Beef Wellington

I decided to go all out for Valentine’s Day for my fiance. I found filet on sale at my local grocery store, so I bought a couple. I decided to go beyond grilled filet and make this recipe that I’ve been drooling over in my Google Reader. Thanks to Annie’s Eats for this simpler version of Beef Wellington.

Beef Wellington
Source: Annie’s Eats

Ingredients:

• 2 (6-oz.) thickly cut filet mignons
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp. minced shallots
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 8-10 oz. button mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed and finely chopped
• 2 ½ tbsp. dry white wine
• 1-2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed (enough for two 7-inch squares)
• 1 egg beaten with 2 tsp. water for egg wash

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Season both sides of each filet with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the filets and sear for 1 minute on each side for medium-rare. (I ended up doing 4 minutes on each side for medium well) Transfer to a plate to cool completely.
3. While the filets cool, prepare the mushroom duxelles. Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and reduce the heat to medium; cook, stirring, until all the liquid had evaporated and the mushrooms begin to caramelize, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring to deglaze the pan, until all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and let cool before using.
4. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface and cut into two 7-inch squares. Spread up to half of the mushroom duxelles on top of each filet. Place each filet, mushroom side down, in the center of a puff pastry square. Using a pastry brush, paint the inside edges of the puff pastry with the egg wash. Fold the pastry over the filet as though wrapping a package and press the edges to seal. Place the packages seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet. (I didn’t wrap it around the bottom of the filet b/c I thought it would result in soggy puff pastry.) Brush the egg wash over the tops and sides of each package and bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.