Beef Veal: Beef Wellington 05 by Recipe Cottage

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	Beef Wellington 05

		Beef Wellington 3 1/2 pound fillet of beef tied with thin sheets of larding fat at room temp 3/4 pound mushrooms, chopped fine 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 pound pate de foie gras (available at specialty food shops) at room temp 1 pound puff paste or thawed frozen puff pastry plus additional for garnish 1 large egg white, beaten an egg wash made by beating 1 large egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water 1/2 cup Sercial Madeira 2 teaspoons arrowroot dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water 1/2 cup beef broth 2 tablespoons finely chopped black truffles, if desired watercress for garnish if desired In a roasting pan roast the beef in the middle of a preheated 400 F. oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 120 Let the fillet cool completely and discard the larding fat and the strings. Skim the fat from the pan juices and reserve the pan juices. In a heavy skillet cook the mushrooms in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until all the liquid they give off is evaporated and the mixture is dry, season them with salt and pepper, and let them dry completely. Spread the fillet evenly with the pate de foie gras, covering the top and sides, and spread the mushrooms evenly over the pate de foie gras. On a floured surface roll 1 pound of the puff paste into a rectangle about 20 by 12 inches, or large enough to enclose the fillet completely, invert the coated fillet onto the middle of the dough, and fold up the long sides of the dough to enclose the fillet, brushing the edges of the dough with some of the egg white to seal them. Folt the ends of the dough over the fillet and seal them with the remaining egg white. Transfer the fillet, seam side down, to a jelly roll pan or shallow roasting pan and brush the dough with some of the egg wash. Roll out the additional dough and cut out shapes with decorative cutters. Arrange the cutouts on the dough decoratively, brush them with the remaining egg wash, and chill the fillet for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. Bake the fillet in the middle of a preheated 400 F. oven for 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 F. and bake the fillet for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until a meat thermometer registers 130 F. for medium rare meat and the pastry is cooked through. Let the fillet stand for 15 minutes. In a saucepan boil the reserved pan juices and the Madeira until the mixture is reduced by one fourth. Add the arrowroot mixture, the broth, the truffles, and salt and pepper to taste and cook the sauce over moderate heat, stirring, being careful not to let it boil, for 5 minutes, or until it is thickened. Loosen the fillet from the pan, transfer it with 2 spatulas to a heated platter, and garnish it with the watercress. Serve the fillet, cut into 3/4 inch slices, with the sauce. Serves 8. PUFF PASTE 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour 2 3/4 sticks (1 cup plus 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter 1 teaspoon salt In a bowl combine 2 cups of the flour, 4 tablespoons of the butter, cut into bits, and the salt and blend the mixture until it resembles meal. Stir in 1/3 cup ice water and, if necessary, continue to add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture forms a soft dough. Gather the dough into a ball, form it into a 5 inch square, and dust it lightly with flour. Chill the dough, wrapped in wax paper, for 30 minutes, or until it is firm but not hard. In a bowl combine the remaining 2 1/4 sticks butter, cut into bits, with the remaining 1/4 cup flour and toss the mixture to coat the butter with the flour. Knead the butter and the flour together and form the mixture into a rough square. Put the square between sheets of wax paper and with a rolling pin press it into a 5 inch square. Remove the paper, dust the square well with flour, and wrap it in another sheet of wax paper. Chill the butter mixture until it is firm but not hard. (The dough and the butter should be of equal firmness.) Roll the dough into an 8 inch square on a floured surface. Lay the butter diagonally in the center of the square and roll the four visible corners of the dough into 6 inch strips. (The dough will form an X around the butter.) Fold each strip of dough over the butter to enclose the butter completely and turn the dough over, sprinkling the work surface and the dough with flour. With the rolling pin flatten the dough with uniform impressions and roll it into a 12 by 6 inch rectangle. Turn the dough over, brush off any excess flour, and fold the top third of the rectangle over the center and the bottom third over the top, forming a rectangle about 6 by 4 inches. Turn the folded dough seam side down so that an open end faces you. With the rolling pin flatten the dough with uniform impressions. Roll the dough from the center away from you to within 1/2 inch of the end. Flatten the ends gently with uniform impressions but do not roll the pin over the ends ot the air and butter will be expelled. Reverse the strip on the surface, flouring the surface as necessary, and again roll the dough from the center away from you to make a rectangle about 12 inches long. Turn the dough seam side up, brush any excess flour from it, and fold the rectangle in thirds as before. This completes 2 "turns." Chill the dough, wrapped in plastic, for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.