Kristina's Beef Wellington

As the holidays are approaching, I thought I’d share one of my favorite dishes. It is fairly time-consuming (but not hard) to make, so as a result, I usually limit it to special occasions. This is a real crowd pleaser, sure to induce praise around the table and envy over your mad cooking skills. This dish is also fabulous with garlic mashed potatoes.

Prep: about 1 hour, 15 min
Cooking time: about 1 hour
Baking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6 (warning: people will want seconds!)

Ingredients:
3 ¼ pounds of beef tenderloin (you may have to tie a few strips together)
½ cup olive oil
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped
½ cup of sherry or Madeira
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 cups beef stock
3 tablespoons sweet, unsalted butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 shitake or button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 small can diced black olives
3 sheets packaged puff pastry (found in frozen isle at grocery store) thawed
A dozen thin slices of prosciutto
1 egg, well beaten
A few tablespoons-worth of butter

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Step 1) the Gravy Sauce:
1. Finely chop the carrot, onion, leek, and shallots (or use food processer – I don’t have one).
2. Heat a tablespoon or two of butter in skillet and add all the chopped veggies, sautéing until slightly browned.
3. Stir in the Sherry and Worcestershire sauce, scraping any of the sticky chunks from the bottom of the skillet, and simmer for about 10 minutes until reduced to a syrupy sauce.
4. Stir in the beef stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and leave simmering for an hour or so while you’re preparing the actual beef wellington.

Step 2) the Meat:
5. Season the beef well with seasonings of choice. (I like to use a mixture of finely chopped basil, garlic salt, fresh pepper, paprika, fennel, thyme, oregano, and a very light dash of cinnamon. I put a dash or two of each into a small bowl and then stir them together.)
6. In a large pan, heat the olive oil on high. Once thoroughly heated, add the beef and quickly brown all sides. Be careful not to overcook; we’re mainly just browning to lock the meat juices in. Transfer to a baking dish and cook in oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to completely cool.

Step 3) Prepare the Pastry:
7. On a sheet of baking (or wax) paper, unfold the sheets of pastry puff and pinch together until measuring out a rectangle about 16” x 24” – lightly roll flat, transfer the whole thing (paper included) to a baking sheet. Layer pastry with another piece of baking paper, and chill in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

Step 4) Encasement Mixture:
8. In a small saucepan, melt a tablespoon or two and gently cook the shallots for a few minutes until softened but not browned. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and olives; cook gently until the mixture is barely moist, and then set aside.

9. Check the gravy sauce, and stir. Run a metal strainer through the mixture; collect about half of the finely chopped pieces. Add these pieces to the mushroom mixture, and lightly stir together. Let the gravy sauce continue to simmer. If it’s thickening too quickly, you can add some Madeira or even a little bit of red wine if needed.

Step 5) Putting it all together:
10. Take the pastry out of the fridge and transfer to the work surface. To prevent excess pastry overlap, cut away each corner, while leaving room in the center portion for the beef; basically, once cut, the pastry will kind of look like a large cross. Save all the pastry trimmings for later use in this recipe.

11. Lay the prosciutto slices all over the pastry and thinly spread half of the mushroom mixture on top of that. If you tied the beef for the browning, carefully untie (so it stays together) and place in the center of the pastry. Spread the remaining mushroom mixture on the beef, and bring the flaps of prosciutto over the beef.

12. Brush the pastry edges with some of the beaten egg and fold them over each other to completely encase the beef.

13. Turn onto a lightly buttered baking sheet, seam-side down. Remember those pastry trimmings? Cut them into strips and crisscross a lattice pattern over the top. Brush with the rest of the beaten egg, and pierce a small slit in the center at the top for a nice finishing look.

14. Place in the oven for 5 minutes to set, then lower the heat for 400 degrees F and bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is a nice golden brown. Turn off the oven and open the door to cool while preparing the finishing touches on the gravy.

15. Give the sauce one last stir, and strain it into a gravy boat. Throw away the remaining chunks that were strained out. Remove the Beef Wellington and slice. Serve at once with the gravy. Enjoy!