Beef Wellington - gluten free!

Whenever I ask my husband what he wants for dinner for special occasions, he either wants beef wellington or bouillabaisse.  While browsing the web, I found a recipe for individual beef wellingtons that looked doable, and this is a result of that recipe, after many changes. I think the original recipe was an Emeril creation from Foodnetwork.com.  (The special occasion was him completing a 100 mile bike ride — in one day.  And finally paying off his student loans.  Yeah!)

The first trick, and what I have yet to accomplish, is to master puff pastry dough. I used Kate’s recipe that she has for her croissants, and I think the recipe would be just right here. However, I just did not plan far enough ahead, and leave enough time for chilling the dough, etc.  But if you look at her site and see just how fluffy she gets it, you’ll see why it would be perfect.  Just follow the recipe up until you cut it into triangles for croissants.  Then fold the dough a little thicker (I think part of my problem was getting the dough too thin on top).

The original recipe called for both duck or goose pate and then an mushroom/truffle Duxelles (whatever that is!). I found at the store a duck liver mouse that combined the duck liver and truffles with port wine, garlic, and other yummy things. So I used that and saved the step of making the mushroom duxelles. (I have included that recipe just in case you want to make it.)

I cut the recipe in half, and only made two Wellingtons.  And while they weren’t the prettiest, they tasted really good.

Individual Beef Wellington

Ingredients:
4 (6-ounce) thickly cut filet mignons
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (1-ounce) slices goose or duck liver, or pork country-style pate
One recipe of Kate’s puff pastry
Mushroom Duxelles, recipe follows
1 large egg beaten with 2 teaspoons water to make an egg wash

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Season both sides of each filet with ¼ teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper.

3. 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. Transfer to a plate to cool completely.

4. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 14-inch square, and cut into 4 (7-inch) squares. (When using gf pastry, divide by four first, then roll out. I made the pastry, adding in the frozen butter, folding over, etc., and then rolled it into four separate sheets, still fairly thick, to keep in the fridge until I was ready for it.)

5. Spread one-quarter of the mushroom duxelles on top of each filet and top each with 1 slice of the pate, pressing to flatten. Place one filet, mushroom side down, in the center of a puff pastry square. Using a pastry brush or your finger, paint the inside edges of the pastry with 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. Brush the egg wash over the tops and sides of each package and bake until the pastry is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 140 degrees F for medium-rare, about 20 minutes. (I cooked it a little less and left it rare.)

6. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Mushroom Duxelles:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced shallots
½ teaspoon minced garlic
10 ounces button mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed, and finely chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
2½ tablespoons dry white wine

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, salt, and white pepper, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until all the liquid has 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.

Yield: 1/2 cup

  

 

Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce

This recipe is one of Jacques Pepin’s, a renowned French chef. I found it in Food and Wine Magazine, and only made a few minor changes. (Here is the original recipe with a pretty picture.) While this hearty stew is inspired by boeuf bourguignon, classically flavored with red Burgundy, Pepin “prepares his version with the rich red wines of the southern Rhône, particularly those made from the Carignan grape.” Basically, this means you want a more “robust” wine.I used an Australia Cabernet that I was familiar with, that was certainly drinkable, but relatively inexpensive (about $8). You really shouldn’t cook with something that you wouldn’t drink by itself. But that being said, I never cook with wine that is as expensive as what I’ll be drinking with the meal.

The recipe called for a special piece of the shoulder meat called the flatiron steak. I was unable to find this, so I used the (rump) roast that the local butcher usually uses for stew meat. I had the butcher cut steaks off a roast so I could cut bigger chunks than what is normally sold as stew meat.

(I made this a second time with just regular cheap stew meat from the grocery store and it was fine, but not as good. Also, I substituted bacon for the pancetta without any problem.)

Beef Stew with Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients:2 pounds beef from the flatiron part of the shoulder
1 tablespoon butter (could substitute to make CF)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon flour (I used rice flour)
1 bottle of red wine
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
15 cipollini or pearl onions
15 cremini mushrooms
15 baby carrots
5-ounce piece of pancetta (I could only find pre-sliced pancetta)
1/4 cup water
Dash of sugar
Chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

- Buy about 2 pounds of beef from the flatiron part of the shoulder. Remove the skin or sinew from the top. Alternatively, use lean beef chuck in the same manner.
- Cut the meat into 8 pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a cast-iron pot that is attractive enough for the table.
- Arrange the meat in one layer in the pot, and season it with salt and pepper. Cook on top of the stove over high heat for about 8 minutes, browning the meat on all sides.
- Add 1 cup of finely chopped onion and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic.
- Cook over moderate heat for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 1 tablespoon of flour.
- Mix in well so that the flour doesn’t form lumps. Stir in 1 bottle of red wine. Add 2 bay leaves, a sprig of fresh thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir well and cover.
- Place the pot in the oven and continue to cook for about 1 1/2 hours; the meat should be soft and tender and the liquid properly reduced.

(The recipe can be prepared to this point up to a day ahead.)

- Bring the pancetta and 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan and simmer for about 30 minutes; drain. (I skipped this step because I had pre-sliced pancetta and it didn’t seem like it would work well.)
- Cut the pancetta into 1/2-inch slices and then cut the slices into 1-inch-wide lardons. (I just sliced up the pancetta in to small strips.)
- Combine the onions, mushrooms, carrots and pancetta in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 cup of water and a good dash each of sugar, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes; at this point, there should be practically no water left.
- Uncover and cook over high heat, sautéing the vegetables until nicely browned on all sides, about 4 minutes.
To serve, mix some of the vegetables and lardons into the stew and sprinkle the rest on top as a garnish.
- Add a little chopped fresh parsley and serve.