Beef Wellington Appetizer

Ingredients:

Beef Wellington

• 2 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 900 g beef tenderloin, cut into 24 cubes
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 180 g cremini mushrooms, finely chopped (remove stems)
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry (500g pack), thawed
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. cream with 20% fat content
• 1 large egg

Sour cream sauce with horseradish

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup cream, 20% fat
• 1/4 cup horseradish, prepared or fresh

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Beef Wellington:
   
   Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season all sides with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Briefly sear the beef on all sides until well browned, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
3. Add the shallots to the skillet and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the mushrooms soften and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium and cook until the liquid has evaporated, another 5-10 minutes. Add the parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and season generously with pepper. Remove the skillet from the heat and let cool.
4. On a work surface, roll out 1 sheet of puff pastry into a 35 x 25 cm rectangle. Place 1 tablespoon-sized mounds of the mushroom mixture on the dough, evenly distributing them in 4 rows of 3 mounds. Place a piece of beef on top of each mushroom mound. Brush the surface of the beef with Dijon mustard. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into even squares around the filling.
5. In a small bowl, combine the cream and egg and brush all four edges of each puff pastry square. Working with one piece at a time, pull two opposite corners of the pastry up over each piece of beef, then fold the remaining two corners over to form a parcel. Seal tightly. Flip and place the parcel seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet and press lightly to seal. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry, mushrooms, beef, and mustard.
6. Bake the Wellingtons until golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
   
   Sour cream sauce with horseradish:
   
   Meanwhile, combine the sour cream, heavy cream, horseradish, and pepper in a small bowl. Serve alongside the beef Wellington.