Beef Wellington with Two Duxelles

Patrick & Grace were in town at Christmas, so Eric & I discussed making a special dinner. Individual Beef Wellingtons was top of the list.

Why individual? Because there are differences in likes, and we want everyone happy. Differences include:

• Duxelles — some like mushrooms and some don’t.
• Cheese — some like bleu cheese or Gorgonzola, and some don’t.
• Doneness — some like medium-rare, and some don’t.

We took the recipes the KLO did for a dinner 25+ years ago and the one Eric, Patrick, and I did a few years ago, and made a new one. The result was amazing, possibly the best thing we have ever made. We said that about the last time we made this type of dish, but this one was better.

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Beef Wellington with Two Duxelles

CHESTNUT DUXELLES:

• 4 to 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 lb chestnuts
• 2 medium shallots, finely sliced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 tsp finely minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup cognac, brandy, or bourbon
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp soy sauce

MUSHROOM DUXELLES:

• 8 oz mushrooms
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped shallot
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic

BEEF:

• 4 to 6 Beef filet, 8 to 12 oz each
• Salt, ground black pepper, oil
• spicy mustard
• 1/2 to 3/4 lb prosciutto
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 oz bleu cheese, crumbled (other cheeses can be used)

ASSEMBLY:

• puff pastry – each sheet can be used for 2 or 3 filet, depending on size of the filet
• 3 large egg yolks, well beaten

SAUCE:

• 1 cup veal or beef demiglace
• 2 Tbsp Madeira, Marsala, or Port

Chestnut Duxelles:

We used a jar of prepared chestnuts, which saved effort. If using fresh chestnuts, search regarding how to cook them. Chop chestnut meats finely.

Melt 4 Tbsp butter in a large skillet and saute the chestnuts until lightly browned. Note: The chestnuts will absorb butter so add more as needed.

Add shallots and thyme and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes.

Add brandy. Scrape bottom of skillet with a spatula or wooden spoon to release browned bits. Continue to cook until brandy is nearly dry, about 4 minutes. Add heavy cream and soy sauce and continue to cook, stirring frequently until mixture is thick and collects in one large mass when you shake the skillet. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and place in the refrigerator.

Mushroom Duxelles:

Thinly slice mushrooms and in a heavy skillet cook in butter with shallot, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring, until mushrooms are lightly browned. Transfer mushroom mixture to a bowl to cool completely.

Beef:

Pat filets dry and season with salt and pepper. The beef is partially cooked, then finished in the oven, using one of the following methods, keeping in mind that if you overcook the beef, it’s not fixable:

Griddler: Preheat a griddler on high, using the waffle plates. Cook the filets for 1 minute for medium-rare, 2 minutes for medium, and 3 minutes for well-done. Adjust time for the thickness of the filets.

Skillet: Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a skillet over high heat until smoking. Add filets and cook without moving until well browned on the first side, about 2 minutes. Rotate filets until browned on all sides, up to 10 minutes.

Oven: Preheat oven to 425 F. In a shallow roasting pan roast filets in the middle of the oven until a meat thermometer reads 110 F for rare.

Regardless of cooking method, remove filets to a plate.

As soon as the filet are cool enough to handle, coat with a thin layer of spicy mustard. This should be done while hot so the beef soaks up the flavor.

Lay prosciutto overlapping on a sheet of plastic wrap. Next put a spoonful of the desired duxelles in the middle of the prosciutto. Using both duxelles is a good choice.

Lay a filet on top of the duxelles and top with garlic and cheese. Wrap the prosciutto around the beef, and tightly seal in plastic wrap. Put in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to allow the filet to set and keep their shape.

Assembly:

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll the puff pastry so it’s thin. Note that it will stretch to cover the package, but it’s better to have the pastry too large than too small.

For the first package, brush the top of the pastry with egg yolk. Unwrap a filet and place in the middle of the pastry. Fold the pastry around the package, sealing all seams well.

Put the pastry, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top and sides of the pastry with remaining egg yolk.

Note: We had different duxelles, cheeses, and doneness, so excess pastry was formed into initials and placed on top of each packet to mark each person’s filet.

Repeat for all filet. When done, put the baking sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 22 minutes, or until the pastry is well browned. Serve with sauce:

Sauce:

Make sauce while beef Wellingtons are baking: In a saucepan boil demiglace and Madeira 1 minute and keep sauce warm. Serve beef Wellingtons with sauce.