Mini Beef Wellington

I am continuing with Holiday Appetizer Week.  With all of the snow in DC, Tucker and I have been cooped up in the house.  So, I wanted something warm and delicious to eat.  Nothing says warm and delicious like Beef.  When I used to work as a caterer we served mini beef wellingtons as an appetizer.  They were amazing.  After a bit of research, I purchased some puff pastry and beef tenderloin.  With a little experimenting I figured it out.

Cut the perfect little beef wellingtons into 1/2 inch thick rounds and serve to your lucky guests.

Mini Beef Wellingtons – (Adapted from Tyler Florence)

• Duxelles
  • 1 pint white button mushrooms
  • 1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp thyme
  • 1 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Tenderloin
  • 1 pound center cut beef tenderloin (filet mignon), trimmed
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for browning
  • 2 tbs thyme
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
  • 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed if using frozen
  • 1 large eggs, lightly beaten

First make the Duxelles by adding mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Place a large pan over medium heat.  Add the butter and olive oil. When the butter is melted, add the shallot and mushroom mixture and saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

Slice the beef into quarters lengthwise. Drizzle the beef with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.

Sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil – about 2 to 3 minutes.

When the beef is seared, remove from heat and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard. Allow to cool slightly and then roll it up tightly in plastic wrap and twist the ends to seal it completely and hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to ensure it maintains its shape.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to about a 1/4-inch thickness.   Using a rubber spatula cover evenly with a thin layer of duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.

Cut the pastry into 4 same sized rectangles.  Remove beef from refrigerator. Set one of the beef slices in the center of the pastry and fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the beef.  Top with coarse sea salt. Roll the beef into logs using plastic wrap to make perfect little rounds.  Repeat with the other three beef slices.

Unwrap the wellingtons and place them seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash then make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife – this creates vents that will allow the steam to escape when cooking.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and rest before cutting into 1/4-1/2 inch slices.

Enjoy

-Rex