"Lass Chance_2" > wrote in message
...
> Did anybody but me wake up early enough to see Ty Florence make this
> incredible dish on TV this morning?
>
> Jeeeeeeez...I would gladly suck this thru my NOSE if necessary.
>
> a beef tenderloin wrapped in proscuito, then puff pastry, baked and
> served with a green peppercorm/grainy mustard/cream brandy sauce....oh
> please, just kill me NOW.
>
> I was wondering what to cook for Crissmus....oh lordy, let me LIVE long
> enough to make THIS, PLEASE!
>
> BEEF WELLINGTON
> 2 cups mushrooms
> 2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
> 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves
> only
> 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
> 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
> Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
>
> For the Beef:
> 1 (3-pound) 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 tablespoons Dijon mustard
> Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
> 1 pound puff pastry, thawed if using frozen 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
> 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
> Minced chives, for garnish
> Green Peppercorn Sauce, recipe follows
> Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
> Warm Wilted Winter Greens, recipe follows
>
> 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 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, and Warm Wilted Winter
> Greens.
> Green Peppercorn Sauce:
> 2 tablespoons 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 tablespoons grainy mustard
> 1/2 cup green peppercorns in brine, drained, brine reserved
> 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.
>
>
I've made Beef Wellington a number of times, usually followng Julia Child's
recipe. It's one of those dishes you make less and less of as you age. There
are a number of errors in the above recipe. First, Beef Wellington is a
delicate dish. Assertive seasonings like peppercorn sauce and mustard are
not included, at least in any truely French recipe. You do lightly brown a
4-6" piece of whole filet, cover with a duxelles to which you add a bit of
pate to bind it and flavor it. Then you wrap it in puff pastry and bake it.
It should be served with a rich sauce like a Perigueux sauce, something like
the following.

Perigueux Sauce:
shallots, finely sliced
bouquet garni
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Madeira wine and or a small amount of cognac
fresh brown veal stock and beef stock about half and half and roux to
thicken the sauce slightly
tablespoons fresh duck foie gras
black truffle, finely chopped
unsalted butter

You can make this relatively easily using Trader Jose's frozen puff pastry,
and and more cheaply using their chicken liver pate to mix the duxulles.
Leave out the truffles. You can serve it with any mildly flavored beef or
veal/beef sauce thickened with roux and seasoned to taste with a bit of
Madeira wine. One of these days I'm going to do it again, when whole filet
is on sale at Costco.

Try it using my changes, and go easy with the sauce. It's something all
"chefs"[if we can call ourselves that] shoud do.

Best of Luck

Theron

Cheers, and look luck.