Beef Wellington and Cheese Pastellitos

I'm on a roll! The success of Monday's cook-a-thon got me very excited for Tuesday night's attempts. Especially because I was flying solo on these: I had no real recipes. First up, Beef Wellington. I look at countless recipes, each one completely different than the other. so, I decided to just wing it. Traditionally, you use a fillet for these, but I didn't want to spend the money. So, I used really nice cuts of sirloin, and it turned out wonderful. I served them with sauteed spinach. Divine!

Recipes are below. I didn't get a pic of the pastellitos, because I gave them to my coworkers before I took the picture. I assure you, they were beautiful :)



Flaky goodness!



  

Beef Wellington

2 steaks (fillet or sirloin, up to your wallet), seasoned with salt and pepper

1/2 package of puff pastry, thawed

carton of mushrooms, I used baby portabellas, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 c. dry white wine

1 tsp butter

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add oil and butter into a pot over medium heat. Once hot, add onions and garlic. Allow to cook for a  few minutes then add mushrooms. Once veggies are tender, add salt, pepper, and wine. Cook for 10 minutes, then set aside.

In a preheated pan, cook steaks. Joe likes his medium, so those were cooked for a minute on each side. I like mine more well, so they got 3 minutes per side. Set the steaks aside to rest.

Roll out puff pastry and cut into 4 squares. Place a heaping teaspoon of the mushroom mixture in the middle of a square. Place steak on top of the mixture, then add an additional teaspoon of the mushrooms. Take a second square and place it on top. Seal edges with your fingers. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with second steak. Brush each parcel with the egg wash. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is brown and an internal thermometer registers to your desired doneness.

Sauteed Spinach

1 bag of baby spinach

1 large white onion chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp all spice

salt and pepper to taste

Sautee onion in the olive oil until they start to caramelize. Add spinach and spices. Cook until done, 15 minutes over medium heat. Easy!

Cheese Pastellitos

Again, this may be waaaay off base from any sort of authentic recipe. If so, my apologies. But I've eaten a ton of these over the years, and I think there were spot on.

2 packages of cream cheese

1/3 c sugar

3 tsp milk

1 tsp lemon juice

3 sheets of puff pastry

1 egg mixed with 1 tsp water

simple syrup ( 1/2 c water and 1/2 c sugar boiled)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature. Add cheese, milk, and lemon juice to the bowl of your mixer and beat for 3 minutes. While the mixer is still on, slowly add the sugar.

Roll out dough on a floured surface. Cut the dough in the shape of a cross. Then cut each square in half to make triangles. Place a heaping tsp of the cheese onto a triangle. Take a second triangle and cover it, sealing the pastry with your hands. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat until all of your dough is gone. Brush each parcel with the egg wash and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and starting to brown. Remove pastries from the oven and brush with simple syrup. Sprinkle on additional syrup if you'd like (I did). Bake for 5 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes.

Poached Snapper and Sauteed Vegetables with Balsamic Reduction

I've been on a poaching kick lately. It's a super healthy and quick way to cook lean proteins. Last night, I decided to poach snapper. It cooked very quickly and easily. It was an easy fish to start with, because it becomes light and flaky when it is done cooking. I served it with sauteed vegetables in a balsamic reduction and a cucumber salad. The salad was made of sliced cucumbers, lemon juice, oregano, and olive oil. The tartness of the lemon juice helped cut the sweetness of the balsamic reduction. It was a very balanced plate of food. Sorry the pics are not so great- we were hungry and couldn't wait to start eating!



Poached Snapper

water

1 Tbsp whole peppercorns

1/2 c. white wine

1 Tbsp dried oregano

3 garlic cloves, whole

1 bay leaf

2 Snapper fillets

Fill a pan with about an 1 1/2" of water. Add wine, oregano, bay leaf and garlic. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to a small simmer. Place fish into pan and cover. Poach fish until it is cooked all the way through, about 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of your fillets. Remove from poaching liquid and dress with fresh lemon or a drizzle of olive oil.

You could also use chicken in the place of fish for this recipe. I often poach chicken this way, let it cool, then use it on salads for lunch. Quite yummy! The poaching liquid is mild so you can add bolder flavors if you'd like.

Sauteed Vegetables in a Balsamic Reduction

1 head of broccoli

1.5 lbs of green beans, trimmed

2 cloves garlic

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 c.balsamic vinegar

water

Fill a pot with 1-2" of water and bring to a boil. Add veggies and steam until mostly cooked. In a small saucepan, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Try to use the best balsamic vinegar you have. Reducing the vinegar concentrates the flavor, so be sure it is something you really like! I use a balsamic that has been aged 30 years (birthday present from my friend Lauren-yes we buy each other food items for presents!). You can find good vinegars at most specialty markets. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a saute pan. Add onions and cook until they brown. Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add steamed veggies. Toss to coat the veggies and the onion mixture. Add balsamic glaze. Yummy!!



Catching Up

Here's what I've been working on lately:

Fruit tarts for a friend

Madeleines as a gift

Antipasta Platter for a birthday party

And a special dinner for my hubby: Lobster Ravioli in a Corn Cream Sauce, served with Cheese Toasts and a light salad.

Have a great weekend!!

Vegetable Tians

I love tians. They are yummy, easy to prepare, and look beautiful. I also like to make them with very savory dishes, as it provides a light compliment to an otherwise heavy meal. You can switch the vegetables to include your favorites, but make sure to slice every vegetable so that the slices are all the same size. This helps with cooking time and presentation.


Vegetable Tian

2-3 Medium zucchinis, sliced
4 Medium potatoes, sliced (I prefer yukon gold)
8 plum tomatoes, sliced
6 sprigs of thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Medium onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
1 Tbsp. Olive oil, plus 1 tsp. reserved
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Saute garlic and onion in 1 Tbsp. olive oil until the onions are translucent. Transfer mixture to the bottom of your baking dish. Spread the mixture so that it evenly coats the dish.

Arrange vegetables in the baking dish, alternating with each slice. Try to stand the vegetables up on a slant, so that they will stay in position while baking. Sprinkle the sprigs of thyme on top of the vegetables and drizzle the remaining 1 tsp. of olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are done. Remove the aluminum foil and the sprigs of thyme. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and return to the oven. Allow the tian to cook for another 20 minutes. Serve.