| mushrooms | 2 oz |
| shallot | 1 medium clove |
| parsley | 1 T chopped |
| butter | 3 T |
| pâté de foie gras | 2 T |
| black truffle | 1 (optional) |
| madiera | 1/4 c and 1 T |
| beef tenderloin | 2 trimmed fillets sliced 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick |
| beef stock | 1 c |
| black pepper | to taste |
| black truffle olive oil | to taste (optional) |
| flaky pastry | 4 4-inch circles |
The tenderloins should be trimmed of all fat and any connective tissue. Venison tenderloins may be used but should be seared to well done rather than medium rare. It is preferable to use brown porcini or cremini mushrooms rather than white mushrooms. If the pâté is not generous with truffles and black truffle is available, after cutting center slices to top the filets, mince the remainder of the truffle and add with the pâté to the duxelle and to the sauce.
Prepare the duxelle, or mushroom dressing. Mince the mushrooms and squeeze in a towel to remove moisture. Mince the shallot and parsley, and sauté with the mushrooms in 1 T of butter. Add 1 T of madiera, and the pâté along with any extra chopped truffle and sauté for several minutes. Allow to cool.
Fry the tenderloin fillets with a little butter in a very hot skillet until medium rare. Remove the fillets and allow to rest a few minutes. Add any meat juices to the skillet, deglaze with madiera, then add the beef stock and reduce by half. To finish the sauce add madiera, pepper, butter and chopped truffles or truffle oil to taste.
Place each fillet on one pastry circle. Carefully top the fillets with slices of truffle then portions of the duxelle. Shape a second pastry circle to cover the topped fillet and seal the pastry shell with a little water. The pastries may be brushed with melted butter or an egg wash then baked in a preheated 400°F oven for at least 20 minutes until the pastry is done. Serve the sauce around, not over the pastries.
As a banquet dish, a long cut of tenderloin may be grilled, rather than fried, and baked in one large pastry shell. It is prepared this way by Balducci’s in New York. This recipe is based on the dish served at Justine’s in Memphis.
Beef fillets prepared in the same way but without the pastry shells are called Tournedos Rossini by Escoffier. (Of course, a Frenchman would never make a dish named Wellington.)
Recipe from An Eclectic Cookbook (Copyright © 1987, John S. Garavelli), page 6–13.
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