Beef en Croute

This is the classic Beef Wellington revisited. My boys don't like mushrooms so I had to think of something different to put in it. I decided on caramelized onions and roasted peppers. Some people include ham in a Beef Wellington and I was going to include some julienne capicola in mine but I forgot all about it! No worries, it turned out great just the same!

Beef En Croute

6 beef tenderloin steaks, about 1-inch thick

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 packages puff pastry (Tenderflake 397gr)

Salt and pepper to taste

6 ounces Brie cheese

12 tablespoons caramelized onions

6 teaspoons grainy mustard

6 tablespoons roasted peppers

Egg wash (one egg and a bit of milk)

Thaw puff pastry according to package directions.
Season the filets generously with salt and pepper.
Pre-heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and heat until almost smoking. Add the steaks to the pan and cook to sear the bottom, about 2 – 3 minutes. Turn them over and sear the other side. Turn them on edge and sear the outside all around the steak. Keep in mind that you are only searing the steaks, not cooking them
 through. Remove the steaks and let them rest on a rack. Cool in the
 fridge until they are ready to be wrapped.
Roll out the puff dough into 2 rectangles. Cut these rectangles in 2
pieces large enough to wrap the beef. Use a small side plate to cut
the pieces in circles so you have less dough on the bottom.
Place 2 tablespoons caramelized onions in the centre of each round. Place 1 ounce of brie on top of that. Place the cooled steaks on top of the brie, then spread the steak with the mustard and add the roasted peppers.
Brush the edge of the dough with egg wash. Bring two sides up so they meat and attach over the centre of the steak. Bring the rest of the puff dough up to enclose the steak, making sure the edges are sealed. Turn the package over, brush with egg wash, place on a pan and cool in the fridge. (you can actually make these the night before to save time at dinner service)
Heat the oven to 400F. Place the packages in the oven on the middle
rack and bake until the puff dough is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Serve with your favourite vegetables and a nice red wine sauce.

Extra Notes:

·         Try to sear the steaks on high heat quickly. If you cook too much, they will overcook in the oven.

·         Don’t grill the steaks. The char taste of the grill does not taste good when it cooks in the puff dough.

·         Keep the dough thin, about 1/8 “ or slightly thicker.

·         Cool the packages thoroughly before baking. The puff dough needs to be cold so that it puffs properly.

·         Try different cheeses and vegetables inside the package. Goat cheese might be good. Roasted garlic?

·       You can use chicken if you like but you must cook it about medium well before you wrap it so that is cooked through in the end.

The Chicken Version