Recipe - Beef Wellington (Fillet Of Beef In Puff Pastry)

3 One half pound Fillet of beef
tied with thin sheets of
larding fat at room temp
Three fourths pound Mushrooms, chopped fine
2 One half tablespoon Unsalted butter
One half pound Pate de foie gras
(available at specialty food
shops) at room temp
1 pound Puff paste
(see below) or thawed frozen
puff pastry (+ additional
for garnish if desired)
1 lg Egg white, beaten
1 lg Egg yolk beaten with
1 teaspoon Water to make an egg wash
One half cup Sercial Madeira
2 teaspoon Arrowroot
Dissolved in
1 tablespoon Cold water
One half cup Beef broth
2 tablespoon Fine chopped black truffles
(available at specialty food
shops) if desired
Watercress for garnish
if desired

In a roasting pan roast the beef in the middle of a preheated 400
oven for 2530 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 120 .
Let the fillet cool completely and discard the larding fat and the
strings. Skim the fat from the pan juices and reserve the pan juices.
In a heavy skillet cook the mushrooms in the butter over moderately
low heat, stirring, until all the liquid they give off is evaporated
and the mixture is dry, season them with salt and pepper, and let
them dry completely. Spread the fillet evenly with the pate de foie
gras, covering the top and sides, and spread the mushrooms evenly
over the pate de foie gras. On a floured surface roll 1 pound of the
puff paste into a rectangle about "20x12 inches , or large enough to
enclose the fillet completely, invert the coated fillet onto the
middle of the dough, and fold up the long sides of the dough to
enclose the fillet, brushing the edges of the dough with some of the
egg white to seal them. Fold the ends of the dough over the fillet
and seal them with the remaining egg white. Transfer the fillet, seam
side down, to a jelly roll pan or shallow roasting pan and brush the
dough with some of the egg wash. Roll out the additional dough and
cut out shapes with decorative cutters. Arrange the cutouts on the
dough decoratively, brush them with the remaining egg wash, and chill
the fillet for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. Bake the fillet in
the middle of a preheated 400 oven for 30 minutes, reduce the heat to
350 and bake the fillet for 510 minutes more, or until a meat
thermometer registers 130 for medium rare meat and the pastry is
cooked through. Let the fillet stand for 15 minutes. In a saucepan
boil the reserved pan juices and the Madeira until the mixture is
reduced by one fourth. Add the arrowroot mixture, the broth, the
truffles, and salt and pepper to taste and cook the sauce over
moderate heat, stirring, being careful not to let it boil, for 5
minutes, or until it is thickened. Loosen the fillet from the pan,
transfer it with 2 spatulas to a heated platter, and garnish it with
the watercress. Serve the fillet, cut into Three fourths inch slices, with the
sauce.

Posted to MMRecipes Digest by "jack lewis" jlewis@bigsky.net on
Aug 19, 98