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Description:
Beef Wellington, a beef tenderloin is smothered with mushroom duxelles—which is a paste made of finely minced cooked mushrooms. Then it’s wrapped in puff pastry and baked until the pastry shell is light and flakey and golden—a perfect contrast to its savory, juicy contents. Culinary legend has it that this dish was named after the Duke of Wellington in the early 1800s. The Duke, who was a British national hero after defeating Napoleon, was quite indifferent to food. So when one of his chefs made this dish and the Duke was pleased enough to declare it his favorite, the dish gained international attention. For my version, I’ve put the duxelles inside puff pastry and left the steak naked underneath, with flavorful Madeira sauce.
Ingredients:
2 Filet Mignons (approx. 6 to 10 oz.)
2 Tbsp. butter
2 pastry rings
Mushroom duxelle
Madeira sauce
Salt and pepper
Procedure:
Season both sides of Filets with salt and pepper. Place 1 Tbsp. of butter in a hot pan and sear Filets 2 - 3 minutes on each side to get proper color. Finish cooking under the broiler to preferred doneness.
Place pastry rings on a cookie sheet sprayed with pan coating. Fill the centers with the mushroom duxelle and heat for 2 minutes at 375.°
To serve:
Ladle the Madeira sauce on the plate and set the F ilets on the sauce.
Top with mushroom puff pastry.
Puff Pastry Rings Ingredients:
Puff pastry dough
1 Tbsp. egg
2 tsp. water
Pan coating as needed
Puff Pastry Rings Procedure:
With a 2 inch round cutter make circles into the puff dough sheet. With a 1-1/8 inch round cutter, remove the center of each circle making a ring. Discard center. (If you don’t have a ring cutter, try using an inverted drinking glass or knife.) Combine egg and water in a bowl and whisk well. Lightly brush each pastry ring. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Can be prepared 2 days ahead and kept in a sealed container at room temperature.
Mushroom Duxelle Ingredients:
1 (3 oz.) Portobello mushroom, cleaned
18 (3 oz. total) button mushrooms
4 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
3/4 tsp. Lawry’s seasoning
3/4 tsp. garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. brandy
Mushroom Duxelle Procedure:
Remove stem from Portobello and remove ribs with a spoon. Slice into 1/4 inch wide slices, place in a mixing bowl. Clean button mushrooms and cut into 1/4 inch wide slices, add to mixing bowl. In sauté pan, melt 2 Tbsp. butter on high heat. When hot, add cut mushrooms and Lawry’s seasoning. Sauté 4 to 5 minutes to a golden brown. Add minced garlic and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Add the brandy to deglaze and reduce to almost dry, about 1 minute. Lay mushrooms on a sheet to cool. Then place mushrooms into a food processor with the remaining 2 Tbsp. of butter, cut into pieces. Pulse until well blended.
Madeira Sauce Ingredients:
(makes 3 cups)
2 quarts beef stock or canned beef consommé
1 tsp. butter
1 shallot, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 Tbsp. fresh cracked peppercorns
1 cup Madeira wine (full-bodied Portuguese wine)
1-1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp. corn starch
1 Tbsp. water
1/4 lb. butter
Pinch Kosher salt
Pinch white pepper
Madeira Sauce Procedure:
Bring beef stock or consommé to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for several hours until the stock is reduced to 1-3/4 cups. Remove any solids that rise to the top. The mixture should reduced so it thoroughly coats the back of a spoon. Place butter in a pot set on medium high heat and sauté chopped
shallot for 2 - 3 minutes to light brown color. Add thyme, cracked black peppercorns and Madeira wine, simmer and reduce liquid to 1/4 cup. Add 1-1/2 cups of water and reduced beef stock and bring to a boil until well blended 8-10 minutes. Stir cornstarch into 1 Tbsp. water and then add to sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the sauce along with the Kosher salt and white pepper. Strain mixture into a clean container. If you plan to store the sauce for future use, cool it down and store in refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Recipe Author: Executive Chef Russell Skall
Photo By: Fleming’s Steakhouse
Restaurant: Fleming’s Steakhouse
Source: http://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/media/19916/flemingsfiletwellington.pdf