Pie and Pastry Bible (131 page)

Arrange 3 overlapping crêpes, trimmed to the width of the fillet, over the center of the rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Spread a thin layer (about one third of it) of the duxelles mixture over the crêpes, maintaining the 1-inch border. Place the fillet on top of the duxelles. Spread and pat the rest of the duxelles over the top and sides of the fillet. Cover with 4 overlapping crêpes, making sure the entire fillet is covered and pressing the overhanging sides of the crêpes against the sides of it.

Roll out the second piece of puff pastry into a 20- by 11-inch rectangle, sprinkling with flour as necessary to keep it from sticking. (The top piece of pastry has to be wider and longer than the bottom piece because it needs to cover the sides as well as the top.)

Brush the crepes and the 1-inch border with egg white. Brush off any excess flour from the pastry and, starting at a short side, roll it loosely around the rolling pin. Position it over the fillet and starting at the bottom, unroll it evenly over it, tugging it gently to stretch it forward. Smooth the sides in place over the fillet and filling and press down firmly on the border so the top pastry adheres to the bottom one, leaving an opening at each end to expel any air pockets if necessary before pressing and sealing the ends. The pastry should rest snugly against the crêpe-wrapped fillet. Cover the pastry with plastic wrap and freeze it for about 20 minutes or until firm.

With a very sharp knife, trim the excess pastry so that only a 1-inch border remains. Wrap and chill the scraps. Stir together the egg yolk and heavy cream and brush the entire pastry with this glaze, taking care to avoid the sides, as the glaze would seal them and prevent rising. Freeze the beef again, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Set an oven rack at the lowest level and place the baking stone or steel sheet on it before preheating.

MAKE THE DECORATIONS

Roll the pastry scraps about 1/16 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut out at least twelve 2½-inch rose leaves; use the knife to make shallow vein lines. Or, if you have a metal rose-petal mold, simply invert it, veined side down, on the pastry and press firmly, then use the tip of a sharp knife to cut around the mold, lift the mold away, and lift up the leaf.

Remove the fillet in pastry from the freezer and, using a small cutter, about ¾ inch and preferably scalloped, cut a steam vent in the center of the pastry. Use a
second larger cutter (about 1½ inches) to cut a circle from a pastry scrap. Cut out the center with the smaller cutter, brush the bottom with egg wash, and fit it around the steam vent. Place the leaves, overlapping slightly, as they will spread apart during baking, radiating from the center, brushing the bottoms with egg wash to attach them. Give the pastry a second egg wash, covering the pastry leaves as well.

Bake the Wellington for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 400°F. and bake for another 10 minutes. Cover it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil (do not crimp it tightly, or the pastry will steam) and bake for another 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 375°F and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the Wellington from the oven and insert an instant-read thermometer into the steam vent to check the temperature. It will read 115°F. when done. Allow it to sit on the baking sheet for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting it. (The temperature will rise about 5 degrees.)

When ready to serve, slip a large rimless baking sheet (at least 12 inches long) under the Wellington and transfer it to a serving platter or an inverted cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut the Wellington into 1¼- to 1½-inch slices. (Use a wide pancake turner or spatula pressed up against the cut end to support the coulibiac and then a second one to lift the pieces to the plates, laying them flat on their sides.)

MAKE THE PÉRIGUEUX SAUCE

If omitting the périgueux sauce, pour the meat juices into a gravy pitcher to serve with the beef. To make the sauce, pour them into a small saucepan, add the demiglace, bring to a boil, and reduce to about
cup. Add the port or Madeira and reduce it to about 1¾ cups. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the optional black truffle.

NOTE

Leftover Beef Wellington is quite possibly even more delicious than the first time around because the pastry becomes crisper than it was initially. After slicing the leftover Wellington, carefully remove the pastry, with the crêpe layer attached to it, from each slice and place on a baking sheet. Bake it in a preheated 425°F. oven for about 10 minutes. If desired, warm the insides by placing each slice on its plate in the microwave for 1 minute on medium. Rearrange the pastry around each slice of filling. This “recomposition” is easy to accomplish, looks great, and tastes fantastic. For a simpler method that is also delicious but results in less crisp pastry, reheat the whole leftover Wellington from frozen in a preheated 350°F. oven for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center feels warm.

UNDERSTANDING

Broiling the meat is the most effective way to seal in the juices. Cooling the meat on a rack results in even and rapid cooling.

WHOLE WHEAT CROISSANTS

I
tasted my first croissant in Paris when I was sixteen, on the way to Italy for The Experiment in International Living. (The Experiment, which originated in Putney, Vermont, was created to give young Americans the opportunity to live with a family in another country for the summer.) This first croissant was not from a fine bakery and nothing to rave about, but one of my fellow “experimenters” had a delightfully elegant Russian émigré aunt who insisted we taste a
real
croissant. She gave us each one to eat on the train to Italy, and it is no exaggeration to say that I was transported. The softness and crispness and buttery perfume filled my entire mouth with such repletion, it might well have been the beginning of my lifelong pursuit of such culinary moments.

Years later, I tasted an even better croissant in Montreal, Canada. The croissants were part whole wheat. Prior to this, I had only experienced the heaviness that whole wheat produced in pastry, but the texture of these croissants was uncompromised, while the flavor added a new dimension of wheatiness. It became my goal to reproduce this croissant, but I did not think that it would be possible to do at home without commercial equipment. To my surprise, I had to eat my words. These croissants are crisp, light, tender, and delicious. The secret ingredient is reduced-bran whole wheat flour. It offers a sweet, slightly nutty flavor and beautiful golden color without the bitterness or heaviness of texture of regular whole wheat flour. If you prefer a traditional croissant, it’s a simple matter to replace the whole wheat flour with an equal volume of unbleached flour.

Croissant dough is essentially puff pastry with a little extra liquid and the addition of yeast. A croissant, for me, remains the most delicious way to enjoy the pure flavor of butter I know. Put
nothing
on these but your mouth!

EQUIPMENT

Two large baking sheets or half-size sheet pans, lined with parchment
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To proof the yeast (if using fresh or active dry), in a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the milk (ideally, a tepid 100°F. if using fresh yeast, a little warmer, no°F, if using dry), ½ teaspoon of the sugar, and the yeast. If using fresh yeast, crumble it slightly as you add it. Set the mixture aside in a draft-free spot for 10 to 20 minutes. By this time the mixture should be full of bubbles. (If not, the yeast is too old to be useful and you must start again with newer yeast.)

In a food processor with the metal blade, process the whole wheat flour for about 5 minutes to break up the bran and germ. Add the unbleached flour and pulse to blend. Remove 1 tablespoon and set aside. Add the remaining sugar, salt, and yeast mixture to the flour and pulse to blend.

Transfer this mixture to the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer with the dough hook. Add the remaining milk and mix, starting on low speed, until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 4 minutes. The dough will be silky smooth and have cleaned the sides of the bowl, but it will stick to the bottom. Lightly oil a medium bowl and, with an oiled spatula, scrape the dough into it. Turn it over to oil the top, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Using the oiled spatula, gently fold the dough over itself to deflate it slightly and refrigerate it for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of overnight.

Place the reserved 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture on a sheet of plastic wrap and put the butter on top of it. Wrap the plastic wrap loosely around it. Pound the butter lightly with a rolling pin to flatten and soften it, then knead it together with the flour, using the plastic wrap and your knuckles to avoid touching the butter directly. Work quickly and, as soon as flour is incorporated, shape it into a 5-inch square (no thicker than ¾ inch). At this point, the butter should be cool but workable, 60°F. Use it at once or keep it cool. The butter must not be colder than 60°F. when rolled into the pastry, or it will break through the dough and not be evenly distributed. (A cool cellar, particularly a wine cellar, is an ideal place to maintain this temperature. Alternatively, refrigerate it but allow it to soften slightly before using it. The butter should be cool but malleable.)

On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough to an 8-inch square. Place the butter square diagonally in the center of the dough square and, with the dull side of a knife, lightly mark the dough at the edges of the butter. Remove the butter and roll each marked corner of the dough into a flap. The dough will be slightly elastic. Moisten these flaps lightly with water, replace the butter on the dough, and wrap it securely, stretching the flaps slightly to reach across the dough package. Refrigerate it for 30 minutes (not longer).

On a well-floured surface, keeping the dough seam side up and lightly floured, gently roll the dough package into a long rectangle 7 inches by 16 inches. Brush off all the flour from the surface of the dough and fold it into thirds as you would fold a business letter. This is the first “turn.” Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 20 and up to 40 minutes. (Mark the turns on a slip of paper or parchment, as the fingertip impressions in the dough used for puff pastry would disappear in this dough as it rises.)

Before each subsequent turn, position the dough so that the closed side is facing to your left. Clean the work surface, reflour it, and press down on the edges of the dough with the rolling pin to help keep them straight. (The upper part tends to lengthen faster than the bottom.) Roll and fold the dough a second time exactly the same way, but turn it over occasionally to keep the seams and edges even. Be sure to roll into all four corners of the dough and use a pastry scraper to even the edges. Do a total of 4 turns, resting the dough in the refrigerator for 20 to 40 minutes between each. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours before rolling it.

SHAPE THE CROISSANTS

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Allow it to sit for 15 minutes.

On a floured counter, roll the dough to a rectangle 12 to 14 inches by 22 to 24 inches. Brush off all the flour. Fold over the dough lengthwise so that it is 6 to 7 inches by 20 to 22 inches. Using a pizza wheel or sharp knife, trim one end on an angle, cutting through the two layers, and then cut the dough into 8 or 9 triangles with 4-inch bases. (Figure 1) Reserve the trimmings from either end. Make a ½-inch notch at the center of each base. Open up the two layers of dough of each folded triangle and cut each piece in half at the base to form 2 triangles. (Figure 2) Shape the croissants one at a time, keeping the rest of the triangles covered with plastic wrap. Use the scraps to make 16 to 18 balls the size of green grapes (about 4 grams each); scissors work best to cut the dough for the balls.
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Keep the balls covered with plastic wrap too. Gently stretch a triangle of dough to about 9 inches long—first stretch the base gently, but firmly to widen it, then, holding the base in your left hand, use your thumb and first two fingers of your right hand to work down the length, elongating it). (Figure 3)