Beef Wellington

A few months ago, Brian's dad read an article in the Wall Street Journal about the ultimate "mega meal," Beef Wellington, based on a Tyler Florence recipe. We spoke often about making it for a special dinner, and decided that Brian and I would make it for Easter for his parents and us, on Plum Island.

I had never had Beef Wellington. Didn't know how it should taste, what it should look like, or how difficult it would be to make. And I am so glad we tried it! First of all, how bad can anything be that is wrapped in puff pastry?! Beyond that, though, the combination of mushroom "pate" with salty prosciutto and beautiful filet Mignon - truly the perfect bite. Best of all - it was easy!  Time consuming and not inexpensive, but not difficult.

Served with mashed potatoes and simple roasted asparagus, it was absolutely a "heavenly meal," perfect for Easter!

Duxelles
1 1/2 lb. white button mushrooms, cleaned and large chopped
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 T unsalted butter
2 T extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Beef
1 (3 lb.) center cut beef tenderloin (filet Mignon), trimmed and tied
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
16 thin slices prosciutto
3 T white truffle butter*
Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
1 or 2 sheets (1 box) puff pastry, thawed two hours
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 t coarse sea salt

Mushroom Gravy**
2 T unsalted butter
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound white mushrooms, quartered
1 T all purpose flour***
2 C beef stock
1/4 C heavy cream

1. Make the duxelles: Place the mushrooms, shallots, garlic and thyme in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
2. Prepare the beef: Drizzle roast with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Heat a little olive oil in a heavy skillet (we used cast iron). When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the beef and sear until every side is nicely browned. (You know the meat is fully seared when you don't have to tug on it to turn it. Try too soon and you'll tear the meat.) Remove from heat, cut off twine, and allow to cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, extend a sheet of plastic wrap (about a foot and a half in length so you can wrap and tie the roast up in it) on counter. Place the prosciutto on top of the plastic wrap in a shingle pattern. You want to create a rectangle that is large enough to encompass the entire filet of beef. Cover the prosciutto with a thin layer of the mushrooms. Season, as needed, with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.

4. Smear the beef with the truffle butter. Then roll it in the duxelles-covered prosciutto using the plastic wrap to tie it up tightly. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap to seal the beef completely and hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the fridge for 30 minutes to ensure it maintains its shape.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to 1/4 inch thickness. Depending on the size of your roast and the puff pastry you're using, you may have to overlap 2 sheets and press them together. Remove the beef from the fridge and cut off the plastic wrap. Set the beef in the center of the pastry and fold over the end pieces, then fold up the sides, trimming excess and binding all overlapping pastry with egg wash.  Be sure to completely seal the beef.

7. Place the beef seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg, spinkle with sea salt, then make a couple of slits through the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife.

8. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and the beef registers 125 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Remove from the oven and rest ten minutes before serving.

*I forgot to smear the truffle butter on the beef before we wrapped it in the mushrooms and prosciutto, so used it instead in mashed potatoes. Delish!
**The original recipes call for making your own veal stock for use in the gravy; we opted to save some time and money by using store bought beef stock. Check out either links above if you want to recipe for the stock.
***It takes more than a tablespoon of flour to thicken two cups of liquid - I used almost three tablespoons.