Mini Beef Wellington with Morel Bearnaise and Melted Leeks

Photo: Angela Gunder

Ingredients

2 ounces dried morel mushrooms

2 cups of beef stock

2 cups of water

2 sprigs of tarragon

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup white wine

4 egg yolks

1 tablespoon stick and 1 of butter, melted

1/8 teaspoon of white pepper

salt to taste

4 tablespoons of butter

1 shallot

8 ounces of mild flavored mushrooms (oyster, white button, crimini or

1/8 teaspoon of black pepper

1/4 teaspoon of white pepper

1/4 teaspoon of tarragon

1 teaspoon of salt

2 leeks, white and pale green parts only

3 tablespoons of butter

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon of salt

3 filet mignon steaks

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

12 slices of pancetta

salt and pepper

1 box of puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon of cream

Preparation

Bring the beef stock and water to a boil. Add morel mushrooms and turn off the heat. Put a lid on the pot and allow the mushrooms to steep in the beef stock for at least a half an hour.

Add the white wine, wine vinegar, shallot and tarragon to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce the liquid to about 2-3 tablespoons. Strain mixture and set aside to cool.

Melt butter over low heat in a skillet. When melted, crank up heat to medium and add your chopped shallot and mushrooms. Stir gently to keep from sticking, and keep heat on the low side so as to not color the mushrooms. When veggies are tender, add black pepper, white pepper, tarragon and salt. Taste for seasoning and correct if necessary. Continue to cook over medium low until the mushrooms absorb all of the juices released and the mixture forms a semi-dry paste. Chop half of the morel mushrooms and mix them into the duxelle. Set aside and allow to cool.

Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse thoroughly to remove any dirt or sand. Finely chop the leeks. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the leeks. Cook gently until tender, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425°. Flour a cutting board and lay out your puff pastry. Flour a rolling pin and roll out sheet into a slightly larger square. Cut into 6 squares and top each one with a slice of pancetta. Spoon a few tablespoons of the mushroom duxelle on top of the pancetta. Cut each of the filets into four cubes and season with coarse salt and cracked pepper. Brush the cut sides with a small amount of dijon mustard and place on top of the duxelle. Top with some more duxelle and bring the corners of the puff pastry together in the center to close up the package. Place the mini wellington seam sid

Melt the butter – I like to use a pyrex because it’s easy to pour. Put the 4 egg yolks and vinegar reduction into the blender and mix on low. Slowly stream in half of the melted butter and allow to emulsify. Crank up the speed to high and stream in the rest of the butter. Your sauce will be thick and bright yellow, like a slightly loose mayonnaise. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Chop the rest of the morel mushrooms and fold into the bearnaise, along with half of the leeks. Keep warm until ready to serve.

To serve, spread a bit of the bearnaise on the bottom of a plate. Slice one of the wellingtons in half. Mound a small amount of the remaining leeks on the plate and top with a wellington half. Add the morel mushrooms to the side of the wellington and garnish with chives or a rosemary sprig (or both). Call up the crew and kick boredom’s ass with an impromptu party of the most fabulous kind.

If you’d like to serve as a passable appetizer, cut wellingtons into quarters. Spear each quarter with a sprig of rosemary with the leaves removed from the woodier portion of the stem, allowing you to use it as a skewer. Mix all of the leeks into the bearnaise and serve in a bowl on the side for dipping.

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About

This recipe was my humble entry into the 3rd Annual Marx Foods Morel Mushroom Competition. Try as we might to garner a win for this exceedingly delicious recipe, we did not come up victorious (we were 3rd place in the popular vote). But really, in all honesty, we feel as though we won the grand prize in simply getting to eat the mini wellington ourselves. Our heartfelt thanks to all who voted and spread the word for folks to vote, and a special thanks to Karen M. for slaving with me in the kitchen. You’re a doll!