Photography by Bennett Pruitt
Beef wellington is a traditional English creation made with beef tenderloin, then embellished with pate and mushroom duxelles baked in a puff pastry. Every delicious bite has a moist beef center, encrusted by a crisp pastry. I'm changing the look of the standard beef wellington, though: Instead, of the enormous-sized entrée that's typically reserved for special occasions, I am turning the dish into individual appetizers that can be served any time. These simple meat pies are fancy enough for grown-ups, but also kid-friendly—my teenage son referred to them as” hot pockets” to his friends.
• 1 pound strip steak, trim off fat and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup duck, goose, or chicken liver pate, room temperature
• 16 4-by-4-inch puff pastry squares
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
• 1/2 cup mushroom duxelles*
Sprinkle salt and pepper over beef. Heat a large skillet over high heat, and add oil until hot. Add beef in a single layer and brown all sides; do not overcook. Remove from heat immediately. Add mushrooms and pate to the meat mixture. Set aside to cool. Lay several pieces of puff pastry on a flat surface. Using a pastry brush, spread the edges with egg wash. Put about one and a half tablespoon of the beef mixture on one side of the pastry. Pull the other side of the pastry over, to close it. Press the tines of a fork around the edges to create a pattern. Brush the pastry with more egg wash. Repeat until all of the beef is used. At this point, you can freeze the beef wellington. Bake in a preheated, 400-degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden. If frozen, bake for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
* To make mushroom duxelles, heat 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter and 1 teaspoon of olive oil until hot in a medium skillet. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped shallot, and cook until soft. Stir in 1 cup of chopped button mushrooms, and cook until lightly brown. Pour in 1 tablespoon of madeira, and cook until completely evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.
