Beef Wellington Wonderful Recipes

Steps:

• For the Duxelles:
• 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.
• For the Beef:
• To prepare the beef: Tie the tenderloin in 4 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 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, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic, and Warm Wilted Winter Greens.
• Add olive oil to pan after removing beef. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme; saute for 1 to 2 minutes, then, off heat, add brandy and flambe 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.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F and place a baking sheet inside to heat.
• Add potatoes, rosemary, sage, thyme, and garlic to a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Remove sheet pan from oven, lightly coat with olive oil, and pour potatoes onto pan. Place potatoes in oven and reduce heat to 425 degrees F. Roast for 20 minutes, or until crispy on outside and tender on inside.
• Cook honey and balsamic together over medium-high heat in a large saute pan, about 5 minutes. Toast walnuts in a small skillet; set aside to cool.
• Pile greens on a platter. Stir mustard into balsamic-honey dressing, then whisk in about 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil; pour over greens. Season greens with salt and pepper and garnish with walnuts, pomegranate seeds, shavings of Parmesan, and shallot.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place beef in a small baking dish, and spread with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned. Remove from pan, and allow to cool completely. Reserve pan juices.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and mushrooms in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool.
• Mix together pate and 2 tablespoons softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Spread pate over beef. Top with onion and mushroom mixture.
• Roll out the puff pastry dough, and place beef in the center. Fold up, and seal all the edges, making sure the seams are not too thick. Place beef in a 9x13 inch baking dish, cut a few slits in the top of the dough, and brush with egg yolk.
• Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10 to 15 more minutes, or until pastry is a rich, golden brown. Set aside, and keep warm.
• Place all reserved juices in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir in beef stock and red wine; boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Strain, and serve with beef.

Steps:

• Sprinkle steaks with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In a large skillet, brown steaks in 1 tablespoon oil for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and refrigerate until chilled., In the same skillet, saute mushrooms and onion in remaining oil until tender. Stir in remaining salt and pepper; cool to room temperature., Preheat oven to 425°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each puff pastry sheet into a 14x9-1/2-in. rectangle. Cut into two 7-in. squares (use scraps to make decorative cutouts if desired). Place a steak in the center of each square; top with mushroom mixture. Lightly brush pastry edges with water. Bring opposite corners of pastry over steak; pinch seams to seal tightly., Place in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Cut four small slits in top of pastry. Arrange cutouts over top if desired. Brush with egg., Bake 25-30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 135°; medium, 140°; medium-well, 145°).

Steps:

• FOR THE CHICKEN LIVER PATE: In a skillet, place 2 tablespoons butter and 1 small thinly sliced onion and saute until golden brown.
• Add the 6 tablespoons of schmaltz (chicken fat) and mix real well as you crumble the onion slices.
• This is called schmaltz with grieven.
• You can use this right away; however, it is better to make this a couple of months ahead of time and place it in the freezer to cure.
• When ready to make the pate, in a skillet saute the onions in the vegetable oil over a medium flame until golden brown and add the schmaltz with grieven.
• Boil the 4 eggs until hard boiled.
• Add the chicken or goose livers to the pan with the onions, grieven and garlic and cook 2 or 3 minutes until done.
• Add the cream sherry and cook an additional minute.
• Remove from pan and allow to cool.
• In a food processor, gently PULSE the livers and hard boiled eggs into a rough chop.
• DO NOT OVERMIX!
• Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and sugar and adjust as necessary.
• FOR THE BEEF WELLINGTON: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Season roast with salt, pepper, garlic powder and basil to taste. On a rack, in an uncovered roasting pan, roast filet, with suet on top, in middle of oven for 30 to 45 minutes or longer, until a thermometer registers 120 degrees.
• Allow filet to cool completely and discard larding fat and strings if strings are there.
• Skim the fat from the pan juices and save the juices. In a heavy skillet, saute the finely chopped mushrooms in the butter over medium-low heat, stirring until all the liquid is evaporated and the mixture is dry.
• Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool completely.
• Spread the pate evenly over the top and sides of the filet, and then spread the mushrooms evenly over the pate.
• On a floured surface, roll the 1 lb. of puff pastry into a rectangle large enough to enclose the filet completely, which should be about 20 x 12 inches.
• Invert the coated filet very carefully onto the middle of the dough and fold up the long sides of the dough to enclose the filet.
• With your finger you can make criss-cross grooves in the dough as a decoration.
• Brush the edges of the dough with egg white to seal.
• Repeat with the ends of the dough.
• Transfer the filet, seam down, to a jelly roll pan or a shallow roasting pan and brush with egg wash.
• Chill for 1 hour, but not more than 2 hours.
• Make sure that oven is preheated to 400 degrees and bake the filet in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until a meat thermometer registers 130 degrees for medium-rare.
• Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
• In a saucepan, boil the reserved pan juices and Madeira Wine until the mixture is reduced by one quarter.
• Add the arrowroot, beef broth, salt and pepper.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring (being careful not to boil) for 5 minutes or until thickened.
• Loosen the filet from the jelly roll pan and transfer with 2 spatulas to a heated serving platter.
• To serve, cut the filet into 3/4 inch thick slices and dress with the sauce.