Individual Beef Wellington for Two

Beef Wellington, it is one of those foods that is amazing and often screams, "Be scared of me, I am so hard to make." Moral of the story, I was very intimidated by making beef wellington. When I found this recipe for individual beef wellingtons, I made them as fast as I could. These turned out so perfect, the key is to get quality beef. We used beef filets, cut 1.5-2 inches thick. This recipe is for two, but can easily be doubled or tripled.

This would be the perfect meal to surprise that special someone in your life. It looks extremely impressive and is not that difficult. I have a few criteria for when I am planning a meal for someone, in my home (other than my husband). Number one would be taste, it has to be amazing, no brainer. Number two, I will not be running around my house like a chicken with it's head cut off. In order to achieve number two, the main course needs to be something that cooks for about 30 minutes, undisturbed. This way I can clean the mess up, get out the apps (that I made earlier), and pour myself an extra drink.

This can be baking in the oven while you are doing all of the above mentioned items and when your guest arrive, it will be perfect. I served this with homemade mac n' cheese, marinated asparagus, and a simple spinach salad.
Source: Elly Says Opa! 

Ingredients:
6 oz. Button Mushrooms
1 Shallot, small, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 small sprig of Thyme, leaves only
1/2 tablespoon of Butter
1/2 tablespoon of Olive Oil, + additional for searing steaks
1/2 sheet of Puff Pastry, thawed
2 Filet Mignons, cut 1.5-2 inches thick
2 teaspoons of Dijon Mustard
1 Egg, beaten
Coarse Sea Salt

Directions:
First, pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Now, rub the filet with a little olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Next, pulse the mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme in a food processor until finely chopped.

Now, place the olive oil and butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the mushroom mixture and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Next, lightly flour a clean working station and roll out the puff pastry to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut the pastry into two squares big enough to enclose the beef into. Poke the puff pastry a few times with a fork.

Heat a skillet, I use cast iron, over medium-high heat. When the pan is very hot, place the filets in the pan and cook for one minute, flip and cook for another minute. Sear each side for about 30 seconds.

Now, to assemble the beef. Spread one teaspoon of dijon mustard on each of the puff pastry squares and top each with half of the mushroom mixture, then place the steak on top.

Now, brush the edges of the puff pastry with the egg and  fold the puff pastry up to completely enclose the beef.  Seal and place seam-side down on a prepared baking sheet. Brush the top with the egg and sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake until the steak is done to your liking, it will vary based on steak size. We baked ours for 17 minutes for medium-rare and 21 minutes for medium-well.


Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,
The Barbee Housewife