Recipe provided by Austin Personal Chef: Carlos CruscoIngredients (Duxelle & Pate):
1.5 lbs cremini mushrooms
2 shallots – peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic – peeled and roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme – leaves only
2 tbsps. unsalted butter
2 tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Cognac infused Pate – can be purchased
Ingredients (Beef):
1 (2-3 lb) center cut Beef Tenderloin (Chateau Cut) – cleaned and trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
12 thin slices Prosciutto di Parma
6 sprigs of fresh thyme – leaves only
Flour – for rolling out puff pastry
1 sheet (10″ x 15″) puff pastry – thawed
1 large egg – lightly beaten
Directions:
For the Duxelle: add creminis, shallots, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add butter and olive oil to a large saute pan and set over medium-high heat.
Add the shallot-mushroom mixture and saute for 10-15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
For the Beef: Tie the tenderloin in 4-5 places with butchers twine so it holds its cylindrical shape while cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
Sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, saute pan coated with olive oil for 4-5 minutes. It is important that you allow the meat to cool to room temperature. Once cool, cut off the twine and smear with the pate. Set aside.
Meanwhile set out the prosciutto on a sheet of plastic wrap. Shingle or overlap the prosciutto so it forms a rectangle big enough to cover the entire filet of beef.
Using a rubber spatula cover the prosciutto evenly with a thin layer of duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.
Place the beef on top off the duxelles then roll up using the plastic wrap. Tuck in the ends of the prosciutto, roll it up tightly and twist the ends to seal it completely and hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to ensure it maintains its shape.
Meanwhile on a lightly floured surface, roll the thawed puff pastry out to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Remove beef from refrigerator and cut off the plastic wrap.
Set beef in the center of the pastry & fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash. Fold over to seal beef – saving ends to use as a decoration on top if desired.
If using immediately proceed to step 11. If not, wrap the pastry covered beef again in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 425. Place beef seam side down on a parchment covered sheet pan.
Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash and season with coarse Sea salt. Make a couple of slits on the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife – this allows the steam to escape when cooking.
Bake for 35-45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and rest before cutting into thick slices.
Garnish with herbs, potatoes, carrots or a rich demi-glace sauce. Enjoy!
