Beef Wellington

Y'all probably know that I love to experiment and try to recreate the classics as they were originally intended. As we have seen things like fusion food and product availability we have seen serious bastardizations. With this menu I kept things mostly classic, but made a few minor changes. Here is the menu: Beef Wellington Asparagus Duchesse Potatoes Hollandaise Scotch Sauce Pumpkin Log I will start by saying this menu is not for the underlie ambitious or the feint of heart. Including shopping this menu took a solid 8 hours to get to the table. The upside is that much of the preparations can be done a day or 2 in advance. I still think that components of this meal can be used for special occasions. The Beef Wellington was definitely the most challenging. I started by making a mushroom duxelle and a "mock" pate foie gras. CATEGORY: Meat Recipe Name: Pate foie gras *mock* Ingredients: 1 pound chicken livers 1-1/4 teaspoons salt 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon mustard powder 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon cloves 1/8 teaspoon cayenne 1 red onion Steps: * rinse chicken livers and trim them by pulling out connective tissue. * put chicken liver in a small sauce pan with 4 c water and bring to a boil. * reduce heat to a simmer, add salt and simmer for 20 minutes * cool chicken livers in water to room temperature * mince onion in food processor and put in a coffee filter over a cup to drain juice, until you get 2 tablespoons. Reserve onion for other use. * drain chicken livers and put in a stand mixer or food processor with remaining, butter, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, nutmeg, cloves, cayenne pepper, and onion juice into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. * mix until it forms a smooth paste. * press into a crock lined with plastic wrap. * refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving. Chicken liver pate may be stored under refrigeration up to 4 weeks. NOTES: Though I have made some minor changes to this recipe I do not feel I can call it mine. The original recipe can be found at the link below. Link (URL): http://homecooking.about.com/od/appetizerrecipes/r/blapp31.htm CATEGORY: Vegetables Recipe Name: Mushroom Duxelle Ingredients: 12 oz Crimini Mushrooms 8 oz White Button Mushrooms 2 T unsalted butter 1/4 c Shallots 1 t Garlic 1/2 t Salt 1/4 t pepper 1/3 c dry white vermouth Steps: * mince shallot and garlic in food processor * mince mushrooms in food processor * saute shallots and garlic in butter over medium high heat for 1 min * add mushrooms, salt and pepper to garlic and shallots, mixing well * reduce heat slightly and move mixture to the side of the pan to allow moisture to evaporate. Occasionally stir and push to side of pan again. * when mixture is dry stir in vermouth and evaporate as above * let cool to room temperature * use as called for in recipe NOTES: This recipe can be used in things like beef wellington, chicken wellington, added to a cream sauce or used with cream cheese for a dip. CATEGORY: Meat Recipe Name: Individual Beef Wellington for 9-12 Ingredients: 3-4 lb beef tenderloin 1/3 lb per portion 1 t salt 1 t pepper 1 t garlic 2 packages puff pastry 1 mushroom duxelle 1 pate foie gras ( or 3/4 lb braunschwager) 1 jar english mustard (colemans) 1 egg Steps: * trim tenderloin and cut it to desired portions * season each piece with salt, pepper and garlic * sear on all sides then cool in refrigerator for at least 1 hour *make Mushroom Duxelle and Pate Foie Gras * Thaw puff pastry * mix mushroom duxelle and pate foie gras together and portion equally * rub beef with english mustard on all sides * cut puff pastry sheets along folds and roll each piece to twice it's width and 1 1/2 times it's length * in the middle of the rolled puff pastry place duxelle/pate mix and then beef on top of it * fold the sides of puff pastry in first, then then the ends, overlap is preferred * repeat assemble for all pieces * place completed beef wellingtons, seam side down on a rack on a cookie sheet * return to refrigerator for 1-24 hours or freezer for 30 minutes * When you are ready to cook the beef wellington preheat your oven to 425 * scramble egg and brush over beef wellingtons * When oven is preheated put the beef wellingtons on the top shelf until the puff pastry is golden brown * immediately remove and let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving NOTES: If you want to make this recipe but don't have a big block of time this can be made over several days. The Pate Foie Gras can be made up to 2 weeks in advance, the Mushroom Duxelle can be made 1 week in advance, the beef seared 24 hours before assembly and assemble can be done 24 hours in advance of baking. I think that stretching any of these time lines further would deteriorate the quality of the product. This recipe can be simplified by making one beef wellington instead of individual. To do this use 1 box of puff pasty, overlapping the two sheets by 1" before rolling it out. Then spread the duxelle/pate mixture to all but 1" of the edge, instead of only having it on top. Leave the tenderloin whole and cook it for longer when you sear it. When you are done cooking it let it rest for 20-30 minutes before cutting. This also makes it easier to serve if you don't know exactly how many people will be at your table. This conclude part 1. More to come...