I can begin to guess how long my husband has been asking me to make Beef Wellington.  How long has Hell’s Kitchen been on TV?  Yeah…probably that long.  Every episode, “just once…I want to try Beef Wellington.”  Well, it may have taken several years, but I finally got the hint.  I dropped by the supermarket, picked out a couple of nice filets, a box of puff pastry, and dinner was on its way.

Honestly, I’ve put off making this, because frankly, it intimidated me. Desserts aren’t a problem, but meat…that’s a different story.  I always tend to over cook meat, no matter how attentive I am.  I feel like I’m in a group meeting…”Hi, I’m Amy and I’m intimidated by expensive cuts of meat.”  Well, as in all therapy groups, we know that admitting your problem is the first step to conquering your problem.  So…I’ve admitted my problem and it’s time to tackle it!

The results…

OMG! It was amazing!!!! I didn’t over cook it.  The pastry was beautiful. The beef was juicy. Jeremy ate mushrooms.  SUCCESS!!!  The only downside was that we both ate too much.  I felt like a whale for the rest of the evening.

Date Night Beef Wellington (for 2)

2 decent size filets–seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder

1 box puff pastry

1/3 c. chopped onion

2 c. chopped fresh mushrooms (NO CANNED MUSHROOMS!)

1 garlic clove-minced

salt & pepper to taste

2 TBSP butter

1/4 c. red wine (I used Cab)

2 TBSP dijon mustard

1 egg & water for an egg wash

In a super hot skillet, sear the filets on every side.  Remove from the skillet and allow to cool/rest. In the same skillet, add the butter, onion, mushrooms, garlic, salt & pepper. Turn heat to medium and saute for 5 minutes.  Add wine and continue sauteing until liquid has been absorbed/reduced and mushrooms are dark brown.  Remove from heat to cool.

Cut one sheet of puff pastry in half.  Spoon a quarter of the mushroom mixture onto the center of the puff pastry sheet.  Place a filet on top.  Smear the filet with a tablespoon of Dijon.  Spoon another quarter of the mushroom mixture on top of the filet.  Fold the puff pastry around the beef and pinch together edges on the bottom to seal.  Wrap in plastic wrap and squeeze to mold the pastry around the beef.

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place pastry wrapped beef onto the cookie sheet.  Brush the entire exposed surface of the puff pastry with egg wash.  Bake at 425 minutes for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.  Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Oh…and don’t forget to remind your significant other that they owe you a public “Thank you! You’re awesome!” on Facebook and Twitter.