Bananas Wellington For Four Recipes

BEEF WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place beef in a small baking dish, and spread with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned. Remove from pan, and allow to cool completely. Reserve pan juices.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and mushrooms in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool.
• Mix together pate and 2 tablespoons softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Spread pate over beef. Top with onion and mushroom mixture.
• Roll out the puff pastry dough, and place beef in the center. Fold up, and seal all the edges, making sure the seams are not too thick. Place beef in a 9x13 inch baking dish, cut a few slits in the top of the dough, and brush with egg yolk.
• Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10 to 15 more minutes, or until pastry is a rich, golden brown. Set aside, and keep warm.
• Place all reserved juices in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir in beef stock and red wine; boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Strain, and serve with beef.

BEEF WELLINGTONS (COOKING FOR 2)

Steps:

• Season steaks with salt and pepper. In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add steaks; cook 2 minutes on each side to brown. Remove steaks; refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons shallot and 1 clove garlic; cook and stir about 2 minutes or until softened. Add mushrooms, prosciutto and thyme; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until mushrooms have softened and any liquid has evaporated. Transfer mushroom mixture to bowl; refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes or until completely cooled.
• Line large rimmed cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. Roll puff pastry sheet to 20x9 inches; using sharp knife, cut out two 9-inch rounds. From scraps, cut out leaves or other shapes to use as decoration. Place pastry rounds and decorative cutouts on cookie sheet. Place in freezer 5 minutes.
• Heat oven to 400°F. In small bowl, beat egg and water.
• Remove pastry from freezer; brush each round with 1 teaspoon mustard. Place generous tablespoon of the mushroom mixture in center of each pastry. Place a steak on top of mushroom mixture on each pastry round; top each steak with another generous tablespoon mushroom mixture. Brush edges of each pastry round with egg wash; fold pastry over steak so dough edges slightly overlap and steaks are completely enclosed. Place on cookie sheet, seam side down; brush top and sides with egg wash. Place decorative cutouts on top of each; brush cutouts with more egg wash. Place in freezer 5 minutes.
• Remove from freezer; bake 20 to 25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of beef reads 135°F for medium-rare (temperature will continue to rise to 145°F while it stands). Place on rack; let stand 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in 10-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons shallot and 1 clove garlic; cook and stir 1 to 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in 1 teaspoon mustard. Remove from heat; add broth, whipping cream and brandy. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Stir in parsley. Serve sauce with Wellingtons.

BANANAS FOSTER II

Steps:

• In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar, rum, vanilla and cinnamon. When mixture begins to bubble, place bananas and walnuts in pan. Cook until bananas are hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve at once over vanilla ice cream.

BANANAS WELLINGTON FOR FOUR

Steps:

• Have all ingredients ready prior to removing the phyllo from the package.
• Take two or three stacked sheets of phyllo dough and brush generously with melted butter.
• Place one banana on the dough, sprinkle with a handful of chocolate chips and about a 1/2 handful of pecans.
• Wrap the banana, chocolate and pecans up in a triangular shape and again, brush banana wellingtons generously with melted butter.
• Place on well greased pan and bake in a 400ºF degrees for about 15-20 minutes.
• Check often, you do not want to burn the phyllo!
• The phyllo should be a golden brown when removed.
• Let cool for 5 or 10 minutes and then drizzle with melted chocolate and put a nice dollop of whipped cream on top.
• *If you are familiar working with phyllo dough (phyllo, fillo, filo) then you know that once the package is opened, anything left over needs to be wrapped immediately, and very securely so that air does not enter the dough. Phyllo is a very thin middle eastern pastry that dries up very quickly!
• **You can freeze the uncooked wellingtons on a greased pan covered with saran wrap or other plastic wrap, in the freezer so that you can simply pop them in the oven after dinner too. Do not stack the wellingtons as they will not come apart graciously.