Recipes to Rival: Beef Wellington

Thank you to Mz. Kitchen for picking an outstanding recipe for this months Recipes to Rival. You made my Father and husband ecstatic on Father's Day. They were in for a treat- we all were.

Well. Let's start by saying that I am not a major beef fan. A hamburger once in a while or a steak once a year is about it for me. When this recipe was announced I was intrigued and looking forward to the challenge. I really could have cared less about the beef part. I wanted to stay true to the recipe because I have never eaten it before and I was curious.

Lucky for me about a month or so ago a local store had beef tenderloin for sale- dirt cheap. I picked up some not really expecting it to be tender. Boy was I surprised but that wasn't the only surprise in store.

I decided to challenge myself a bit more. I am always looking to expand my baking horizons. I make a lot of things home made to try to avoid prepackaged things- their prices and their additives and preservatives. I have never bought puff pastry before nor have I worked with it. So this was really a crap shoot. I decided to make the puff pastry. After viewing a video on You Tube, I found a recipe and made it. Oh my goodness, was it ever simple. It is less work that making layered jello. Honestly. It's only real challenge is setting aside the time to pull it our every hour to roll it and fold it. Otherwise, piece of cake, piece of puff pastry cake!
So on I went. I made all the elements for the beef wellington and really the most nerve racking part was rolling the beef and hoping it would stay together in bake mode... oh, and wondering if my puff pastry would actually puff. It did. It really did!


I added an element, so here is how I worked it. On a plastic wrap sheet, I layed out some prosciutto, I spread the mushroom/shallot mixture onto the prosciutto, I slathered mustard on the seared piece of tenderloin (I made individual servings), I rolled the beef and wrapped it in plastic to refrigerate for 30 minutes or so. I cut my pound of puff pastry into six pieces and rolled them out. I spread the pate in the center and then brushed the egg around the perimeter. I wrapped the roll that I had refrigerated previously. I made some slits in the top to vent and brushed it with egg wash. Into the oven they all went when I was done.

Beef Wellington

For the Duxelles:
3 pints (1 1/2 pounds) white button mushrooms
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Beef:
1 (3-pound) center cut beef tenderloin (filet mignon), trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
1 pound puff pastry, thawed if using frozen (follow directions on the package)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
8 ounces mousse pate, available in specialty cheese and appetizer cases of larger markets (optional)

Directions
To make the Duxelles:

Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add butter and olive oil to a large saute pan and set over medium heat. Add the shallot and mushroom mixture and saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool completely.

To prepare the beef:

Tie the tenderloin in 4 places so it holds its cylindrical shape while cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil - about 2 to 3 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula cover evenly with a thin layer of duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. When the beef is seared, remove from heat, cut off twine and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard. Allow to cool completely.

About an hour before you plan to serve the Beef Wellington,preheat oven to 425 degrees 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 and press them together.

Spread the duxelles mixture down in a column down the middle of the rolled out puff pastry. Thinly slice the mousse and cover the duxelles with it - every square millimeter doesn't have to be covered, but you're trying to make sure that every serving gets beef, duxelle, and mousse.

Remove beef from refrigerator. Set the beef in the center of the pastry and brush all the edges of the pastry with egg wash. Fold the longer sides over the beef, and seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the beef - saving ends to use as a decoration on top if desired. Place the beef seam side down on a baking sheet.

Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash then make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife - this creates vents that will allow the steam to escape when cooking. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F (rare) on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and rest before cutting into 3/4-inch thick slices

Jammin' to the break of day!

I recently discovered a new jam. I love playing with new flavors every season. I found this recipe for Strawberry Margarita Preserves. Since I am the Margarita Queen, I saw it as only fitting that I should whip some of this up! Its boozey flavors on top of strawberries make it so intricate and amazing. My Mom suggested some biscuits for a backdrop. I am thinking this is a good idea!

Strawberry Margarita Preserves
adapted from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

6 cups strawberries cut in half, if they are large quartered
2 cups tart apple like a Granny Smith, chopped
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup Tequila
1/2 cup Grand Marnier or Curacao
7 - 8 oz. jars with bands and lids

Combine strawberries, apples, lemon jice and sugar in a large pot. Start to heat on low until sugar and fruits begin to melt. Once there is enough liquid in the pot, turn up the heat and begin to simmer. Cook for 30 to an hour, depending on how high your heat is. Since you are not adding pectin, you really want it to cook down so it sets well. (The apples and the lemon help the process along). Once it is to a gel stage, add the liquor. Simmer for five more minutes. Remove from heat and ladle into jars. Place lids on and screw the bands down fairly tight. Process in boiling water for ten minutes. Turn off heat, let sit for five minutes. Remove from heat.

When lids are sucked down, they are sealed. If for some reason one does not go down after about an hour, invert the jar and wait ten minutes and place upright again. This should do the trick. If it doesn't. Place in refrigerator to use instead of storing it.

It's nice to have some gifts ready to go when you need one!

Chocolate Mousse and Coconut Dacquoise with Raspberries

Mousse is my latest obsession. I go through phases of discovery with all these new things. The first obsession was French macarons- I made quite a few of those. Then it was buttercream- especially Dorie's recipe. Now it's mousse. I was never really into mousse before because the amount of fat in it. But now I am finding, just a little bit of mousse can hit the spot. Especially with some fresh fruit. Besides there are mousses made with other things besides heavy cream which I am sure you will be seeing here on my blog soon.

I made this cake for my Dad and my husband for Father's Day. It was so wonderful after the entree we had... you will see that in a few days. It was deceptively light.

I started out with Dorie's coconut dacquoise:

1 cup (65g) unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup (60g) slivered almonds
1/2 cup (75g) plus 1 1/2 cups (175g) confectioners (icing) sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
8 large egg whites (240g) at room temperature
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Put the coconut, almonds, 2/3 cups of the confectioners’ sugar and the cornstarch in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Beat in the remaining 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, then beat until the meringue is thick and glossy and holds firm peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, very gently fold in the coconut mixture. Spoon one third of the meringue (about 2 1/2) onto each outlined rectangle. Using a long metal icing spatula, spread the meringue into the meringue into smooth, even layers.

Bake the meringues for 3 hours, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 1 1/2 hours. The meringues should be golden and crisp to the touch. Let cool completely on the baking sheets on racks.

Then I made a mousse (Tartelette's recipe) to go between the layers with the raspberries:

6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup (62.5ml) whole milk
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 stick (55gr) butter
1 egg yolk
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream, cold

In a bowl set over a pan of simmering water or a bain marie, melt together the chocolate, milk, espresso powder and butter. Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm. Whisk in the egg yolk. In a mixer, whip the cream to medium peaks and fold it into the chocolate mixture.
*you can put the mixer bowl in the fridge to cool it down as well, so that when you add the cream it will help the whipping process.

Daring Bakers: Bakewell Tart

Outside.
Inside.

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.
My shining star. Nutella.

"This tart, like many of the world's great foods has its own mythic beginnings…or several mythic beginnings. Legend has it in 1820 (or was it in the 1860s?) Mrs. Greaves, landlady of The White Horse Inn in Bakewell, Derbyshire (England), asked her cook to produce a pudding for her guests. Either her instructions could have been clearer or he should have paid better attention to what she said because what he made was not what she asked for. The cook spread the jam on top of the frangipane mixture rather than the other way around. Or maybe instead of a sweet rich shortcrust pastry case to hold the jam for a strawberry tart, he made a regular pastry and mixed the eggs and sugar separately and poured that over the jam—it depends upon which legend you follow... Bakewell tarts are a classic English dessert, abounding in supermarket baking sections and in ready-made, mass-produced forms, some sporting a thick sugary icing and glazed cherry on top for decorative effect." Daring Bakers Cardamom Addict and Ambrosia and Nectar.

Whew! what history and what delicious history at that. This was such a versatile dessert with so much room to play with. It is pretty easy and very elegant looking. I went crazy with all the choices. And it seems like there are so many more I want to try.

I did a pecan with honey pecan jam, a pecan with apricot jam; an almond with nutella, an almond with lemon curd and an almond with some of my peach jam with amaretto. I liked them all but honestly the star was the Nutella one. How can you beat the hazelnut and chocolate combination?


Sweet shortcrust pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow color.

Assembling the tartPlace the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimated for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the center and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.
The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

I put a medjool date in this one. Why? Cause I am goofy like that.

Finnish Cauliflower Rye casserole

I have made this dish a couple times. Each time I learn something new. The two things that are very important are, use a good tasting cheese- sharp or gruyere and use a GOOD rye for this. The last time I made it I used regular bread figuring it would be okay. A little flat. Really use a good rye- it makes a huge difference. I would also like to say that the beer makes a big difference as well but I havent really played around with that. The nice thing about this recipe is that it is a great way to eat cauliflower.

Kukkakaalialaatikko (Finnish Cauliflower Rye casserole)
Say that five times fast but not if your Finnish- it would just be too easy!
recipe from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant

1   Cup    beer
3   Cups   rye bread cubes (the darker the better)
1   head   cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
2   Tbsp   butter
2   tsp    caraway seeds
4          eggs
3   Cups   sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp    coriander seeds
1   tsp    dry mustard (or 2 tsp Dijon style prepared)
1   tsp    freshly ground black pepper to taste

At least an hour before cooking, pour the beer into a shallow bowl to
sit until it becomes flat.  Dry the bread cubes on a baking
sheet in a 300 degree F oven until crisp but not browned
(probably 15 minutes).

Lightly coat a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large non-stick skillet, saute cualiflower with the caraway seeds
until just barely tender.  In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, cheese
and cauliflower.  Spread in the prepared casserole dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, mustard, coriander, pepper,
and flat beer.  Pour the liquid over the bread and cauliflower in
the casserole dish.  Bake at 350F for 30 to 45 minutes, until puffed
and golden.

Serves four.

Flatbread with Cheesy Filling

Lucy from Sweets, Savories, etc. and made this incredible looking flatbread. I knew I had to make it. As I have mentioned before, sometimes, I mix up two batches of a recipe that I know I will make very soon. I had this Rosemary flatbread that I made and I knew I would make it again, very soon, wrong, so I had all the dry ingredients in a bag. I saw Lucy's post and I knew I was finally going to use that bag of dry ingredients. All I had to get was the zucchini.

I had some Swiss cheese in my freezer so that is what I used. This whipped up quick as she said, nevermind that I already had the dry ingredients ready to go. It was a pretty presentation and it was something different.

I know that flabread usually does not have yeast in it but I wanted this to be somewhat pliable.

And the Rosemary, if you don't know Rosemary, you should. She's the kinda girl who grows on you. The more you have her around the more you will want her around.

Rosemary Flatbread
adapted from King Arthur's, Whole Grain baking: Rosemary Flatbread
(have I mentioned that I LOVE this book?)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups durum flour
1 1/3 cup ap flour
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (or two packets)
1 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 cups of shredded cheese
2-3 cups zucchini thinly sliced
1 cup minced red onion

Combine all the dry ingredients and mix in the water and olive oil. Knead in bowl until dough comes together. Place on floured countertop and continue to knead adding flour as you go. You do not want a sticky dough but it should be a little on the sticky side so that it stays moist when it bakes. Let rise until doubled about and hour to an hour and a half.

Preheat oven to 350F. Roll out half the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle about two cups of cheese down the center. Fold over sides, like a business letter. Transfer to a baking sheet. Push down on dough and then cut slits on top. Lay zucchini slices and chopped red onion over top.

French Onion Soup

This is one of my all time favorite soups. Just a few ingredients can make this soup spectacular. My friend and I use to oreder it all the time when we went to TGIFridays. It was one of four things; French Onion soup, Cobb salad, potstickers or wings. All healthy, I know. Yeah, right. That was when I was single and could go to restaurants on a regular basis. We of course had cocktails to go with our ultra-healthy entrees!

A week or so ago I had a bunch of onions in my pantry that were starting to go bad. I pulled the basket out and went through them. Some were mush but some were salvageable. I used those plus a few nice ones. I sauteed them in butter and then added water. I let that cook for an hour or so. I drained and discarded the onion. I kept the broth, knowing that it was destined for French Onion Soup. It was a just a little to warm at that point to make it. The weather turned rainy and a little chilly so I pulled out my broth and made my soup.

French Onion Soup

8 cups broth (I had an onion broth but beef works real well)
4 large onions, sliced thinly then cut in half
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons beef boullion (if you dont use beef broth)
1/2 cup Sherry
2 oz to 4 tablespoons butter (you really need this, it gives it such great flavor)
toast
mozzarella or swiss, grated

Saute the onions in butter until carmelized. Add broth and seasonings along with the sherry. Let it simmer for about a half of an hour. Pour into oven safe bowls. Place a piece of toast on top and a piece of cheese, shredded works better. Place it under the broiler until the cheese browns a little.