A Table for 4

Beef Welllington

According to Wikipedia, Beef Wellington is named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Some have suggested this was due to his love of a dish of beef, truffles, mushrooms, Madeira wine, and pâté cooked in pastry, but there is no evidence to say for sure. Other accounts simply credit the name to a patriotic chef wanting to give an English name to a variation on the French filet de boeuf en croûte during a period when England was often at odds with France. Beef Wellington is a preparation of beef   tenderloin coated with pâté (often pâté de foie gras) andduxelles, which is then wrapped in puff pastry and baked.

The adult preparation for this is more involved than the kiddy version. It uses English mustard and mushrooms or pate. This too, is delicious. However, my kiddo and maybe yours will not tolerate such sophistication; yet. And so, with that in mind, here is the miniaturized kiddy version of the picture on the left:

The Recipe

-You can use cubed tenderloin if you like, or the already cubed beef for shish kabobs. (The amount will depend on how many kiddos you’ll be serving. You be the judge–we’re all grown ups here.)

-1 Package frozen Puff Pastry (sheets), thawed.

-Oil

-Salt/pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 (I use the toaster oven).

Season your beef with salt and pepper.

Oil a skillet and sear your beef, which should be cubed into little blocks of meat that could fit in your child’s hand.

Coat each block with an egg wash mixture (egg and a little water).

Roll our your Puff Pastry. Cut thick strips of it and wrap each block of beef with the pastry, so that it looks like a little package. Brush thoroughly with the egg wash. 

Bake until the pasty is a golden brown. Serve with your child’s favorite vegetable. Enjoy!

Kid Approved: Little Boy G liked it. He didn’t devour it, like some of the dishes I make, but he ate it. And that is good enough for me.

If you want to watch a video on how to do this, a great one is by the phenomenal Gordon Ramsay on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHQNV_5wozg).