Last night I learned how to make Beef Wellington and accompanying side dishes for a most delightful meal.
A private chef was holding cooking lessons and dinner, and we managed to snag two tickets.
4 couples were present for the instruction, which was held at the chef's house where she has an awesome kitchen. One of the couples included a retired F-15 pilot that probably knows juvat, (though he himself wasn't in the juvats). Fun conversation was had.
A nice bunch of folks.
The only disruption was at the steps leading to the house there was a very large garter snake that made its appearance known from the underbrush near the steps up to the front door.
Tash really doesn't like snakes. So after helping her recover from a heart attack of a snake appearing inches from her feet while she was wearing open toe sandals, we headed in to get cooking.
The meal consisted of a salad course, then the Beef Wellington was served alongside roasted carrots and fondant potato cylinders, and the dessert was Nutella and banana crepes.
We mad everything from scratch aside from the duxelles (mushroom filling for the Beef Wellington) because that takes hours to make all by itself, but we learned how to do it as well.
So everyone peeled a potato and carrots and we got things prepared.
For the Beef Wellington, the filet is first seared in a pan, removed, wrapped with a piece of prosciutto and sealed in saran wrap and placed in the fridge to cool.
After cooling, it is wrapped in puff pastry that is rolled out to size with its inner side covered in duxelles, and all edges closed so no meat is showing. Then the whole thing is coated in an egg wash to seal the seams and the meat inside. Into the oven it goes.
The pan is then deglazed with a good wine (never use cooking wine for this), and then reduced by half and it makes one heckuva nice sauce with beef stock added and then reduced again.
While others did the steps for the salad and such, Tash and I made the crepes for the dessert from scratch and it was so good I made that again for breakfast here and we just feasted on crepes for breakfast.
Super easy and fun to do.
An impressive looking and tasting meal that is actually pretty easy to make.
Accompanied with a nice pinot noir that we brought along (the meal was BYOW), it was a most excellent dinner. It's visually impressive, tasty as all get out, and a rousing success and good time had by all.
I'm going to have to make this again for fancy occasions.
3 comments:
You piqued my interest. Any ideas where the Eagle Driver was stationed, and when? While I still think (and dream) about flying the Eagle, the reality is it's been 30 years since I've sat in one.
Have to keep reminding myself of that...unfortunately.
juvat: I unfortunately don't recall but he was with two separate squadrons, neither of them the juvats and was not at Kadena. Next time I chat with him I'll find out.
His call sign was "Notso", and with his last name of Sharpe, you can figure out why.
Aaron, I would modify your admonition to "never use cooking wine for that" to "never use cooking wine." Cooking wine is an abomination. If it isn't fit to drink, it isn't fit to cook with.
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