Beef Wellington

***Foodbuzz.com Top 9 on February 18th, 2011***

For Valentines Day, I tackled a meat dish I've been wanting to make for some time now. I'm a big fan of Hell's Kitchen and every time I see them slice into those perfect, (or not so perfect, accompanied by strings of profanity) Beef Wellington's, my mouth starts to water. I don't know why I haven't made them before today but I got the last available package of Filet Mignon's from Costco and knew tonight was the night to go for it.


For those unfamiliar with this delectable steak preparation, Beef Wellington is a filet mignon wrapped in puff pastry, baked and then sliced into thick portions. Traditionally, and I'm sure Gordon Ramsay's does, there is some kind of duck or goose pate spread over the steak before wrapping it, but in this case I used a recipe that made a similar mixture out of a cooked down mushroom mixture. I was also making some truffled mashed potatoes so I mixed in a bit of truffle oil to the mushroom mixture and thought it added some great flavor to finish it off.

Overall the Beef Wellington didn't let me down and now I can more fully appreciate the dish each time I see them prepare it on TV. I know I'll be making it again soon (I've got two more in the freezer) and my mouth is already watering.


Beef Wellington
adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 8-10 oz Filet Mignon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, stemmed and finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed (Or you can create your own like I did here)

 

Directions

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and sear two sides, about 2 minutes each side. Remove the beef to a plate. Cover the plate and refrigerate for 1 hour or until the beef is cold.

Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until beginning to brown and release liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots and continue cooking until mushroom mixture dries out, is golden brown and shallots are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Preheat to the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. On a work surface, roll each sheet of puff pastry to a 10 by 14-inch rectangle (or large enough to cover he whole filet). Spread mushroom mixture on the pastry. Top the mushroom mound with a filet. Working 1 at a time, pull 2 opposite sides of pastry up over each beef piece, then fold the ends over the top to make a packet. Invert and arrange the packets seam side down on the baking sheet and press them lightly to seal the pastry. Repeat with the remaining beef, mushrooms, and pastry.

Bake the Wellingtons until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes or until 117 degrees. Remove from the oven to a serving platter and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.