rI made this beef wellington for New Year's Eve. It takes quite a bit of time to prep, but it was well worth the effort. This is a Tyler Florence recipe from The Food Network. I've loved watching him on America's Worst Cooks, so I was looking forward to trying this recipe. It turned out extremely well. The sauce takes quite a bit of time to reduce, so make sure to plan for that. The effort required for this absolutely makes it a special occasion meal, but the flavors make it all worth it.
Ingredients:
Duxelles:
3 pints white button mushrooms
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Beef:
3-pound beef tenderloin
olive oil
salt and pepper
12 slices prosciutto
6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 pound puff pastry, thawed if using frozen
flour, for rolling out puff pastry
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Green Peppercorn Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 cup brandy
1 32-ounce beef stock
2 cups cream
2 tablespoon grainy mustard
1/2 cup green peppercorns in brine, drained
Preparation:
1. Start by making the duxelles. Place mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme in a food processor and pulse until fine.
2. In a large pan, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add mushroom and shallot mixture. Saute for about 10 minutes, until most of liquid has evaporated and mixture has reduced in size by about 50%. Season with salt and pepper. Spread on a paper towel to absorb remaining moisture and cool.
3. To make the beef, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet to high and sear tenderloin for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and smear with Dijon mustard. Set aside.
4. Lay about a foot and a half of plastic wrap out and lay prosciutto in a single layer rectangle so that it is big enough to encompass the entire beef filet.
5. Using a spatula, evenly cover the prosciutto with a thin layer of duxelles. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with thyme leaves.
6. Place meat on top of duxelles and roll up using the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 mins to an hour so it will maintain its shape.
7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
8. Roll out puff pastry to about a 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. You will likely need to overlap 2 sheets to be able to encompass the meat.
9. Brush edges of puff pastry with egg wash and roll puff pastry around the meat. Trim ends if needed. Brush the top of the puff pastry with the egg wash. Top with salt.
10. Cut a few slits in the pastry with a paring knife to allow steam to escape during baking. Bake for 40-45 minutes for medium rare, until an internal temperature of 130 degrees. If puff pastry starts browning too much, tent with foil. Remove meat from oven and let rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into thick slices.
11. While meat is baking, make green peppercorn sauce. Heat olive oil in a pan and add shallots, garlic, and thyme. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
12. Add brandy. Remove from heat, then using a long lighter or match, ignite brandy and flambe. Once flame dies down, return to heat.
13. Add stock and reduce by about half. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Remove solids.
14. Add cream and mustard. Reduce by about half again, which will take another 10-15 minutes. Add green peppercorns.
15. Serve slices of beef with green peppercorn sauce and vegetables.
Ingredients:
Duxelles:
3 pints white button mushrooms
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Beef:
3-pound beef tenderloin
olive oil
salt and pepper
12 slices prosciutto
6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 pound puff pastry, thawed if using frozen
flour, for rolling out puff pastry
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Green Peppercorn Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 cup brandy
1 32-ounce beef stock
2 cups cream
2 tablespoon grainy mustard
1/2 cup green peppercorns in brine, drained
Preparation:
1. Start by making the duxelles. Place mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme in a food processor and pulse until fine.
2. In a large pan, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add mushroom and shallot mixture. Saute for about 10 minutes, until most of liquid has evaporated and mixture has reduced in size by about 50%. Season with salt and pepper. Spread on a paper towel to absorb remaining moisture and cool.
3. To make the beef, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet to high and sear tenderloin for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and smear with Dijon mustard. Set aside.
4. Lay about a foot and a half of plastic wrap out and lay prosciutto in a single layer rectangle so that it is big enough to encompass the entire beef filet.
5. Using a spatula, evenly cover the prosciutto with a thin layer of duxelles. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with thyme leaves.
6. Place meat on top of duxelles and roll up using the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 mins to an hour so it will maintain its shape.
7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
8. Roll out puff pastry to about a 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. You will likely need to overlap 2 sheets to be able to encompass the meat.
9. Brush edges of puff pastry with egg wash and roll puff pastry around the meat. Trim ends if needed. Brush the top of the puff pastry with the egg wash. Top with salt.
10. Cut a few slits in the pastry with a paring knife to allow steam to escape during baking. Bake for 40-45 minutes for medium rare, until an internal temperature of 130 degrees. If puff pastry starts browning too much, tent with foil. Remove meat from oven and let rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into thick slices.
11. While meat is baking, make green peppercorn sauce. Heat olive oil in a pan and add shallots, garlic, and thyme. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
12. Add brandy. Remove from heat, then using a long lighter or match, ignite brandy and flambe. Once flame dies down, return to heat.
13. Add stock and reduce by about half. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Remove solids.
14. Add cream and mustard. Reduce by about half again, which will take another 10-15 minutes. Add green peppercorns.
15. Serve slices of beef with green peppercorn sauce and vegetables.