Beef Tenderloin Wellington

Photo: flickr user stu_spivack

Ingredients

24 ounces bread flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 ounces butter

6 ounces shortening

3 egg yolks

1/2 ounce olive oil

8 ounces cold water

1 (5 lb.) beef tenderloin, whole, trimmed, peeled

Liver pate

Truffle peeling, finely chopped

Egg wash to bursh

Salad oil for pan

1 ounce butter

1 tablespoon ham

1 sm. onion

1 sm. carrot, coarsely chopped

1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic

1/2 ounce flour

1 qt. beef broth

2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 sprig parsley, coarsely chopped

1 sprig thyme, coarsely chopped

1/4 bay leaf

3 whole peppercorns

8 ounces Madeira Wine

Salt to taste

Preparation

Sift flour. Fold remaining ingredients into flour as for pie dough. Blend lightly. Cover dough with cloth; allow to stand for 1 hour.

Sear tenderloin well, leaving center practically raw. Cool. Spread with liver pate. Sprinkle with chopped truffles.

Roll out pate on Croute dough 3/16 inch, thick. Wrap dough around tenderloin keeping seam on bottom. Fold ends under. Decorate with cut-out made from dough trimmings.

Brush surface with egg wash. Place on oiled baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees about 40 minutes or until dough is done. If dough browns too quickly, shield with foil. Cut in slices about 3/4 inch thick; serve 1 slice per portion. Serve with a Madeira Sauce.

Melt the butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan, add ham and cook for a few minutes; then add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and fry briskly until light brown.

Stir in the flour until lightly brown, and the beef broth and all remaining ingredients except Madeira and salt and let simmer for 30 minutes. During the cooking, fat will come to the surface. Remove it with a spoon, then strain. This sauce should have the consistency of cream.

Deglaze the pan and add the Madeira wine. Add the sauce and season to taste. This makes about 1 quart. Serves 8.