FUN RAISER

I know, I know it's a fund raiser but for this Mom who doesn't get out much it was a fun raiser. My friend is a social worker at a local hospital. They had a fund raiser and my "four corner" friends and I went to it. They had hors d'oeuvres, wine tasting and of course dessert. The food was pretty good. They had an antipasti area that had roasted red peppers in balsamic, marinated mushrooms, kalamata olives with orange zest and a little hot pepper in it. It was all delicious. Besides the salmon they had I think it was the best part of the food. In an another area there were the classics, bacon wrapped scallops, crab cakes, mini spanakopitas, breaded artichokes with cheese, and the best one, mini beef wellingtons. Dessert was mini cups of mousse, chocolate with a raspberry on top and a white mousse (who knows if it was white chocolate) with a black raspberry on top, chocolate covered strawberries, lemon bars, chocolate cake, magic bars... The best was the mousse.


And because I just can't write a note without a recipe... for some reason I feel it would be just wrong... I will leave you with a recipe that I have been wanting to try.

MINI BEEF WELLINGTONS
Food Network

* 8 (1 1/2-inch-thick, 6 ounce) center-cut filets mignons or tenderloin
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 8 large mushrooms (about 1/2 pound total)
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 large eggs
* 2 puff pastry sheets (from a 17 1/4-ounce package frozen puff pastry), thawed
* 1/2 cup Gorgonzola (about 5 ounces)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Pat filets mignons dry and season with salt and pepper. Sear on both sides in saute pan with heated oil. Chill filets, covered, until cold, about 1 hour.

Thinly slice mushrooms and in a heavy skillet cook in butter with shallot, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste, over moderate heat, stirring, until mushrooms are lightly browned. Transfer mushroom mixture to a bowl to cool completely. In a small bowl lightly beat eggs to make an egg wash.

On a lightly floured surface roll out puff pastry sheets into 2 (14-inch) squares. Trim edges to form 2 (13-inch) squares and cut each square into 4 (6 1/2-inch) squares.

Put 1 tablespoon Gorgonzola in center of 1 square and top with 1/8 of the mushroom mixture. Top mushroom mixture with a filet mignon, pressing it down gently, and wrap 2 opposite corners of puff pastry over filet, overlapping them. Seal seam with egg wash. Wrap remaining 2 corners of pastry over filet and seal in same manner. Seal any gaps with egg wash and press pastry around filet to enclose completely. Arrange beef Wellington, seam side down, in a non-stick-baking pan. Make 7 more beef Wellingtons in same manner. Chill remaining egg wash for brushing on pastry just before baking. Chill beef Wellingtons, loosely covered, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Brush top and sides of each beef Wellington with some remaining egg wash and bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden and the meat temperature is 117 degrees F.
Sauce:

* 2 cup veal or beef demi-glace
* 4 tablespoons Sercial Madeira

Make sauce while beef Wellingtons are baking. In a saucepan, boil demi-glace and Madeira 1 minute and keep sauce warm.

Serve beef Wellingtons with sauce.

Yield: 8 servings