Beef Wellington

Serves: 2

Prep + Cook Time: One hour, 10 minutes

Calories:1300 (but I’ve never finished an entire wellington in one sitting!)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs trimmed filet of beef/beef tenderloin (this should be two individual filets)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 1/2 lb Gruyere cheese, shredded or grated

• 1 package frozen puff pastry

For the Duxelles:

• 0.5 lb mushrooms, diced finely

• 1.5 tbsp chopped shallots

• 1 tbsp butter

• 1.5 tbsp Madeira wine

For the Madeira Sauce:

• 1/4 c. finely chopped carrot

• 1/4 c. finely chopped celery

• 1/4 c. finely chopped onion

• 1 c. beef broth

• 1 small or half of a large bay leaf

• 1/4 c. Madeira wine

• 1.5 tbsp cornstarch

• 1.5 tbsp water

Directions:

For the meat:

1. Season the filet of beef with salt and pepper.

2. Brown the filet over medium heat on the stovetop in a large skillet, quickly browning all sides of the meat for under 2 minutes per side. This should take no more than 8 minutes. You just want to brown it, not cook it. Remove from skillet and chill immediately.

For the Duxelles:

1. Melt butter in the same skillet and then add mushrooms. Saute over medium high heat until liquid is removed from the mushrooms, about 10 minutes, stirring while cooking.

2. Turn the heat down to medium, add the shallots and Maderia wine and cook until all liquid is evaporated. Cool.

Assembling the Wellingtons:

1. Unwrap the puffed pastry (there should be two pieces). On each piece, spread the cheese down the center and top each with 1/4 of the duxelles mixture(this will use half of your duxelles). Place filets on top of the mushrooms.

2. For each, fold up the ends of puff pastry around the beef, like a little package. Trim the excess pastry from the “package” before folding. Press the edges firmly together to seal.

3. Place each Wellington seam-side down on a greased baking sheet.

4. Use the pastry scraps to decorate the top (at Christmas, I use a Christmas tree cookie cutter).

5. Brush one beaten egg over each Wellington and refrigerate.

6. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 18-20 minutes until golden grown for a medium rare temperature (do not overcook this!).

For the Madeira Sauce:

1. Once you’ve placed the Wellington’s in the oven, saute the carrots, celery and onion until tender in the same pan you’ve been using. Cook until the vegetables are tender.

2. Add the beef broth, bay leaf and Madeira wine and cook over medium to medium low heat for 10 minutes.

3. Strain this mixture through a colander or strainer into a sauce pan. Add the remaining duxelles mixture and bring to a boil.

4. Mix together the cornstarch and water and add to the sauce to thicken it, if necessary. Then season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve:

1. Remove the Wellingtons from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve the Madiera sauce on the side in a small ramekin.

Adapted over the years from various recipes.