Beef En Croûte With Coriander Walnut Filling Recipes

Steps:

• Season the beef with salt, and pepper. Melt a tablespoon of butter with a drizzle of the olive oil in a saute pan until hot, then sear the beef on all sides. Remove from the pan to a board, and let cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
• In the same pan as the beef, prepare the mushroom duxelles: Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and fry the shallots until translucent. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf, and cook until very tender. Pour over the Madeira, and bring to a boil, and cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Add the creme fraiche and cook down to a very thick paste. Season the mixture with salt, and pepper. Stir through the chopped parsley.
• Roll out one block of pastry to a rectangle large enough to fit the meat with a roomy border. Place on a baking sheet. Remove the fillet from the refrigerator, and unwrap. Spoon the mushroom mixture into the center of the pastry and set the meat on top. Roll out the second sheet to fit over the whole fillet generously. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and 1 teaspoon water. Brush the margins of the bottom pastry with egg wash, then drape the second sheet over, pressing to seal well. Trim the edge to a 1-inch border. Crimp the edges with your fingers. Refrigerate until ready to bake.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Brush the whole surface of the pastry with egg wash and make two slits in the top with a knife to allow steam to escape. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F, and continue to bake 20 minutes, depending on how well you like your meat done. Remove from the oven and let stand about 10 minutes before serving in slices.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a baking pan toast walnuts in one layer in middle of oven 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly colored, and cool completely. Mince garlic and discard stems from spinach.
• Have ready a large bowl of ice and cold water. In a 3-quart kettle half filled with boiling salted water blanch spinach 20 seconds and with a slotted skimmer transfer to ice water to stop cooking. Return water to a boil and blanch fresh coriander and parsley 5 seconds. Drain herbs in a colander and transfer to ice water to stop cooking. Drain spinach and herbs in colander and squeeze in small handfuls until as dry as possible.
• In a food processor pulse walnuts just until finely ground. Add garlic, spinach mixture, and remaining ingredients and pulse just until smooth. (Filling may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.)

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over high heat until very hot. Sear the filets until well-browned on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the filets from the skillet, and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Filets must be cold.
• In the same skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, and cook and stir the mushrooms, shallot, and garlic until the shallots are tender and translucent and the mushrooms have given off their juice, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of red wine, scraping and dissolving any browned flavor bits from the pan. Transfer the mushroom mix into a bowl, and chill in refrigerator for about 45 minutes.
• 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 of each filet, and top each with a piece of puff pastry. Fold and pinch the edges of the pastry together, sealing in the contents, and trim to make a tidy package. Cut a small slit into the top of each package.
• Pour 1 1/2 cups of red wine into a saucepan over medium heat, and simmer until the wine is reduce by half, about 15 minutes. Season wine sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, whisk egg into milk in a bowl, and brush the pasty packages with the egg mixture for a browner crust, if desired. Return the bundles to the refrigerator to keep cold.
• Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the puff pastry bundles onto the prepared baking sheet, and 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; an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 130 degrees F (54 degrees C)). Serve each filet in the pastry shell with spoonfuls of wine sauce on top.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper; heat half the oil and butter in a pan and brown beef on all sides. Place in roasting pan, dot with remaining butter and roast for 10 minutes -- longer if you want it more well done.
• Remove and let stand until cooled. Remove string.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Place paté in a bowl and beat until smooth.
• Roll out puff pastry 1/2 inch thick, large enough to completely envelop the roast.
• Spread paté over top and sides of filet. Place filet, paté side down on pastry. Spread remaining paté on the top of the filet.
• Brush one side of the pastry with egg. Fold unbrushed over meat; fold together and press.
• Brush entire pastry with egg and bake for 40 minutes -- increasing by 5 minutes for more well done.

Steps:

• Trim any fat from the steaks, sprinkle with pepper, spread tops of each with 1 Tbl butter.
• In shallow roasting pan, bake in pre-heated oven, buttered side up, at 425º for 10 minutes.
• Place in fridge til cold.
• Roll out puff pastry a little and cut in half.
• Spread steaks with garlic, top with cheese.
• Place cheese side down onto center of pastry squares, fold pastry over, moisten edges and seal well.
• Place seam-side down onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Prick top with a fork, cover with plastic wrap, and re-chill for 1 hour.
• Beat egg with oil, and brush pastry with it.
• Bake in center of pre-heated 425º oven for 25 minutes for med-rare.
• Serve with horseradish sauce if desired.
• Serves 2.

Steps:

• Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes.
• To blend by hand:
• In a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender blend together flour, butter, and salt until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with remainder in small (roughly pea-size) lumps. Stir in sour cream with a fork just until incorporated. Drizzle 4 tablespoons ice water over mixture and gently stir just until incorporated. Test mixture by gently squeezing a small handful: When it has proper texture it should hold together without crumbling apart. If necessary, add enough remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until incorporated and testing, to give mixture proper texture. (If you overwork mixture or add too much water, pastry will be tough.)
• To blend in a food processor:
• In a food processor pulse together flour, butter, and salt until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with remainder in small (roughly pea-size) lumps. Add sour cream and pulse just until incorporated. Drizzle 4 tablespoons water over mixture and pulse just until incorporated. Test mixture by gently squeezing a small handful: When it has proper texture it should hold together without crumbling apart. If necessary, add enough remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until incorporated and testing, to give mixture proper texture. (If you overwork mixture or add too much water, pastry will be tough.)
• To form dough after blending by either method:
• Turn mixture out onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of hand smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together and form it, rotating it on work surface, into a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour, and up to 1 day.