Individual Beef Wellington
1 lb. medium mushrooms
1 medium onion, minced
1/4 cup butter
3 cups fresh bread crumbs
salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. thyme leaves
1 beef rib roast (about 4 lb.)
2 eggs, separated
pastry for 2 crust pie
Remove stems from 10 mushrooms, set aside. Mince remaining mushrooms and the extra stems.
In a 12 inch skillet, over medium heat, cook mushrooms and onions 5 minutes in butter. Stir in bread crumbs, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, pepper, and thyme; cool.
Trim fat off roast, cut meat in half lengthwise, slice each half crosswise into 5 equal pieces. Dry with paper towels.
Pastry:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup shortening
5 to 6 Tbsp. cold water
Stir together flour and salt, with a pastry blender or 2 knives cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle cold water, a Tbsp. at a time, mixing lightly with a fork after each addition until pastry just holds together with hands shape pastry into a ball, divide pastry in half.
Roll 1 piece of the pastry on a floured surface to 14 x11-inches. Cut 2 rectangles 6 1/2 by 10, reserve scraps. Place 1/3 cup of mushroom mixture in center of pastry rectangle. Top with a piece of meat, sprinkle meat lightly with salt, top with whole mushroom.
In a bowl with a fork beat the egg whites with 2 tsp. water brush pastry edges with this fold pastry over meat and mushrooms, overlap edges. Press to seal, place on cookie sheet. Refrigerate while preparing remainder.
Roll out pastry scraps with a sharp knife cut into designs, brush backs with egg whites arrange on pastry, refrigerate.
About 35 minutes before serving, preheat oven to 400F.
In cup beat the egg yolks with 2 tsp. water, brush over pastry.
Bake 25 minutes for rare, 27 minutes for medium, with a pancake turner, place Wellingtons on a warm platter You can either slice these or serve them whole.
Makes 5 servings
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