My epicurean delight

 

Sometimes when just the right food and just the right wine are paired it becomes magical.

 

All senses are heightened.

 It's not only pleasing to the eye, it's delightful to the nose and your taste buds are overjoyed!

(Wait, what about your ears? Yeah, well, you can almost hear the food and wine

 whispering, "oh yeah, go ahead, you're gonna love this!")

 

You take a deep breath, sit back and savor every single sip and bite.

 

That's what happened when Orin Swift's wine, Palermo, met my beef wellington!

 

Before you sit back and think oh, BEEF WELLINGTON, that's too fancy.

Or that's too hard. Or pate? Ewww, I don't like pate.

Work with me here.... it's worth it.

 

**** 

I was making dinner for four people so it was easiest for me to buy the beef tenderloins in packs of two and individually prepare them. It's also easier to "cater" towards the persons likes also (don't like bleu cheese - ok, I won't include it in yours!)

 

First, heat a tad bit of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook for no more than 10 minutes flipping it once.  You do not want to "cook" the meat; you just want to do a little more than sear each side.  Put on plate, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

 

In a small skillet, with small bit of butter, sautee a box of finely chopped up mushrooms and onions, minced garlic and black pepper.

 

On lightly floured parchment paper, roll out a puff pastry sheet. All recipes say cut the pastry into a 14inch square. Seriously? Unless I get a ruler out, I'm not measuring my pastry. Roll it out so it's not super thick but definitely not paper thin either. This will be the nice yummy blanket that all the goodness goes into so it needs to hold up!  Once it's rolled out, cut it into 4 squares. They don't have to be perfect. Come on!

 

In the center of each square, add a tiny bit of crumbled gorgonzola cheese and then some of the mushroom/onion mixture. This is when you can make each one individualized.

(For example, I put less mushroom mixture in my mom's but a lot of cheese. I put more mushroom mixture and no cheese in my dad's.)
 

Place a tenderloin on top of the mixture.

Fold the two opposite pastry corners over the beef, slightly overlapping. Press to seal. Brush with a beaten egg.  Repeat with the remaining corners.

 

Place the beef pastries seam side down on a baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for an hour. If you don't have time to wait another hour (which I often) don't, that is fine. I have done it both ways and it doesn't make that much of a difference.  Also you'll want to take a butter knife and gently "write" the first initial of the person's first name on it so you'll know which one it belongs to.
 (God forbid, Aunt Becky cuts into it and hers has mushrooms in it!)

 

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Before placing the sheet in the oven, brush the pastries with more of the egg. You don't want to soak it and make it soggy but you want just enough (especially on the corners) to brown it.  Bake for 20 minutes.

 

 

 

I often struggle with which sides to include with beef wellington.  Something green, something colorful yet something that won't overpower the beef. I try to stay away from carbs and starch because it is already wrapped in heavy pastry.

 

****

 

It's summertime and what's better than homegrown tomatoes and fresh basil?? Not much in my mind! I could make a meal simply out of those two things and not much more!

 

A simple tomato caprese would work as a side for this meal.

 

 

What do you need?

1-2 large round homegrown tomatoes

a bunch of fresh basil

fresh mozzarella

 

Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella about the same thickness - 1/4 inch or more even.

(It really is up to you. You know what you like.)

 Place a basil leaf or two, depending on how big they are, on top.

Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Refrigerate.

 

 *******

 

Now, we just need one more side - a green side. I don't like green beans and others don't like kale.  I wanted to roast brussel sprouts but everyone "thumbs-downed" that one.

So roasted broccoli instead!!

 

Talking about simple!

 

Get a crown or two of broccoli and chop off the trunk of the "tree".

Toss the pieces in a mixing bowl and coat them with black pepper and Wegmans Basting Oil (or you can use olive oil and throw in some other herbs but why when this is already made for you?)

Coat the broccoli and then lay the pieces on a sprayed foiled baking sheet.

 

****

 

You can put the beef pastries and the broccoli in the oven at the same time! (425 for 20 minutes)

The key though is to make sure to eat it immediately after removing from the oven!!

If the broccoli doesn't get eaten right when it comes out of the oven it gets cold and loses its crispness rather quickly (I learned the hard way).  I also found that the broccoli is yummy dipped in the balsamic vinegar juice from the tomato caprese too!

 





“Wine is meant to be with food - that's the point of it.”

-Julia Child

 

 

How does this get any better?

Easy!

Open a bottle of 

Orin Swift Palermo!

 

 

 It's earthy. It's fruity. It has a spicy tobacco-like aftertaste. It's balanced. It's silky smooth.

It is heaven in a bottle and you never want it to end.

 

This, my friends, is what I refer to as my epicurean delight! 

Honestly, I don't know how I did it - but it sure worked.

 

 

“Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used.”
-William Shakespeare