Flavors ~Beef~ 'Beef Roast with Chocolate Sauce'

Beef!
Y'all know that this week is Wide Open! I hope that we see a variety of recipes for beef.
I saw in The Flavor Bible, that chocolate is a flavor that goes well with beef.
Hmmmm ~ Red wine goes with beef, and we know that chocolate goes with Red wine. Why not give it a try?? I have capitalized all the flavors that are recommended with beef.
Beef Roast with Chocolate Sauce
1 (2-pound) beef tenderloin roast
1/4 tsp SALT
1/4 tspn freshly ground BLACK PEPPER
2 Tbs OLIVE OIL
1/2 cup chopped SHALLOTS
1 small CARROT
1 stalk CELERY
2 cloves GARLIC, minced
2 cups dry RED WINE
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 Tbs TOMATO PASTE
1 BAY LEAF
1 sprig fresh THYME
2 Tbs COCOA POWDER
1 teaspoon chopped fresh ROSEMARY
Preheat the oven to 425°
Rub the meat with course salt, pepper and 1 Tbs cocoa powder .
Transfer the meat to a rack set on a baking sheet. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 140° for medium-rare, about 30 minutes, or to your desired degree of doneness. Remove it from the oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let rest until the sauce is nearly done before slicing.
While the meat cooks, make the sauce.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, Add the diced shallots, carrot and celery until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for a couple minutes more. Add the red wine and broth and stir in the tomato paste. Add the bay leaf and thyme and bring to a boil. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 40 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a smaller pan. Stir in the cocoa and rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Serve on the side with the sliced tenderloin. The beef roast was perfect (but that is hard to ruin unless you over cook it) . . . the sauce gave an interesting flavor. Subtle chocolate ~ perfect! It was great with some rosemary roasted potatoes.

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Happy Cooking y'all~
Sandi