Monthly Archives: December 2010

When fellow writer Holly Beretto asked me how to make Beef Wellington to wow her crowd at Christmas, I decided to defer to a master. We went to visit Chef David Denis at Le Mistral, who patiently walked us through this recipe in his just-published cookbook, “Energy Cuisine.”

1 (6-pound) center-cut beef tenderloin

1 pound prepared puff pastry

1 cup dried morels or other mushrooms

1 egg yolk, beaten

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 pinch black pepper

Sauce:

1 cup dried morel mushrooms

¼ cup cognac

1 cup veal stock

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon chopped shallots

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 pinch white pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F. Rehydrate the morels or other dried mushrooms in a bowl of water for about 10 minutes, then drain them. Salt and pepper the tenderloin. Pan sear the tenderloin, then let cool. Chop the morels or other mushrooms. Melt the butter in a sauté pan and sauté the morels over low heat until all the water cooks out. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.

Lay down the puff pastry, about ½” thick. Put the mushroom “duxelle” on top of the puff pastry, place the tenderloin on top of the duxelle and roll the pastry around it. Brush the pastry with the egg yolk. Place the Wellington into the preheated oven and bake until the inside meat temperature reach 125 F. Take the Wellington out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Saute the morels and shallots in butter till they turn golden. Carefully flambe with Cognac and cook until dry. Add veal stock, reducing by ½. Add cream, then reduce by 2/3. Season with salt and pepper. Serves slices of tenderloin with morel sauce spooned over the top. Serves 4.

2 large Cornish game hens, thawed if frozen

1 large onion, with skins, roughly chopped

2 ribs celery, with leaves, roughly chopped

2 carrots, roughly chopped

Water

1/2 cup dry white wine

3 bay leaves

2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup long-grain white rice

1 cup wild rice

2 tablespoons butter

Chopped green onions for garnish

Place hens, onion, celery and carrots in a soup or stock pot with enough water to cover. Add the white wine, bay leaves and seasoning. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and let simmer until the hens start to turn a little brown, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. When the hens are light brown, transfer them to a large roasting pan. Lightly coat with the olive oil and sprinkle with the Creole seasoning. Place in the oven and roast until golden brown, 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, strain the stock left from the hens. Measure 3 ½ cups of the liquid (adding water or chicken broth if needed) into a pot with a lid and stir in the white rice and wild rice. Add the butter. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer until both rices are cooked through, the wild a bit chewer than the white, about 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Season to taste with Creole seasoning, or salt and pepper. When the hens are golden brown, remove them and cover the bottom of the pan with the rice. Set the hens on top of the rice and garnish with the green onions. Return pan to oven briefly to reheat rice, if necessary. Cut the hens in half lengthwise and serve with rice mixture. Serves 4.