Since you’re cooking the most important meal of the year, why not make it the best dish of the year?! Consider a roasted Beef Tenderloin topped with sautéed mushroom duxelles and pate (optional), wrapped in a thin layer of ham and baked in puff pastry. Pair this masterpiece with rich mashed potatoes with sautéed lobster and studded with pats of melting pats of sweet butter.
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| Beef Wellington Roast is not as hard as you may think! |
What Else To Serve?
With a feast like this I suggest serving a salad first and plating your feast with a colorful medley of simply steamed vegetables such as asparagus with strips of red and yellow bell peppers, or bite-sized chunks of 4-6 colorful vegetables like carrots, zucchini, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, red bell peppers, snap peas, green beans, etc. With all the richness on the plate, I would just serve them with a salt and pepper shaker on the side.
If you are a sauce lover, one of our beautiful prepared Chef Sauces, like Bordelaise or Wild Mushroom would be lovely, or pick up a package of More Than Gourmet Wine Reduction Sauce which you can even adapt with mushrooms, shallots, cognac, etc.
When it comes to wine, my usual suggestion is to drink what you like! Personally I’d probably pour both a Pinot Noir and a dry Riesling, Gewürztraminer or even a Chardonnay or Sparkling wine. Keep in mind there are no hard fast rules here, but with something this nice I like to serve both a red and white wine. Buon Appetito! Salute! Chef Mick Rosacci TonysMarket.com
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| Chilled and ready to wrap, the mushrooms will be on top |
Tony’s Steak and Roast, Euro-Crust or Z Blend seasoning
canola oil as needed
1 batch Mushroom Duxelles
1 pkg. DuFour puff pastry
1 well-beaten egg
Earlier in the day or the day before, season roast with Tony’s Steak and Roast, Euro-Crust or Z Blend seasoning (or salt, pepper and herbs) and sear in a large heavy pan with oil as needed. Transfer pan to a 375-degree oven, roasting to about 110-115 degrees internal, remove from oven and chill as quickly as possible (like on a cold windowsill, keep an eye out for raccoons or squirrels!
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| Roasted to brown and heat to 120-130° internal |
Prepare duxelles according to directions below and chill.
Roll pastry gently on a floured board and top with one batch duxelles, spreading to the same size as the roast. If using pate, slice and place a thin layer down the center of the mushrooms. Top with tenderloin.
Moisten edges of pastry with water and carefully wrap roast well, tucking ends in first and stretching dough into place to seal. Hold contents in place while wrapping. Place on the folds, on a parchment lined sheet pan. Decorate with shapes of dough if desired, sticking on with water. Roast immediately, or rest at cool room temperature, covered with a towel, for up to 1 hour before roasting.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees (convection 400) and adjust racks to top 1/3 of oven. Brush pastry with beaten eggs.
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Roast in the top half of your oven, rotating at least once, until crust is browned and internal temperature is 115-130 degrees for rare to medium. If roast begins to brown too quickly, tent with foil. Rest uncovered for 15 minutes before carefully slicing and serving.
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Mushroom Duxelles
8 oz. finely chopped mushrooms
1 shallot, finely chopped
Butter as needed
Parsley, chopped to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Sauté the mushrooms and shallot in butter until the mushrooms have released their moisture and begin to brown. Season with the parsley, salt and pepper. Chill.
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2 pounds potatoes
10-16 oz lobster tail meat (about 2 tails)
1 tsp kosher salt
2-3 sticks salted butter, separated
1/2 cup heavy cream, or more to taste
1/2 cup milk
pinch of sugar
fine sea salt and white pepper to taste
fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with kosher salt and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until tender. Test for doneness by piercing into the center with a fork, if the potato falls easily from the fork, they are done. Drain hot water into mixing bowl (to preheat), drain potatoes well. Hold potatoes with a dry towel and use a spoon to peel, dropping peeled potatoes into the warmed bowl of a stand mixer. Break up with a fork.
While the potatoes cook, combine the cream and milk in a saucepan with a pinch of sugar (optional, to inhibit scorching) and simmer to reduce slightly – keep warm. Cut lobster into bite-sized pieces. Cut butter into pats. Mince the parsley.
Slowly blend potatoes in mixer, adding about half of the butter pats (or more to taste) and the warmed cream a little at a time – stop and stir often – taste and adjust with salt and pepper (keep in mind that more butter will be added later).
Heat 1-2 pats of butter until it foams in a saute pan, add the lobster pieces and saute just until done – about 2-3 minutes. Fold lobster into hot potatoes along with the parsley. Dollop decoratively into the center of warmed plates, studding each with one or more pats of butter.
Chef’s Note: hold the butter until the last possible moment before serving so your guests can see it melting, and taste it at it’s sweetest.
Someday I will get the courage to make one of these beautiful grand meat dishes but for now I will be trying that wonderful mashed potato dish. I really like your technique of boiling them whole, skins on, and then the scoup. Love your blog because I always learn so much. Happy New Year Chef Mick
You are very kind Lea Ann – chef's discovered long ago that by boiling skin on potatoes absorb less water, so they can absorb more butter and cream! Honestly, a rarely remove the skins, YUM! Cheers and happy New Year!