I watch a lot of cooking shows. I watch a lot of shows involving cooking. One chef we really like is Gordon Ramsay. There was a series on BBC America back in 2005 called The F Word; F standing for food of course! One thing Chef Ramsay always serves is Beef Wellington. Not only have I wanted to eat it, I have also wanted to make it. The latest issue of Taste of Home magazine, that my mom gave me, had a recipe for a Classic Beef Wellington. I mentioned to my husband that we should do a test run and if all goes well, we should serve this for Christmas Eve dinner. As I’ve said before, my husband is not in the kitchen very often but he is a great cook. The Wellington was just as I expected…phenomenal. The crust on the puff pastry was flaky, the filet simply melted in your mouth and the mushroom duxelles added so much flavor. Even our kids gave the test run a two thumbs up! I can’t wait for Christmas Eve dinner.

Classic Beef Wellington
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4 beef tenderloin steaks (6 ounces each)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1-3/4 cups fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package (17.3 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten

Sprinkle steaks with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In a large skillet, brown steaks in 1 tablespoon oil for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and refrigerate until chilled.

In the same skillet, saute mushrooms and onion in remaining oil until tender. Stir in remaining salt and pepper; cool to room temperature.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each puff pastry sheet into a 14-in. x 9-1/2-in. rectangle. Cut into two 7-in. squares (use scraps to make decorative cutouts if desired). Place a steak in the center of each square; top with mushroom mixture. Lightly brush pastry edges with water. Bring opposite corners of pastry over steak; pinch seams to seal tightly.

Place on a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Cut four small slits in top of pastry. Arrange cutouts over top if desired. Brush with egg.

Bake at 425° for 25-30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145°; medium, 160°; well-done, 170°).

Yield: 4 servings

Adapted from: Taste of Home