BEEF WELLINGTON

Kitchen twine
2-1/2 to 3 lb. Beef tenderloin, trimmed evenly so it is like a log of an even circumference
1 t. coarse salt
¼ t. freshly ground pepper
2 TB unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 lb. Mushrooms, stems removed and finely chopped
1 t. coarse salt
¼ t. freshly ground pepper
1/8 c. dry sherry
1 lb. Frozen puff pastry, thawed
4 oz. duck liver, chicken liver, or peppercorn mousse pate, room temperature
1 lg. Egg, lightly beaten
Sea salt or coarse salt, optional

Tie the tenderloin with kitchen twine in 1-inch increments to form an even piece so it will hold its shape during cooking. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle tenderloin with 1 t. salt and ¼ t. pepper.

Sear for 1-1/2 minutes on each side, including the ends, or until well browned. Place on a rack to cool. Let stand until cool. Cut and remove the twine. Chill tenderloin for 1 to 12 hours or until ready to assemble and beef is cold.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes or until onion softens. Add the mushrooms, 1 t. salt and ¼ t. pepper. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Stir in the sherry. Cook for 4 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Let stand until room temperature or refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Roll the puff pasty into a rectangle ¼-inch thick and large enough to enclose the beef on a lightly floured surface. You may need to use 2 pastry sheets, overlapping them, and rolling into 1 piece. Place the pastry over the bottom of a shallow baking pan.

Place the tenderloin on top of the pastry. Spread the top of the tenderloin evenly with half the pate. Spread half of the mushroom mixture over the pate. Invert the tenderloin and spread the remaining pate evenly over the top and sides of the tenderloin. Spread the remaining mushroom mixture evenly over the pate on top. Fold up the long sides of the pastry to enclose the tenderloin, brushing the edges with beaten egg to seal. Turn tenderloin carefully so that the seam side is on the bottom.

Roll out any remaining dough and cut into holly or other shapes, and place on top of Beef Wellington (optional). Brush with beaten egg. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Make 2 or 3 slits in the top of the pastry for venting the steam. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 35-50 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 120-130 degrees on an instant-read thermometer for rare, 130-135 degrees for medium rare, covering pastry with foil if it becomes too brown. Let stand for 10 minutes. Slice and serve. Serves 8-12.

*I always make this the day before, and in fact sometimes start it 2 days before because of all the steps and the cooling times and chilling times required between steps. It is nice to have it ready to put in the oven the day it is being served so you can concentrate on the sides and not have to overwork yourself in the kitchen. We often have this for Christmas dinner – it’s absolutely amazing.