Crispy Brussels Sprouts from Beef Wellington Restaurant

Crispy Brussels Sprouts from Beef Wellington Restaurant, Wellington, Florida

While this tucked-away restaurant in Wellington, Florida has since shut it doors, it’s roasted Brussels sprouts recipe lives on in our minds as the best we ever experienced.  The restaurant was well-liked among the horsey set, as it was close to the International Polo Club and the Wellington horse show complex.  Make sure to visit the local tack and polo shops along this part of the Sporting Road.

• 2 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 T.  unsalted butter
• 1 T. Emeril’s Essence Cajun Seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place casserole dish inside to heat up. Quarter the Brussels sprouts and add them to the hot casserole dish along with the pecans, oil, salt and pepper. Toss vegetables to coat and then bake for 20-30 minutes, until tender and very lightly browned. Remove from oven, toss with butter and serve hot. Yield: 4-6 servings.

FOR THE TOPPINGS AND DRESSING, toss with radicchio, grana padano cheese, lemon aioli, and tomato concasse (2 large tomatoes, blanched, seeded and chopped).

ALTERNATIVE TOPPING:  Warm 2 T. olive oil and 1 T. butter in a skillet, browning up 4 slices of pancetta topped, with 7 ounces of vacuum-packed roasted, peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped, a small pinch of red pepper and leaves from a sprig of fresh thyme.   Season with salt and pepper.

Beef Wellington Recipe

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

TIME 1½ hours, plus 20 minutes cooling and 1 hour chilling

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Paring down the portion size but keeping the elegance and tradition of this meal was no easy feat. We aimed to cut the amount of time required without sacrificing quality. Our first act was to pare down the ingredient list (buh-bye goose liver, smoked oysters, cavier, etc.)  All of this is nonsense to drive the prices up at restaurants.  With the tenderloin already costing $30-40 per pound in 2024, this is unnecessary and not cost-effective.

GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS

10 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and halved

2 (8-ounce)

center-cut filets mignons,

2 inches thick, trimmed

Kosher salt and pepper

2 teaspoons

vegetable oil

2 tablespoons

unsalted butter

1 small shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

3 tablespoons Madeira

1 (9 1/2 by 9-inch) sheet

puff pastry,

thawed

1 teaspoon

Dijon mustard

1 large egg, lightly beaten

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

The puff pastry packets insulate the beef, which continues to cook during the resting period. Note that we pull the packets from the oven when the meat registers about 110 degrees and give different resting times depending on desired doneness. To ensure accuracy, it’s important to buy filets that are 2 inches thick. To thaw frozen puff pastry, let it sit either in the refrigerator for 24 hours or on the counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Do not chill the pastry packets longer than 1 hour in step 5 or the pastry will become soggy.

1

INSTRUCTIONS

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Pulse mushrooms in food processor until finely chopped, 13 to 15 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

2

Pat filets dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook filets until well browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer filets to paper towel–lined plate.

3

Melt butter in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, shallot, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring often, until browned and nearly all moisture has evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in Madeira and cook until no liquid remains, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate and let cool completely, about 20 minutes.

4

Roll puff pastry into 11-inch square on lightly floured counter. Cut pastry into 4 equal squares. Place 2 pastry squares on prepared sheet and spread 1/4 cup mushroom mixture in center of each, to about same diameter as filets, leaving 1-inch border. Place 1 filet on each mushroom-coated square. Spread ½ teaspoon mustard on top of each filet. Stretch remaining pastry squares over filets to meet bottom pastry squares. Cup your hands around filets to create tight shape.

5

Pinch top and bottom pastry squares together to seal. Trim excess pastry to form circle, leaving 1/2-inch border around filet. Crimp dough evenly around edge using your fingers. Refrigerate pastry packets, uncovered, until cold, about 1 hour.

6

Brush tops and sides of pastry packets with egg. Bake until meat registers 110 degrees, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to wire rack and let packets rest, 10 minutes for medium-rare or 20 minutes for medium. (Puff pastry packets act as oven and continue to cook steaks while they rest.) Serve.