lock bag. Pour marinate over tenderloin and remove as much air as you can.
3. Combine Royal Butter ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until well blended.
4. Place tenderloin and royal butter in refrigerator for 8 hours, turning the tenderloin occasionally.
5. Remove tenderloin from marinade (reserve marinade), and place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.
6. Bring marinade to a boil in a small sauce pan and set aside.
7. Bake tenderloin at 400 for 45 to 55 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 (medium rare), basting occasionally with marinade.
8. Let tenderloin rest 10 minutes before slicing.
9. Serve Royal Butter (warmed to room temperature) with the tenderloin.