Mini Beef Wellingtons

I have been wanting to do Beef Wellington for quite some time now, but have been a bit nervous about trying. Maybe it is all of the times that I have listened to Chef Ramsey scream at chefs for cooking them incorrectly. I guess I am afraid he will pop out of my pantry and tell me to GET OUT!

So when I saw Claire Robinson make a version of them on her 5 Ingredient Fix I thought to myself If it can be done with 5 ingredients I have got to be able to do it. Plus they just looked so cute and tasty. I printed out the recipe and started thinking in my mind of the things I would like to add to those 5 ingredients to add some extra flavor and make it my own.

I was worried that Kevin was going to think I was crazy (well crazier than usual) when I announced that I was making an "appetizer dinner", but when he heard that I was making the Mini Wellingtons he was right on board with me. Like I have said, he LOVES red meat.

This recipe is a bit pricey since I used beef tenderloin but I wanted to have the right texture for the meat. It was amazing! You could just take a bite and the meat melted in your mouth. I even ate one cold for breakfast the next day. It is definitely a dish I will be making again. Plus now I have the courage to try the real deal. Chef Ramsey.....LOOK OUT!!

Mini Beef Wellingtons

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into 24 (1-inch) cubes

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

10 ounces cremini mushrooms, stemmed and finely chopped

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1 bag of baby spinach, chopped

4 ounces Feta cheese

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the beef dry with a paper towel and season all sides with salt and pepper. Quickly sear the beef on two sides only until deep golden brown, about 4 minutes total, do not overcook. Transfer to a plate to cool

Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until they begin to brown and release liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots and continue cooking until mushroom mixture dries out, is golden brown, and the shallots are soft, about 10 minutes.Remove from heat and cool.

On a work surface, roll 1 sheet of puff pastry to a 10 by 14-inch rectangle. Put a small pile of chopped spinach on the pastry, evenly spacing the piles in 4 rows of three. Add crumbled feta cheese to each pile and a teaspoon sized mounds of the mushroom mixture . Top the mushroom mixture with a piece of beef. With a sharp knife, cut the pastry into even squares around each mound. Working 1 at a time, pull 2 opposite sides of the pastry up and over each beef piece, then fold the ends over the top to make a packet. Invert and arrange the packets seam side down on the baking sheet and press them slightly to seal the pastry. Repeat.

Bake the Wellingtons until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven to a serving platter and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.