Happy March and Beef Wellington

 Happy March!

I called my grandfather this morning and wished him a happy March and he told me this little saying that my great grandmother used to say:

“A pinch and a punch, first of March.”

“A punch and a kick for being so quick.”

It was new to me. Have you heard it before?

Today I made Beef Wellington. This was my second time and it is surprisingly easy. We get a cow butchered from time to time when our freezer gets low so we end up with every cut of meat- otherwise I would probably never buy such an expensive cut. We opted for the beef tenderloin roast instead of the filet mignon steaks this past time so I get to try to make this fancy dish. 

It starts with a seared beef tenderloin in the middle smothered in mustard. This is then wrapped in a layer of prosciutto smeared with cooked mushroom paste. And then the entire package is wrapped in a puff pastry dough brushed with egg yolks and sprinkled with salt. The key is not to roast it too long. Recipe says to cook it to 125-130 F, but it’s better to cook it to an internal temperature of 110 F and let it rest to 125-130 F. My husband really likes a rare steak so this is a must for our house. 

Yummy! So tender and delicious. I literally cut my slice of meat with a fork and it was as easy to slice as a piece of pumpkin pie. 

Simply Recipes had an easy to follow recipe for making the Beef Wellington. The first time I made it, I really dreaded making the puff pastry because I’d heard it was a lot of work, but I think it is easier than making pie crust because it only has 4 ingredients. An Italian in My Kitchen has a very simple recipe for Puff Pastry with easy to follow directions and pictures.