Beef Wellington for Two

Ingredients for the beef:

• ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crumbled
• 2 tournedos of beef, 6 ounces (175 gram) each [we use filet mignon]
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ¼ cup (60 ml) Potted Mushrooms
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, 10x8 inches (25x20 cm), 1/8 inch thick (3 mm)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon milk

Ingredients for the Potted Mushrooms:

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) minced shallots
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) minced leeks, white parts only
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces (225 gram) mushrooms, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 10 ounces (275 gram) fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely snipped fresh chives
• ½ teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• if you can't get, or don't like to use shiitakes mushrooms, you can use regular mushrooms (we use white buttons)

Instructions for the beef:

• preheat oven to 425 °F (220 °C)
• toss the pepper, salt, thyme in a small bowl
• rub the tournedos on all sides with the mustard, the sprinkle them with the spice mix
• melt the butter in a small skillet
• sear the tournedos on all sides (5 minutes)
• cool to room temperature
• arrange the tournedos on a small baking sheet
• cover them with the potted mushrooms
• Beef Wellington recipe
• cut out two 4 to 5 inch (10-13 cm) diameter circles of pastry dough
• drape each over one of the tournedos, and pinch the edges in four or five places to enclose the tournedos
• blend the egg and milk, brush this glaze over the pastry
• if desired, decorate the tops with cutouts made from pastry trimming
• bake 5 minutes for medium-rare
• serve immediately!
• serves two

Instructions for the Potted Mushrooms:

• melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a 10-inch (25 cm) diameter skillet
• stir in the shallots, leeks, and garlic
• cook over low heat until translucent (5 minutes)
• add the 8 ounces of mushrooms and thyme; cook, stirring occasionally until the mushroom liquid has evaporated and the mixture is just moist (10 minutes)
• transfer the mixture to a bowl
• put the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter to the skillet, and stir in the shiitake mushrooms
• cook, stirring, until they ae just beginning to stick to the pan (5 minutes)
• pour off any juices that have accumulated in the bowl, and add the shiitakes
• stir well, and season with the chives, salt, and pepper
• important: make sure to get rid of all the juices, or the puff pasty on the beef won't cook right. We usually put the mushroom mixture in a cloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• makes two cups

[The New Basics Cookbook, J. Rosso & S. Lukins]