Individual Beef Wellingtons

I love Beef Wellington, and because of the very tender (and very expensive) filet mignon it features, I reserve it for special occasions. That said, it's somewhat cumbersome to roll a large tenderloin roast in puff pastry and get the duxelles evenly distributed. Enter the "Individual" Beef Wellington - easier to handle, and, as an added bonus, I personally think it features a better pastry and duxelles to beef ratio than the traditional version.

Ingredients

4 4oz filet mignons (sometimes called tenderloin medallions)

1/2 lb mushrooms (I mix cremini and shiitake) cleaned, trimmed, and finely chopped*

5 tbsp unsalted butter

2 medium shallots, finely sliced (about 1/2 cup)

2 tsp finely minced fresh thyme leaves

1 tbsp beef bouillon

2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 cup dry sherry wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 ounces fresh foie gras

Flour for dusting

14 ounces frozen or homemade puff pastry, thawed

4 tbsp dijon mustard

1 egg, beaten

1 cup red wine sauce for serving

Kosher Sea Salt,Freshly Grated Black Pepper and Oil for cooking and seasoning

*Note: For this amount of mushrooms, I find slicing and then going over the slices with a knife until the mushrooms are well minced to be easiest. Joshua Weissman shows how to do this on his Beef Wellington episode on his YouTube Channel. You can definitely use a food processor for this if you prefer, just be sure to scrape down any bits stuck to the sides between pulses.

Equipment

1 heavy bottomed or cast iron skillet (12" diameter)

1 9"x13" baking tray

Optional: Food Processor

Directions

1. Remove the filets from their packaging, pat each one dry with a paper towel. Season both sides generously with salt, and set aside while you heat the pan.

2. Heat the skillet on medium high heat, and add 1 tbsp of oil (or cover the bottom). When the pan is ripping hot, add your filets and sear on each side for 1 minute, or until a good brown crust has formed. Remove from pan and set aside. Tip: If you're worried about accidentally over cooking the filet when searing, then sear them frozen. This will keep the interior rare, even if you sear a bit too long.

3. Reduce the heat to medium, and the chopped mushrooms along with 1 tbsp of butter to the pan. Stir them around to scrape up any fond left from the filets. Let them cook until they've given up their liquid, and then continue to cook until that liquid has evaporated, approximately 10-12 minutes.

4. Add in another 3 tbsp of butter, the shallots, thyme, soy sauce and beef bouillon. Stir to combine, and continue cooking until the shallots start to turn translucent, approximately 3-5 minutes.

5. Now add the dry sherry, and let it cook until the liquid has evaporated. Once the sherry is evaporated, add in the cream (I sometimes like to let the mixture cool a bit first to avoid curdling). Stir to combine, and continue to cook until, the mixture is thick enough to hold if spread like a paste. If it's runny, cook it a big longer until it thickens. Remove from pan and set aside, this is the "duxelles" mixture.

6. Slice the foie gras into approximately 1/4" thick pieces and season with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a pan on medium high, and then sear the foie gras pieces on each side until browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

7. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the puff pastry until it is 12" x 15" (30 cm by 40 cm). Slice off a long piece 3" wide from the longer end (will use this decorate). Then, cut the remaining square into quarters (4x 6"x6" pieces)

8. Time to layer: in the center of each square place an amount of each ingredient that approximately the same size as the filets, in this order: foie gras, duxelles (mushroom mixture), dijon mustard, pepper, filet, pepper, dijon mustard, duxelles (mushroom mixture). The idea is that the filet will be sandwiched between duxelles and mustard, and topped with the foie gras.

9. To wrap the fillings - fold in the corners of each dough square to the center and pinch to close, then fold in the edges. Finally, fold in the remaining loose pieces and pinch to close. Trim any excess dough and flip the dough parcel over so the seam is on the bottom. Do this for each filet. Use a cutter to make shapes our of the remaining dough, and decorate as you please.

10. Place the wrapped filets in a parchment lined (or well greased) baking tray, seam side down. Beat the egg in a bowl and brush onto the pastry of each Wellington. Bake for 20 minutes (at 350°F).

11. Remove from the oven, and let rest for 10 minutes before eating. Serve with red wine sauce and enjoy!

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