Mini Venison Wellington Food

VENISON WELLINGTON

Steps:

• For detailed step-by-step images to help with creating your wellington, visit our guide page. Firstly, dry the venison with kitchen paper, then season well. Heat the oil in a frying pan and sear the meat all over for about 8 mins. Brush with mustard, leave to cool, then chill for 20 mins. Reserve any juices for the gravy.
• Melt the butter and soften the shallot and garlic. Add the mushrooms, herbs and seasoning, and cook for 10 mins until you have a paste-like mixture. Add the brandy and cook until it's evaporated. Leave to cool.
• Overlap 2-3 sheets of cling film on a clean surface and lay the prosciutto in 2 rows, slightly overlapping each slice. Spread the cooled mushroom paste all over the prosciutto, creating a thin, even layer.
• Place the fillet in the centre of the mushroom mixture. Using the edge of the cling film, carefully draw the layer of prosciutto and mushroom around the meat.
• Roll into a sausage shape, twisting the ends of the cling film as you do, to form a tight log. Chill for 30 mins to firm up.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry to a rectangle a little larger than a magazine, and trim the edges to neaten.
• Carefully unwrap the prosciutto parcel and lay in the middle of the pastry.
• Fold over the bottom half of the pastry. Lightly brush the rest of the sheet with beaten egg.
• Roll the whole thing around the meat to encase. Neatly fold under the shorter edges to create a parcel.
• Transfer to a baking sheet and, using your hands, smooth the pastry around the meat, pressing it firmly to avoid any air being trapped. Brush the pastry all over with beaten egg yolk.
• Chill for at least 30 mins or up to 24 hrs. Then, using the back of a knife, mark the pastry, being careful not to cut all the way through. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
• Lightly oil a non-stick baking tray and heat until hot. Put the wellington on the tray and bake for 30 mins (35 mins for well done). Remove from oven, brush with extra egg and rest for 20 mins.
• To make venison gravy, melt a large knob of butter in a medium pan, add 1 finely chopped shallot, 1 crushed garlic clove and 1 thyme sprig, and cook until soft. Add 1 tbsp flour, brown for about 1 min, then pour in 250ml Port and reduce by two-thirds. Add 400ml beef stock and any reserved juices from the venison, then reduce again by two-thirds until syrupy. Season, add 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly, if you like, and strain before serving.

VENISON WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a hot pan over medium-high heat. Brown venison in the hot butter, about 2 minutes per side. Set meat aside.
• Melt remaining butter in the pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Saute until mushrooms are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
• Spread thyme, salt, and pepper onto a large cutting board and roll backstrap halves on top to form a coating of herbs. Wrap each piece of backstrap in enough bacon to cover it.
• Unfold 1 puff pastry and place first piece of backstrap into the center. Bring the sides of the pastry together and pinch to seal. Repeat with other backstrap and remaining pastry. Place each into an ungreased baking dish.
• Mix egg yolk and water together in a small bowl. Coat the tops of the dough.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Continue to bake until dough is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more.

MINI BEEF WELLINGTONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Sprinkle the steak chunks with salt and pepper. When the butter has melted and the oil is hot, add the steak chunks and sear them for about 45 seconds per side. (The steaks will only be partially cooked at this stage.) Remove and set aside to partially cool.
• Add the onion and thyme to the same skillet and stir. Allow to continue cooking while you place the mushrooms in a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and stir to combine. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are golden and the liquid has evaporated from the skillet, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, then add the Dijon mustard and stir to combine.
• While the mushrooms are cooking, lay out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the pastry to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Cut into 12 equal squares by cutting 4 long strips, then cutting each strip crosswise 3 times.
• Place a small amount of the mushroom mixture (known as duxelles) into the center of each square. Top each square with a piece of the steak. Fold the puff pastry up and over the steak, totally encasing the steak and mushroom mixture inside. Place on the prepared baking sheet with the smooth side facing upwards. Repeat with the remaining pastry, duxelles and steak.
• Brush each bundle with the egg yolk and sprinkle with the sea salt. Bake until golden, 16 to 18 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve with the horseradish sauce. Enjoy.

MINI BEEF WELLINGTONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, roll out the puff pastry to a 7-1/2 by 15-inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the pastry into 1-1/2 -inch squares.
• Spoon a scant 1/4 teaspoon of the Boursin in the center of each pastry square. Season the beef with salt and pepper and set a cube on each pastry square. Fold the pastry over the beef, neatly tucking in the corners. Arrange the pastries seam side down on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The recipe can be prepared to this point and frozen for up to 1 week.
• Lightly brush each pastry with the beaten egg. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a platter and serve.

MINI BEEF WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Heat a stainless steel pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and heat until just starting to smoke.
• Rub the meat generously with salt and pepper.
• Once the pan is very hot, sear the two filets very briefly on each side. You don't want to cook the interior of the meat at this point, so it shouldn't be more than a minute or two per side. Remove the filets from the pan and place on a plate in the freezer while you make the filling.
• Let the pan cool slightly and turn the heat down to medium. Add the mushrooms, onion and garlic to the pan, and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms release all their water and the onion is translucent.
• Add the sherry and thyme. Cook until the sherry evaporates. Taste for salt and pepper, and season as necessary.
• Remove from the heat and refrigerate until cold, then stir in the chopped parsley.
• Roll out one puff pastry piece and cut in half, so you have two rectangular strips of dough.
• Remove the steaks from the freezer and brush with the Dijon mustard on both sides.
• Put a quarter of the mushroom mixture in the middle of one piece of the puff pastry. Top with one steak, then add a quarter more of the mushrooms. Repeat with the other steak, puff pastry piece and mushrooms.
• Fold the long sides of the pastry over the steak, tucking in and tightly sealing all the edges so the juice doesn't escape. Wrapping it all in plastic wrap can help!
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a sheet pan. While the oven preheats, put the wrapped beef in the freezer.
• Once the oven is hot, remove the beef from the freezer and put on the lined sheet pan. Coat with the egg wash.
• Bake for 25 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the middle of the steak reads 135 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (medium-rare) and the pastry is a deep golden brown.
• Cut in half so you can see the intersection of steak, pastry and mushrooms, and serve.
• Expert Tips.
• Make the puff pastry easier to work with by keeping it cold. That's why this recipe calls for chilling the meat and filling in between steps!
• The pan needs to be very hot in step 3 because it's the key to searing the meat and subsequently adding flavor. If the pan isn't hot, the meat either won't brown, or it will take too long to brown and the middle will start to cook.
• You can make this recipe ahead of time by following it up to step 9, then freezing until ready to bake. When you're ready to cook, just put it in the oven directly from the freezer without thawing, and cook until the interior temperature of the meat is 135 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (for medium rare), which may take longer than the 25 minutes.