Get Your Wellies On
By | On Jan 04, 2013
Beef Wellington over Wilted Greens with Parma Truffle Fries
By request, for a classic holiday treat, today we share a simple but elegant and mouthwatering entrée, Beef Wellington. This is also a great way to use up any large leftover pieces of prime rib from the holidays. This example uses an applewood smoked prime rib to start. If you have a filet mignon, for example, be sure to sear it off well in a hot pan and then allow it to rest before working with the puff pastry. First, prepare the duxelle.
Exotic Mushroom Duxelle
- 3 oz dried exotic mushrooms (reconstituted) or 6-8 oz fresh
- 8 oz fresh mushrooms, various varities
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 tbsp chopped shallot
- 1/3 cup white wine
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
In a medium saucepan over medium heat sweat the onion and shallot in some olive oil, about 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and wine. Cook until all the liquid is reduced, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and place into a food processor with the parsley. Pulse until you have a finely minced paste.
Then lay out your puff pastry. Place the filet or other piece of meat in the center, season with salt and pepper. Rub a little dijon mustard over the top of the filet. Top with a slab of foie gras (if desired) and the duxelle.
Smoked prime rib topped with foie gras and exotic mushroom duxelle resting on puff pastry.
Now fold up the corners and wrap as you would a gift package, sealing the places where the pastry meets by gently pinching the ends together.
Trim off the excess edges with a sharp knife so you have a small round of packaged deliciousness. Take 1 egg and mix well in a bowl with 1 Tbs of water. Brush the pastry all over with the egg wash. Cook at 400 degree for about 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. If needed, check the meat temperature by using a meat thermometer.
Really? Don’t get me wrong, I love me some beef wellington, but when did beef topped with foie gras get the thumbs up from the AMA? Seems kind of counter-intuitive, no?
Joanna,
All things in moderation; and enjoying a beef Wellington once a year certainly fits that description. That being said, as I detail in my book, foie gras has more in common with olive oil than animal fat. It is 60-70% oleic acid, which is the primary constituent of olive oil and felt to be responsible or a major contributor to many of its beneficial effects. In fact, the French Paradox study performed by Dr. Renaud in the mid 90′s found the cardiovascular event rate for middle aged males (the population studied) in France about half that of the US, despite the French consuming more wine, fats, cheese etc. This is widely known. However, what is not appreciated is that the healthiest group in France was in Gascony, the Toulouse area. They eat insane amounts of foie gras here and their event rate was half of that for France as a whole. These folks, eating probably more foie gras than anyone on earth, had a cardiovascular event rate 25% of the US male population! That epidemiological finding along with Dr. Renaud’s chemical analysis leads me to the conclusion that foie gras consumption can be part of a healthy and delicious diet. As for the AMA, well several decades ago they were pushing cigarettes and margarines containing trans-fatty acids so I do not rely on them but look towards the data! Excellent question and I appreciate your willingness to question the findings! Hope this answers it in a limited fashion, much more detail in the book. Keep up the inquiries!
Cheers,
Doc
Well, I don’t know about how good it is for you…but it sure does sound and look like it would taste good. No, make that great! Once a year…what can it hurt?
Well said Elizabeth. Please see my response to Joanna.
Cheers,
Doc