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12.10.2013

beef wellington for one.

I don't know if it's because every time I open a Williams-Sonoma catalog their Beef Wellington is staring me in the face or if I just need comfort food this time of year, but I've had a major hankering for it for the past couple of weeks. So, this weekend, I decided to make Beef Wellington for the first time. And it was delish.

(adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients (that are incredibly precise):

1/2 yellow onion
Handful of sliced mushrooms
Spoonful of minced garlic
Butter
Filet of beef
Salt and pepper
Puff pastry (I used 1/4 of a sheet)
Red wine
Balsamic vinegar
Egg (for wash)

To Do:

1.   Defrost puff pastry according to directions (usually takes 2 hours).
2.   Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3.   Dice mushrooms and onions.


4.   Melt a tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, add garlic. Cook for one minute and then add onions and
      cook until translucent. Add mushrooms, a splash of red wine and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
      Cook until liquid is reduced.


(I omitted the liver pâté that usually accompanies Beef Wellington, and when I make this again, I will definitely add it. The final product was missing a little richness that the pâté would have provided--I just didn't want to have all that extra lying around because I would have stuffed my face with it. And nobody wants to see that.)

4.   Generally season the filet with salt and pepper.
5.   Heat 1-2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan on medium-high heat, and sear both sides until brown
      and crisp.
6.   Put the filet in the pastry, and spoon the mushroom/onion mixture on top.


7.   Wrap the pastry tightly around the beef/mushrooms and seal the edges. Brush with egg wash.


8.   Place the pastry wrapped beef on a rack on a baking sheet. (I did this because I wasn't sure how
      juicy this was going to get, and I didn't want the bottom too soggy. You should be okay putting this
      directly on the pan.)
9.   Cook for 25-30 minutes for medium. Here, a meat thermometer is your friend. I didn't have one, 
      and I cooked it for 35 minutes and it was well-done, which was fine with me. I don't like my meat
      too rare, anyway. But I would recommend checking periodically with a thermometer.


And, voilà! Beef Wellington for one. I served mine (to myself) with butternut squash and I made a quick red wine reduction. I would totally make this again. 

Maybe even for someone else, if they're lucky.
    

2 comments:

  1. OMG that looks amazing! Please let me know if you ever see GF puff pastry or something that could substitute appropriately...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Holy yumminess. I am going to have to make this!

    ReplyDelete