The Memorable Times - September

Filet Wellington: For Beef Wellington, a beef tenderloin is smothered with mushroom duxelles — which is a paste made of finely minced cooked mushrooms. Then it's wrapped in puff pastry and baked until the pastry shell is light and flaky and golden — a perfect contrast to its savory, juicy contents. Culinary legend has it that this dish was named after the Duke of Wellington in the early 1800s. The Duke, who was a British national hero after defeating Napoleon, was quite indifferent to food. So when one of his chefs made this dish and the Duke was pleased enough to declare it his favorite, the dish gained international attention. For my version, I've put the duxelles inside puff pastry and left the steak naked underneath, in a flavorful Madeira sauce.
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Filet Oscar: The Oscar preparation, originally created for veal, is a decadent dish topped with crab, asparagus and béarnaise sauce. It was reputedly named for Sweden’s King Oscar II, who reigned from 1872 to 1907, and whose love of this preparation launched it as a dish of distinction in the late 19th century. The recipe first appeared in print credited to Oscar Tschirky of the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, creator of the Waldorf Salad, who also claimed to have invented Veal Oscar. (Who knows?) At any rate, my steak-centric version departs from the classic presentation, since I’ve placed the steak on a mound of mashed potatoes, topped the steak with a little béarnaise mixed with fresh crab, and finished it with asparagus spear garnish.
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Filet au Poivre: Originally developed in France in the early 1900s, au Poivre (or "made with pepper") is one of the world's best known and most popular steak preparations, and has been a standard on French restaurant menus for more than a century. The "au Poivre" technique involves covering a Filet top and bottom with cracked peppercorns, then searing it to form a peppercorn crust. The dish is typically served with a creamy sauce made with the delicious pan drippings and a healthy splash of cognac. I’ve added roasted red peppers on the top for an extra flash of color, flavor and texture.
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