Beef Wellington

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3 lbs. trimmed filet of beef

salt and pepper

Duxelles:

1 lb. mushrooms diced fine

3 T. shallots

2 T. butter

3 T. Maderia

3/4 lb. gruyere cheese shredded

1 package frozen puff pastry

Brown filet of beef, with salt and pepper, in a large skillet, browning quickly on all sides, about 10 minutes. Chill immediately.

To make duxelles:

Add butter to same skillet and add mushrooms. Quickly saute over medium high heat until liquid is removed from the mushrooms, about 10 minutes, stirring while cooking. Turn heat down, add shallots and Maderia, cook until all liquid has evaporated. Cool.

Unwrap puff pastry and join the 2 pieces together at the long ends. Press to seal well. Spread cheese down the center and top with 1/2 of the duxelle mixture. Place filet on top of mushrooms. Fold up ends of puff pastry around beef. Trim excess puff pastry. Press edges together to seal edges. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Using puff pastry scraps decorate the top. (You can cut out leaves with a cookie cutter and form long ropes with the pastry.) Brush 1 beaten egg over the puff pastry and refrigerate. Bake 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees F. for medium rare, until pastry is golden brown. You can do this in the morning before your dinner party if you choose. Don’t cover the pastry once the egg glaze is on it.

Maderia Sauce

Saute 1/2 C. each of carrot, celery and onion until tender. Add 2 C. beef broth, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 C. Maderia Wine and cook another 10 minutes. Strain broth back into a sauce pan and add remaining duxelle mixture. Bring to a boil and thicken with 3 T. cornstarch and 3 T. water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve:

Let the beef set for 10 minutes before serving. Serve the Maderia Sauce on the side.

Note: You can also do these as individual servings. Slice the filet into 1 1/2 inch thick slices. Saute the beef pieces on each side 2 minutes over high heat. Cool. Cut circles of the puff pastry (I use a soup bowl and cut around the outside edge) and repeat the steps from above.