Accounting for Taste

It’s the holidays, so not only do you dress to impress, but you dazzle with the ultimate in decadence when it comes to the star of the show, your entrée. This Beef Wellington recipe is not for culinary novices, so perhaps engage a more knowledgeable foodie to assist in the preparation.

That being said, it’s definitely a special-occasion meal, so plan on giving it your all, and neither you, nor your guests, will be disappointed. In fact it was exclaimed the “BEST Christmas dinner ever” by a few at the table, and we couldn’t disagree.

We decided to prep much of the work ahead, so we made the duxelles and the green peppercorn sauce the day before. The beef tenderloin had dry-aged overnight in the refrigerator the day before and got the wrap treatment after we finished making the duxelles, then again went into the fridge overnight. The puff pastry exterior was accomplished slightly before it made it’s way into the oven to roast.

And of course being a designer/artist, I couldn’t just wrap the beef in puff pastry without adding some sort of embellishment, in this case, various sized stars.

The Ultimate Beef Wellington with Green Peppercorn Sauce

Servings: 6-8
Time: 7 hr+
Difficulty: moderate
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Ingredients

For the Duxelles:

3 pints (1 1/2 lbs.) white button mushrooms
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Beef:

One 3-lb. center cut beef tenderloin (filet mignon), trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 thin slices prosciutto
6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
1 lb. puff pastry, thawed if using frozen
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
Minced chives, for garnish
Green Peppercorn Sauce, recipe follows
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic, recipe follows

Green Peppercorn Sauce:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 shallots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 cup brandy
1 box beef stock
2 cups cream
2 Tbsp. grainy mustard
1/2 cup green peppercorns in brine, drained, brine reserved

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic: 4-6 servings, 25 minutes.

2 lbs. fingerling potatoes, cut in half horizontally
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and coarsely chopped
3 sprigs fresh sage, leaves removed and chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped
6 cloves garlic, left unpeeled
2 tsp. whole-grain mustard, (optional)
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for sheet pan
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

To make the Duxelles: Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add butter and olive oil to a large saute pan and set over medium heat. Add the shallot and mushroom mixture and saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
To prepare the beef: Tie the tenderloin in 4 or more places so it holds its cylindrical shape while cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil – about 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile set out your prosciutto on a sheet of plastic wrap (plastic needs to be about a foot and a half in length so you can wrap and tie the roast up in it) on top of your cutting board. Shingle the prosciutto so it forms a rectangle that is big enough to encompass the entire filet of beef. Using a rubber spatula cover evenly with a thin layer of duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. When the beef is seared, remove from heat, cut off twine and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard. Allow to cool slightly, then roll up in the duxelles covered prosciutto using the plastic wrap to tie it up nice and tight. Tuck in the ends of the prosciutto as you roll to completely encompass the beef. Roll it up tightly in plastic wrap and twist the ends to seal it completely and hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, up to overnight, to ensure it maintains its shape.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Depending on the size of your sheets you may have to overlap 2 sheets and press them together. Remove beef from refrigerator and cut off plastic. Set the beef in the center of the pastry and fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the beef – saving ends to use as a decoration on top if desired. Top with coarse sea salt. Place the beef seam side down on a baking sheet.
Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash then make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife—this creates vents that will allow the steam to escape when cooking. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and rest before cutting into thick slices. Garnish with minced chives, and serve with Green Peppercorn Sauce and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic.
For the Green Peppercorn Sauce: Add olive oil to pan after removing beef. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme; sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, then, off heat, add brandy and flambé using a long kitchen match. After flame dies down, return to the heat, add stock and reduce by about half. Strain out solids, then add 2 cups cream and mustard. Reduce by half again, then shut off heat and add green peppercorns. Can be made ahead, covered and put into the refrigerator. Reheat slowly in a saucepan when ready to eat.
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic: Preheat oven to 500 degrees F and place a baking sheet inside to heat. Add potatoes, rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic, and mustard (if using) to a medium bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss well.
Remove sheet pan from oven, lightly coat it with olive oil, and pour potatoes onto pan, reserving the bowl. Place potatoes in oven and reduce heat to 425 degrees F. Roast for 20 minutes, or until crispy on outside and tender on inside.
Place roasted potatoes in the bowl. Remove the garlic cloves from their peels and place in a small bowl. Mash the garlic, then return it to the bowl and blend it well with the potatoes. Serve.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from recipes by Tyler Florence

The back story. This elegant staple of 1960s dinner parties derives its name from The Duke of Wellington, the nineteenth century English statesman and military officer. The name is not due to his gourmet tastes, however, but because the final dish is said to resemble the shiny dark military boots he wore.

Boots aside, it was Valentine’s and we wanted to treat ourselves at home as opposed to dining out. Initially our plan was a surf and turf riff of some sort, but then The Hubs ran across these individual “wellies” from NY Times Cooking, and we never looked back. The dinner, with a fantastic bottle of rioja wine, red salad, red baby bliss potatoes and the most mouth-watering tender braised leeks was a moment in Heaven, sigh.

Beef Wellington traditionally is a 2 to 4 pound beef tenderloin topped with mushroom duxelles and foie gras pate, and then encased in puff pastry. The preparation is simplified by instead wrapping individual beef filets. The Hubs had the romantic idea of adding heart embellishments with the leftover puff pastry and I whole”heart”edly jumped on that idea ❤

The filets need to be cut about 1 1/2-inches thick to ensure that the meat doesn’t dry out or become overcooked while roasting in the oven. If the meat is cut thinner, reduce the oven cooking time appropriately. And if your filets are greater than six ounces, the puff pastry may need to be cut into a larger square in order to envelop the meat completely. Ours were over 6 ounces, yet I managed with just the one sheet.

Also, the cooking plus resting time, is for meat that’s served medium-rare. If you like your meat more done, increase the initial cooking time in the skillet by another minute or two, and monitor the doneness of the meat from the oven with an instant-read thermometer. This recipe makes 2 servings, but it easily can be doubled.

Individual Beef Wellington

Servings: 2
Time: 2 hrs, + refrigeration
Difficulty: intermediate
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Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 (6-oz.) filet mignons, at least 1 1/2″ thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 oz. cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed, and finely chopped
1 large shallot, minced
1/2 tsp. herbes de Provence
1 tsp. honey
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
Frozen puff pastry (1 sheet from 17 1/4-oz. package), thawed but still cold
1 large egg

Directions

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Generously season the filet mignons with salt and pepper, and sear until the surfaces on the top, bottom and rounded sides are no longer raw, about 2 minutes total. Transfer the steaks to a plate, reserving the oil in the skillet. Brush or spread on the Dijon mustard all over each filet and refrigerate until cool, about 15 minutes.
Turn the heat to medium-high, and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Add the mushrooms and shallot, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned and no longer watery, about 10 to 12 minutes. Be patient: The mushrooms will first release some water; then, once that liquid evaporates, the vegetables will start to brown. If they are starting to stick before they brown, lower the heat or add a little water to the pan.
When the mushrooms are deeply browned, reduce the heat to medium and stir in the herbes de Provence, honey, wine and cream. Let the liquids bubble and reduce until the moisture is thick and jammy, about 2 minutes. transfer to a small dish and refrigerate until cool.
To assemble the Wellingtons, cut the puff pastry sheet in half (it doesn’t matter which direction). Lightly flour your working surface. Use a rolling pin to evenly roll each sheet into an 1/8-inch-thick rectangle. Mount a filet mignon-size circle of the chilled mushroom mixture in the center of each rolled-out sheet, evenly dividing the mixture between the 2 sheets. Top each mound of mushrooms with a filet.
Carefully bring the edges of the puff pastry up and over the steaks, stretching the dough if needed to completely cover the meat. Twist the tops of the dough to seal the filling, as if you’re making dumplings. You want an even, uniform layer of pastry, so trim any overlapping dough as you go. When the tops are nicely sealed, flip the Wellingtons over, seam side down, and transfer to a parchment lined sheet pan. You can use your hands to gently tighten each Wellington into perfectly smooth spheres. Refrigerate to chill completely before baking, at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours (ours were refrigerated 6 hours).
Heat the oven to 425°. In a small dish, whisk the egg until homogenous and, using a pastry brush or your fingers, evenly coat the entire outsides of the chilled Wellingtons with the egg, discard the remainder. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes. The internal temperature should read 120° for medium-rare (it will continue to cook as it rests.)
Transfer the Wellingtons to serving plates.Let them rest for about 15 minutes before serving.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe from the NYTimes Cooking