Beef Wellington

Before the sauce

WOW!  I have to say this was one of those omg meals.  It does have a lot to do with the fact that it is tenderloin.  The meat just melted in your mouth.  But there is a reason this is a classic dish,  I haven't had it with the mustard and prosciutto before; both of these were really great additions.  I also have to say I am not a huge fan of pate.  I loved it's omission in this recipe.   We all devoured this recipe.  Some small changes, I cut the recipe in thirds.  I neglected to realize that a 3 lb tenderloin was WAY too much for the four of us, so I only cooked a one pound section of it.  The rest we cut in to steaks and vacuum sealed them in bags bound for the freezer.  Also it seems that green peppercorns in brine are MIA in the area right now, so I left them off.  I have made green peppercorn sauce before, and I like it better without them.  Last time we made the green peppercorn sauce, we nearly burned down the house. (it was our first flambe)  This time, it worked perfectly.  I think it is because we didn't immediately ignite the alcohol vapors.  We let it cook a bit first and it was a very manageable flame.  (we still had a lid and a fire extinguisher handy and will always have one just in case:)  We made our own potatoes and greens, and not the recipes that were suggested.  The baby potatoes were tossed in olive oil, chopped rosemary, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  We put a pan in the oven for about 20 minutes at the 425 degrees that the wellington was cooking at, removed the hot pan and put the potatoes on it and roasted about 20 minutes.  The greens were wilted in a bit of oil and seasoned with the "peppercorn" sauce. Yum, yum, yum!  The boy, who has a violent hatred of mushrooms, and who had no idea that the paste was mushrooms, was really loving it until dad clued him in.  I would have waited until he was done personally, as his eating slowed after he found out.  The crust did not stay on nice and neat, but I attribute this to 1) we didn't let it sit in the fridge a full 30 minutes, and 2) I made some extra of the duxelles.  Not as pretty but super good.

Beef Wellington

For the Duxelles
3 pt (1 1/2 pounds) white button mushrooms
2    shallots,peeled and roughly chopped
4 ea garlic,peeled and roughly chopped
2    sprigs fresh thyme,leaves only
2 T  unsalted butter
2 T  extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Beef
3 lb 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 T  Dijon mustard
Flour,for rolling out puff pastry
1 lb puff pastry,thawed if using frozen
2    large eggs,lightly beaten
1/2 t  coarse sea salt
 Minced chives,for garnish
 Green Peppercorn Sauce recipe follows
(suggested sides: Roasted Fingerling Potatoes & Warm Wilted Winter Greens)
          
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 completel
y 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.

With the sauce

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.

Before slicing