BEEF WELLINGTON
This puff pastry-wrapped and pâté-packed dish is de rigueur for any character in a book, movie, or television show who is trying to impress someone with an über-elegant meal. The classic is rich beyond measure and fussy as hell. I’ve minimized its artery-clogging character—by about 77 grams of fat and 777 calories—and the fuss factor, too. It remains über-elegant. Serves 4
One 1¼-pound piece lean filet mignon, trimmed of all visible fat
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
2 large shallots, chopped very fine (about ⅓ cup)
3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 ounce dry sherry
1 ounce duck liver pâté
4 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set it aside. Place a wire baking rack on a sheet pan and set aside.
2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste. When the pan is hot, add the cooking spray. Add the meat. Sear, turning it occasionally, until the meat is a deep golden brown all over, about 4 minutes total.
3. While the meat is searing, pulse the mushrooms, in two batches, in a food processor until they are very finely chopped.
4. Remove the skillet from the heat, and transfer the meat to the wire baking rack set over the sheet pan. Spray the skillet with cooking spray and place it over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and about half of the thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots start to become tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
5. Raise the heat to high. Add the mushrooms to the skillet. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the liquid has mostly evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add the sherry and cook for another minute. Add the pâté and stir until it is fully incorporated into the mushrooms. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Let it cool slightly.
6. On a work surface, lay down 1 sheet of phyllo. Spray the phyllo lightly and evenly with cooking spray. Sprinkle it with one quarter of the remaining thyme. Repeat the process with the remaining 3 sheets of phyllo, stacking the sheets as you go.
7. Working with the shorter side of the phyllo toward you, spread the mushroom mixture over the lower half half of the phyllo, leaving a 1-inch border on the sides. Place the beef on top of the mushroom mixture. Fold up the sides of the phyllo on the right and left of the beef to encase it. Roll up the beef in the phyllo.
8. Place the beef-phyllo package, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Spray the package lightly with cooking spray. Season it with salt and pepper.
9. Roast until the meat is medium-rare, about 20 minutes. Let the Beef Wellington rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Healthy Tips
Phyllo dough is low in fat and contains no saturated fat or trans fats, and no cholesterol. It’s light and flaky, and as long as you use butter-flavored cooking spray and/or olive oil cooking spray between layers rather than real melted butter or olive oil it’s a perfect low-fat/low-calorie swap for most recipes that call for dough of any kind.
