By: Mike Reeber
When the weather finally decides to get cold here in the Lone Star state, the South Texas rut is usually kicking in and Santa isn’t too far off from landing up on the roof. No doubt that it’s a special time of year and to me, it’s one of the best times to break out a few classic recipes to share with family and friends.
When prepared in its traditional form, beef Wellington uses a beef tenderloin, pâté and puff pastry to form one of the most iconic and flavorful dishes of all time. Aesthetically, it’s simply stunning and flavor-wise, it’s rich, yet balanced. My take on this traditional recipe replaces the pâté with a puree of sautéed mushrooms, pecans and spices that add a rich layer of flavor. When paired together with a fresh piece of venison, it’s truly wonderful.
Ingredients:
The Filling
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
12 oz of white mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary
3 tablespoon of butter
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
3 “glugs” of good extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch of cinnamon
1 pinch of ground clove
1 teaspoon of orange zest
Salt and pepper to taste
The Meat
Trimmed venison backstrap, 10-12 inches in length
All the Rest
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed, but cold
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
To make the filling, add the garlic, shallot and a splash of olive oil to a hot pan and sauté for a couple of minutes until the shallots begin to soften. Once the shallots and garlic have cooked slightly, add the mushrooms and pecans. At this point, it’s really important to have a hot pan. The goal is to cook out all of the moisture from within the mushrooms, otherwise they will steam… and that’s somewhat gross. Once the mushrooms have cooked down for roughly 5-8 minutes, add the butter, rosemary, cinnamon, ground clove, salt and pepper to the pan. Let these ingredients cook together for another couple of minutes and remove from the pan to cool. Once this mixture has cooled for a few minutes, place into a food processor and add the orange zest. Be careful if these ingredients are still somewhat hot! While slowly drizzling in the olive oil, blend until it has the consistency of a thick paste. It might take slightly less or slightly more oil depending on what you’re using, so when you’re happy with the consistency, you’re all set.
At this point, it’s time to sear the meat. Elk, Axis, Whitetail or whatever else you have ready to roll will be perfect for this recipe. It’s hard to go wrong with arguably the best piece of meat on an animal. Season the meat with salt and pepper and sear on all sides in a hot skillet until nicely browned on all sides. Let the meat rest on a side plate while you get ready for assembly.
Now… for the fun part. Take one sheet of puff pastry(yes, I use store bought because it makes life that much easier) and lay it out on a clean, lightly floured surface.
Taking a rolling pin, gently roll out the pastry until it’s large enough to accommodate the backstrap. Remember, you can always trim excess pastry prior to cooking! Once the pastry is rolled out, evenly spread the filling, stopping about 1 inch from all sides. Place the meat on the near side of the pastry and roll closed, sealing the sides as you roll. Once you have rolled the pastry over once, stop and trim and excess pastry. It’s best if the pastry seam is on the bottom of the Wellington. Removing any extra pastry will ensure that everything will cook evenly and there will not be any raw dough at the end.
Brush the outside with an egg wash, slice a couple of vents to let steam escape and place on a parchment covered baking sheet.
Smoke or bake at 400 degrees until your desired temperature is reached(135F for medium rare) and the crust is golden brown. Slice and enjoy with family and friends.
