Mini Beef Wellingtons

I have never actually had beef wellingtons before. I probably heard about beef wellingtons a few years back. Bryan and I used to watch Hell’s Kitchen, and Gordon Ramsay’s beef wellingtons sure looked amazing. Therefore, Bryan and I always wanted to try one. But we haven’t had a chance yet. Two weeks ago, I saw Claire Robinson making these mini beef wellingtons on her show. Since they looked very easy, I just couldn’t wait to try them out myself. Basically, the steps were very easy. But it may take some times on rolling and folding the pastry. The beef cubes maybe cooked almost well-done, but the wellingtons were delicious. The pastry was crispy, and the mushrooms mixture were savory and soft. These mini packets were packed with flavors. I really like them, and I will make them for this 4th of July weekend.

Mini Beef Wellingtons (Adapted from Clarie Robinson)

2 – 3 servings

Ingredients:

–   1 pound beef tenderloin (cut into 12 1-inch cubes)

–   1 sheet frozen puff pastry (thawed)

–   5 ounces cremini mushrooms (removed stems and finely chopped)

–   1 small shallot (finely chopped)

–   1 garlic glove (finely chopped)

–   1 egg

–   1 tablespoon olive oil

–   water

–   salt

–   ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. In a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Seared the beef cubes quickly on 2 sides only until golden brown, about 3 minutes total. Transfer to a plate to cool down.
3. In the same pan, add the mushrooms and cook until slightly brown and release liquid, about 5 minutes. Stir in the shallots and continue to cook until the mixture dries out, about 9 minutes. The mushrooms should be golden brown and shallots are soft. Add the garlic, and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool.
4. In a small bowl, beat the egg and add 1 tablespoon water. Combine and set aside.
5. On a work surface, unfold the puff pastry and roll it out to a 10 by 14-inch rectangle. With a sharp knife, cut the puff pastry into 12 pieces (4 rows of 3).
6. On each small puff pastry, put 1 teaspoon mushroom mixture. Top with a piece of beef cube. Pull 2 opposite sides of pastry up over each piece, then fold the ends over the top to make a packet. Seal the packet with egg wash. Place the packet seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining beef cubes, mushrooms, and pastry. Brush the top of each packets with egg wash.
7. Bake the packets in the oven until golden brown, about 20 – 22 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a serving plate to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Tips:

1. Tenderloin can be expensive. You can choose to use other cut, like sirloin for the recipe. The meat may not be as good as tenderloin, but at least, it is cheaper.

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