Ready to have some guests over and get all “fancy-pants” on them?

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to make your own Beef Wellington. Using the ever-popular, to-die-for Filet Mignon, no one will ever invite you over for dinner again . . . they’ll all be coming to YOUR house from now on!

Individual Beef Wellington

(Serves Four)

4 oz. Filet Mignon

2 Tbsp. English Mustard

8 oz. Mushrooms (any sort)

1 Shallot, minced

¼ tsp. Chopped Thyme

8 slices Proscuitto or other thinly sliced ham

4 six inch square pieces of puff pastry

1 Egg

3 Tbsp. Water

Salt and Pepper

Season the filet with salt and pepper and sear in a heavy bottomed pan over high heat until nicely browned on all sides, about three minutes total.  Combine the thyme, shallot and mushrooms in a blender and process until finely minced.  Cook the mushrooms in a dry pan until all of the moisture has been released.  Lay two pieces of proscuitto overlapping on a piece of plastic wrap.  Spread one quarter of the mushroom mixture over the ham. 

Brush one of the cooked filets with the mustard and place in the center of the ham.  Fold the ham and mushrooms over the filet ensure it is completely covered and wrap tightly with the plastic wrap refrigerate for twenty minutes.  Repeat this step with all three filets.  Gently beat the egg with the water and set aside.  Lay the pastry out flat and remove the filet from the plastic wrap and place in the center of the pastry.  Brush the edges of the pasty with the egg wash and seal completely.  Stretch the puff pastry a little if you need to, to completely cover the filet.  Refrigerate another twenty minutes.  Brush the outside of the pastry with egg wash and bake in a 350 degree oven until the pastry is nicely puffed and browned.

A filet mignon is typically what people consider the most tender cut of steak. And I agree.

Here’s a wonderful recipe to dress up that silky smooth filet with amazingly decadent blue cheese flan.

Magnifico! 

Grilled Filet Mignon with Blue Cheese Flan

(Serves four)

4 6oz. Filet Mignon

1 Cup Heavy Cream

4 oz. Blue Cheese

1 Egg + 2 yolks

Salt and Pepper

Bring the cream to a boil and pour into a blender on top of the blue cheese.  With the blender running, add the egg and yolks and mix until smooth.  Season to taste.  Pour the mixture evenly into four 4 oz. oven safe ramekins that have been oil or sprayed with pan spray on the inside and bake in a water bath at 350 degrees for twenty minutes or until set.  Remove from oven and water bath, the flan can either be served warm or cold, they can also be cooked ahead of time and reheated.  To plate, run a paring knife between the flan and the ramekin and turn out onto a plate.  If it sticks, tap the edge of the ramekin on the plate gently until it releases.

Season the Filet on both sides with salt and pepper and grill to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium.

Looking for something to work into your diet? Here’s a steak recipe idea packed with protein from our British friend Kerry over at GroupRecipes.com.

Take note that the measurements are geared toward her homeland (and some of her spelling, too —  i.e. “flavour”).

Enjoy, love!

Healthy Steak and Kidney Pie Recipe

452 calories per serving. This recipe is light, aromatic and utterly wonderful. I promise that it won’t clobber you over the head with the flavour of the kidneys, so you will want to eat it all year round. This is what you might call a ‘blonde’ take on a masculine old classic. …

Ingredients

90g ready-rolled puff pastry (preferably a brand made with butter)

A little milk, to brush over the pastry

4 free-range lamb’s kidneys, trimmed by the butcher

1 tablespoon buckwheat flour (you could use plain)

1kg good-quality lean free-range braising steak, cut into chunks

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

800g shallots, peeled and quartered

1 star anise

1 stick of cinnamon

1 bay leaf

150ml vermouth

700ml good-quality beef stock

Directions

Preheat a conventional oven to 200ºC or a fan-assisted one to 180ºC.

Roll out the sheet of puff pastry and divide into six triangles of roughly the same size (or cut out fun shapes of whatever you fancy – for the show, we used a cow-shaped pastry cutter and some stars!).

Brush the tops with a little milk and set onto a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until puffed up and golden. Set aside for later.

If you haven’t already got the butcher to do this for you, slice the kidneys widthways with a sharp knife.

With the help of a small pair of scissors, carefully snip around the lighter centre core and discard. Then chop the livers into cubes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the buckwheat flour, the steak, the kidneys and white pepper until evenly coated.

In a really large saucepan, fry half the meat in half the olive oil until it is well-browned, then set aside. Repeat the process for the other half until all the meat is well-coloured.

Replace the meat into the pan, along with the shallots, star anise, cinnamon, the vermouth and stock.

Bring to the boil, then turn the heat right down and place a lid over the top. Simmer super-duper gently for two hours before removing the lid and tasting.

The meat may not need the last half an hour or it may want slightly more (it all depends on the steak that you are using, the size of the chunks and the pan). What you are looking for is meat that has surrendered most of its tension without shredding into a mess.

Season well and top with a crisp of golden puff pastry on the top of each serving.

Photo and excerpt courtesy of GroupRecipes.com.