Alaska Cooks

I’ve never really liked the VD celebration, the ubiquitous pink and red, the fight for reservations at a place you might not normally go, the vicious markup on flowers the week prior, the nasty “sweetheart candies” - BE MINE, MARRY ME, etc. I do, however like a chance to do something special for the lovely Dr. Pat, and so on this (our first), VD together I felt the need to bring out the Big Guns. She’s had a tough few weeks at work, it’s still winter in Alaska, we’re avowed carnivores, and I wanted to show off: Beef Wellington. Being the sad Type C personality that I am, I only had a general idea of what I needed. I’ve made Wellington before but it’s been a few years, there are lots of variations and I tend not to actually follow a recipe. I downloaded three, picked out the parts I liked from each, and ducked out of the office mid-afternoonish to quest for the right ingredients. Shopping in Anchorage can be adventure. It isn’t like folks in the lower 48 often think - we have decent groceries in town, and he days of $7 milk and brown produce are gone, but things like baby asparagus or lovely tenderloin can be tough to get at the last minute, especially on the day that everyone wants to be a chef.
I noticed was a lot of places were selling filet already wrapped in bacon - I’m too cheap to pay $20/pound for bacon, so I found a small whole tenderloin and decided to trim it myself and save the good scraps for stock and sauce later. Wellington is basically a seared filet topped with a bit of liver pate and a mushroom reduction, wrapped in pastry and then baked. It’s often served under a Madeira sauce, but I used a peppercorn/dill sauce here.

steak:
1 or 2 pound tenderloin, trimmed and tied (if needed)
sea salt and fresh pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil

Oil and season the filet, sear hard on all sides in an iron skillet, and place in fridge for 30-45 minutes. The trick here is to sear the meat enough to build a crust to seal in all the juices. You don’t really want it to cook it much because it still has awhile to spend in the oven. And don’t clean the pan yet…

mushrooms:
1/2 cups mixed mushrooms, chopped (Good place to add truffles if you got ‘em…)
1 large shallot, minced
1/2 cup beef broth
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup fresh thyme
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 tablespoons butter
sea salt and fresh pepper to taste

Deglaze the pan you cooking the tenderloin in with the wine and broth. Reduce by half. Add the shallots, mushrooms and butter and saute until wilted and or all of the liquid is gone. Set aside to cool.

assembly:
flour as needed
puff pastry (I used Pepperidge Farms, but there’s a good recipe here)
1 egg beaten with a small splash of water
6 oz foie gras (or any good liver pate)
mushroom mixture

On a floured surface, roll out a square of pasty large enough to completely cover the meat. Move quickly, or cover with a damp towel as puff pastry dries out quickly and is impossible to use once dried. Place a layer of the cooled mushrooms in the center, sized the same as your meat. Lay several slices of the pate on this, and press the tenderloin into it gently. You once it to meld, but not mush your dough into the counter. Fold the outer edges of the puff pastry over the steak so that they overlap and completely cover it. Don’t stretch the pastry, as thin spots will shrink and open in the oven. Trim any excess pastry - this is the bottom and you want it to lay flat in the oven. Seal the seams with the eggwash, and place upside down (seam down) on a lightly greased dish. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to set. Once here, it will keep overnight so this can be done ahead of time. Bake at 400 (preheated) for approximately 25 minutes, or until pastry is brown and slightly crispy. Brush periodically with the remaining egg wash. Excess pastry you trimmed from earlier can be used to make a design on top of the Wellington. If you like your meat on the done side (heaven help you), use a meat thermometer.

sauce:
3 tbs salted butter
1 chopped shallot
1/2 cup green peppercorns (or 1 tbs regular whole dried)
3/4 cup brandy
3/4 cup cream (NOT 1/2 and 1/2!)
sea salt to taste
1/3 cup stemmed and chopped fresh dill

Melt the 2 tbs butter over medium heat and saute the shallots and peppercorns until the onions are translucent. Add the brandy (flame it if you want) and reduce by about half. Slowly pour in the cream and simmer on low until it thickens a bit - 3 minutes or so. Whisk in the dill, the remaining butter and the salt. Remove from heat, and strain in a fine colander/sieve. Keep warm

serve:
Let the Wellington rest for a few minutes after you remove it from the oven. If your cut of tenderloin was long, cut the Wellington into thick slices. If it’s stubby, cut the thing in half. Plate the Wellington and drizzle sauce over it. Serve with your favorite - I went with steamed asparagus wrapped in lemon zest and baby new potatoes.