How To Make Filet En Croute
Filet en Croute, commonly known as Beef Wellington, is the ultimate carnivorous indulgence. By coating a filet steak in pate (often foie gras) and then further coating it in puff pastry and then baking it, this dish has just about everything you’d need for an extravagant meal wrapped up into one luxurious package. Some variations like to wrap the steak and foie gras in crepe to avoid the puff pastry getting soggy while others like to add more indulgence with earthy mushrooms or prosciutto. During the baking process, the puff pastry helps keep the meat tender for a truly unstoppable dish that will wow all your senses.
Follow along with us to create the most perfect Filet en Croute in this online cooking class. We’ll make this semi-complicated dish seem like a breeze.
Filet En Croute
Ingredients
1 Tsp olive oil
2 (6 oz.) beef tenderloin filets
1 Tbsp. butter
8 oz. fresh white mushrooms, minced
2 minced shallot
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. white wine
4 6” squares of puff pastry
1 cup red wine
1 egg
4 oz. veal demi-glace
Salt and pepper
Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over high heat. Sear the filets until well browned on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side/ Remove the filets from the skillet, and chill for at least ½ hour. Filets must be cold.
2. In the same skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, and cook the mushrooms, half the shallots and garlic until the shallots are tender and translucent and the mushroom have given off their juices, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the white wine, scraping the browned bits from the pan. Transfer the mushroom mix into a sheet pan, and chill for about 45 minutes.
3. Place 2 pieces of puff pastry on a work surface, and top each with a chilled filet. Spread half the mushroom mixture in a neat layer on top of each filet, and top each with a piece of puff pastry. Fold and pinch the edges of the pastry together and trim to make a tidy package. Cut a small slit into the top of each package. Whisk egg and brushed the pastry packages with the egg mixture.
4. Pour the red wine into a sauce pan over medium heat with shallots, and simmer until the wine is reduced by half, add the veal demi-glace, seasoned with salt and pepper.
5. Preheat an oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the puff pastry bundles on the baking sheet.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until the pastry is golden brown and crisp and the filets are the desired degree of doneness. (For medium rare about 15 minutes) or check with a thermometer. Served each filet with the wine sauce.
