Individual Beef Wellingtons

This is, quite frankly, one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten in my life. It's a bit of a project to make, and absolutely worth it. Made this with my mother for an at-home celebration of my 14th wedding anniversary. Might just have to make it every year now lol. I only got a picture of the final product; will add pix of steps the next time I make (there will DEFINITELY be a next time :)) 11/10!!

Link to original recipe: https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/individual-beef-wellingtons-with-mushroom-spinach-blue-cheese-filling

This is really big, so you really don't need much for sides. We served with braised leeks, mashed potatoes, and a side salad. Next time I will opt for just a side salad.

Note: if you don't make decorations as indicated in the original recipe (we did not) for the wellingtons, you will have much puff pastry scraps.

Amounts below are what we used/modified for 4 servings.

Ingredients:

for the mushrooms--

2 large portabella mushrooms, stems removed

6 T. olive oil, plus more for cooking

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, lightly chopped

1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves, lightly chopped

kosher salt and coarse ground pepper

for the onions--

3 T. unsalted butter

2 medium red onions, halved and thinly sliced

6 T. dry sherry

kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper

for the spinach--

8 cups tightly packed spinach (around 9.5 oz)

a splash of water

salt

ground white pepper

1 1/2 T. unsalted butter

2 packages (4 sheets) puff pastry, thawed in the fridge

4 filet mignons, 6 oz. each

kosher salt and coarse ground pepper

olive oil to brush the filets

4 oz. log of goat cheese

for the egg wash--

1 egg, whisked together with 1/2 tsp. water

Directions:

1. In a shallow dish (big enough to hold both mushrooms lying flat), combine the olive oil, garlic, thyme, and rosemary. Add the mushrooms to the dish and turn to coat all over in the mixture. Cover and place in the fridge for 2 hours.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the onions. Heat a heavy sauté pan (or skillet) over medium heat and add the butter. Once it has melted, add the onions to the pan and lower the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until well-browned and soft, around 20-30 min. Season with salt and pepper, then add the sherry to the pan. Cook until the sherry has evaporated, then remove from heat and set aside.

3. Prepare the spinach by washing it well and removing any stems. Make an ice water bath, set out a colander over something to catch drainage, and line an area (or a plate) with paper towels. 

4. In a skillet over medium high heat, add half of the butter, a tiny bit of water, a pinch of salt and a pinch of white pepper. Add half of the spinach, cook until just wilted, then transfer immediately to the ice bath to shock it and stop the cooking. Scoop it from the ice water and transfer to the colander. Squeeze out as much excess water from the spinach as you can, then place on the paper towel area to continue draining. Repeat process for the second half of the spinach. Place in fridge in a covered container until ready to assemble the wellingtons.

5. When the mushrooms have finished marinating, heat a heavy skillet (we used cast iron) over medium high heat. Add a thin layer of oil, season the mushrooms with salt and pepper, then sear them on both sides (around 5 min per side). Transfer them to a paper towel lined plate and turn once so they can drain on both sides. Once cooled, slice in half, then cut into short strips/slices around 1/2" thick.

6. Prepare the puff pastry. Gently roll the pastry sheets until they are 10" x 10". Lightly trace a rectangle in the center that is 4" x 3", then cut out the corners to leave a plus sign shape (a flap coming out from each side of the middle rectangle). 

7. Prepare the filets. Season them with salt and pepper, then brush tops and bottoms with olive oil. Heat a heavy skillet (we used cast iron) over high heat, then add filets to pan. Sear for 2 minutes on each side, then transfer to a plate to rest.

8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the spinach up into 8 portions, divide the onions and up into 4 portions, and slice the cheese into 4 equal portions.

9. Assemble the wellingtons by placing a spinach portion, then a slice of the cheese, a portion of the onions, a filet, a layer of sliced portabellas (just enough to cover the filet), and top with another portion of spinach.

10. Brush the flaps with the egg wash, making sure to go all the way to the edges. Bring two opposite flaps together to cover the top of the assembly (carefully stretch the dough if needed) and overlap them to stick together. Then bring the other two flaps up over that to close the wellington. Pinch the edges and make sure there are no holes anywhere.

11. Place each closed wellington seam side down on the prepared baking sheet, then brush all over each with the egg wash; reserve remaining egg wash. Transfer to the freezer to freeze for 1 hour.

12. About 15 min. before the hour is up, heat oven to 400°F. Brush wellingtons with new coating of egg wash and transfer to oven. Bake for 20 min., then lower heat to 350°F and bake for additional 20 min, or until internal temp is 110°F (ours were showing 125°F and still turned out perfectly cooked). Let the wellingtons rest 10 min. before serving. Enjoy!