Thanksgiving ambition

image via DryWontonMee

Chyrie's take on Ultimate Beef Wellington

For the Duxelles:
• 3 pints (1 1/2 lbs) mushrooms
• 2 onions, peeled & roughly chopped
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

For the Beef:
• 1 3 lb center cut beef tenderloin, trimmed
• extra-virgin olive oil
• sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 12 thin slices parma ham or prosciutto OR 2 1/2 oz of liver pate
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• flour, for rolling out puff pastry
• 1 lb puff pastry, thawed if using frozen
• 2 large eggs (or 3 small farm eggs), lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
   
Preparation
• Duxelles (can be prepared the day before & refridgerated): Add mushrooms, onions, & garlic to a food processor & pulse until finely chopped. Add butter & olive oil to a large saute pan & set over medium heat. Add the onion & mushroom mixture & saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt & pepper & set aside to cool.
• To prepare the Beef: Drizzle the tenderloin with olive oil, season with salt & pepper & sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil - about 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile set out your proscuitto (or whichever chosen) on a sheet of plastic wrap (plastic needs to be about a foot & a half in length so you can wrap & tie the roast up in it) on top of your cutting board. Shingle the prosciutto so it forms a rectangle that is big enough to encompass the entire filet of beef. Using a rubber spatula cover evenly with a thin layer of Duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt & pepper. When the beef is seared, remove from heat, & smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard. Allow to cool slightly, then roll up in the duxelles covered proscuitto using the plastic wrap to tie it nice & tight. Tuck in the ends of the proscuitto as you roll to completely encompass the beef. Roll it up tightly in plastic wrap & twist the ends to seal it completely & hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to ensure it maintains its shape.
*Preheat oven to 425 F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Depending on the size of your sheets you may have to overlap 2 sheets & press them together. Remove beef from refrigerator & cut off plastic. Set the beef in the center of the pastry & fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash & fold over to completely seal the beef - saving ends to use as a decoration on top if desired. Top with coarse sea salt. Place the beef seam side down on a baking sheet.
• Brush top of pastry with egg wash, making a couple of slits in the top of the pastry with the tip of a paring knife - these vents will allow steam to escape when cooking. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown & beef registers 125 F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven & rest before cutting into thick slices.
• Top it with homemade hollandaise sauce & savor every bite of your hard work!