This updated classic dish
is special enough for the most elegant dinner party. Everyone will applaud your culinary
prowess. This dish can be made a day ahead and cooked just before serving. What could be
easier?
Check out all of Linda's
Beef Recipes
using various cuts of beef.
Individual Beef Wellingtons with Peppercorn Sauce
Recipe
Recipe Type:
Beef,
Filet Mignon,
Mushrooms,
Peppercorns,
Puff Pastry
Yields: 8 servings
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients:
8 (6-ounce each, 1-inch thick)
Beef Tenderloin (Filet Mignon)
steaks
Olive Oil
Coarse
salt
Freshly-ground black
pepper
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons finely-chopped shallot or green onions
2 tablespoons minced
garlic
1/2 pound assorted fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried
thyme leaves
2 tablespoons finely-minced fresh parsley leaves
2 sheets frozen puff pastry (from a 17 1/4-ounce package), thawed
2
eggs beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Peppercorn Sauce (see recipe below)
Fresh
dill weed sprigs
Preparation:
Bring steaks to room temperature. Coat steaks lightly with olive oil and season both sides
with salt and pepper (press in with your hands). In a heavy frying pan (I use my cast-iron
frying pan) over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sear the steaks, moving
them with tongs a little so they don't stick to the bottom, for 2 minutes per side or
until brown and crisp on the outside. NOTE: Steak will be partially cooked - do not
overcook. Remove from heat and refrigerate steak, covered, until well chilled, about 1
hour.
In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt
butter. Add shallot or green onions and garlic; sauté approximately 3 minutes or until
slightly softened. Add mushrooms, thyme, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook,
stirring, until mushrooms are lightly browned and their liquid is evaporated. Remove from
heat and transfer mushroom mixture to a bowl to cool completely; set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out east
puff pastry into two (14-inch) squares. Trim edges to form two (13-inch) squares and cut
each square into four (6 1/2-inch) squares. NOTE: Work with one sheet of puff pastry at a
time, keeping the unused pastry covered with a damp cloth so it won't dry out (once it
starts to dry out, it is impossible to work with).
Working with one square of puff pastry at a
time (keeping other covered), spread 1/8th of mushroom mixture on the pastry, leaving a
1/2-inch edge on all sides. Place chilled steak in the center of the mushroom mixture;
pressing it down gently. Wrap two opposite corners of puff pastry over the steak, overlapping them. Seal seam with egg wash. Wrap remaining two corners of pastry over steak and seal with egg wash. Wrap the pastry up over the steak and seal the edges. Place seam-side down on a non-stick baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg wash. Repeat with remaining 7 steaks. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
NOTE: Decorations for the Beef Wellingtons using the scraps from the puff pastry. Cut pastry into shapes with a cookie cutter or cut into leaf shapes with a knife and "glue" to the top of each Beef Wellington with some of the egg wash.
Brush top of decoration with additional egg wash.
When ready to bake, brush top and sides of
each Beef Wellington with some remaining egg wash. Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until pastry is golden and the internal temperature of the meat registers 120°F. Use a
meat
thermometer to
test for doneness. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
|
What constitutes rare and
medium-rare cooked meat?
To satisfy government home economists, the Beef
Council says rare beef means an internal
temperature of 140 degrees F. Well, that is ok if you
like well-done and dry meat. If you like moist, rosy meat (like I do),
rare begins at 120 degrees and starts to become medium rare at 125 or 130
degrees. To cook your meat properly, you must purchase and use a good
instant-read digital
meat thermometer.
 This
is the type of cooking and meat thermometer that I prefer and
use in my cooking.
I get many readers
asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my
cooking and baking. I, personally, use the
Thermapen Thermometer
shown in the photo on the right. Originally designed
for professional users, the
Super-Fast Thermapen
Thermometer is used by
chefs all over the world. To learn more about this excellent
thermometer and to also purchase one (if you desire), just click
on the underlined:
Thermapen Thermometer.
Residual Heat or Carry-Over Cooking: Remember, the
steak will continue to cook as it sets. The
temperature will rise to 125 degrees F.
to 130 degrees F. internal temperature (medium rare) at 15 to 20 minutes. So, pay attention to how long you let the cooked
steak sit before serving.
Definition:
Carry-over cooking is caused by residual heat transferring from
the hotter exterior of the meat to the cooler center. As a
general rule, the larger and thicker the cut of meat, and the
higher the cooking temperature, the more residual heat will be
in the meat, and the more the internal temperature will rise
during resting due to carry-over cooking. This means the meat
must be removed from the heat at an internal temperature lower
than your desired final internal temperature, allowing the
residual heat to finish the cooking.
|
While Beef Wellington are baking, prepare
Peppercorn Sauce. To serve, spoon some of the Peppercorn Sauce on each individual plate.
Place one Beef Wellington in the center. Drizzle a little more sauce over the top and
garnish with a dill sprig.
Makes 8 servings.
Peppercorn
Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped shallot or green onions
2 tablespoon crushed
green peppercorns
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup
heavy
cream
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh
dill weed
In a medium frying pan over medium heat, melt
butter. Add shallot or green onions, green peppercorns and saute until
onions are soft. Add brandy and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Add
cream and simmer for 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and dill.
