5 1/2 lbs. beef fillet (tie crosswise at 1-inch interval and pat dry)
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp. softened unsalted butter
Blue Cheese Sauce (recipe follows)

Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper to taste and rub with butter. Grill the fillet over a bed of glowing coals about 3 inches form heat, turning it, for 20-25 minutes for rare meat.

Transfer the fillet to a cutting board. Let it stand for 15 minutes and remove the string. Cut the fillet into 1/2-inch slices and serve it with the Blue Cheese Sauce.

BLUE CHEESE SAUCE:

3/4 c. Sercial Madeira
2 tbsp. minced shallot
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. canned beef broth
6 oz. blue cheese, crumbled and softened
1 stick (1/2 c.) unsalted butter, softened
Salt to taste
Cayenne to taste
Paprika to taste

In a saucepan combine the Madeira with the shallot and reduce the mixture over moderately high heat to about 2 tablespoons. Add cream and broth and reduce the liquid over moderate heat to about 1 cup.

In a bowl cream together the cheese and butter until smooth. Whisk the cheese mixture, a little at a time, into the saucepan and simmer the sauce for 3 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl and add salt and cayenne to taste. Sprinkle the sauce with paprika.