You are subbing out every single ingredient in the recipe with something else.
It’s not going to taste generally the same, how could it?
I made it, and it turned out great.
I made 4 of them using 2 slightly different receipes. One had the puff pastry and the other used the Pillsbury croissant rolls. There was only like 1 brand of puff pastry in the whole store, tucked away at the bottom. No wonder I missed it all these years. And on the outside it said “2 sheets” but I had no idea how big one sheet was. I got lucky that it was enough to make 3
I took the adivce of jjimm and The Internet and cooked it a little in the pan before I baked it. I would say it turned out probably medium well, not medium rare. Still good though.
For 2 of them, I didn’t put any mustard. Those tasted fine, though I wasn’t completely offended by the mustard in the others. The funny thing was, I could smell the mustard, but couldn’t really taste it.
The duxelles I made with white onion, shallots, button mushrooms, and portabello. In the end, I couldn’t even taste it in the finished product. I knew it was there, I could feel the crunchiness of the onions, but I just couldn’t really taste the mushrooms. Plus, it was a pain to make (and I made too much).
I’ll stick with puff pastry next time. Not that the croissant dough turned out bad, but it cooked way too fast. Took about 8 mins for that thing to turn golden brown while the puff pastry was still raw and mostly white. I had to open up the oven and put a thick piece of foil over it to prevent it from burning. For consistencies’ sake and longer cooking of the beef, I’m going to stick with the puff next time.
I was lucky I found the meat thermometer from last year’s turkey otherwise I’d have no idea how long to cook it. I remember from my time working in a kitchen that meat should be at least 140 or 160, so that’s what I did. I figured that since it was beef and filet mignon, I could err on the lower end of the temperature scale.
Even though this was merely a “test” dish, I think I’m going to use the same amount of ingredients once I make the real thing on Thanksgiving. I think most people use a long strip of beef when they cook it, but mine was bought in these little medallion shaped cuts. I like it that way better, everyone can have their own portion and they can take it anywhere they want to go.
Quick question for my next time though, what’s the different between sirloin, top loin, loin tri tip, and top sirloin? The only place I found beef actually listed as “beef tenderloin” was that medallion of filet mignon sealed in the package. Could I use any of the others as a substitute?
Also- if you google “Cook’s illustrated beef” you get a great PDF explaining the major beef roasts and their uses. Link- CI chart
Roasts can vary tremendously in flavor, and most importantly, tenderness. Some roasts require hours of a slow braise, others, a quick trip at high heat. They are not all interchangeable, so I actually keep the CI PDF on my phone for help at the grocery store!
IvoryTowerDenizen’s links are helpful. But to directly answer your question - filet mignon is a specific part of a tenderloin. In practice filet and tenderloin can be interchanged.
Sirloin/top loin/loin tri tip/top sirloin - not as easy to substitute for tenderloin. They might have a bit more flavor, but are not as tender. I actually don’t use most of those cuts at all. I’m either looking for tenderloin itself for the tenderness, served with a sauce or other flavorings like the Wellington. Or I’m looking for a fattier, much more flavorful cut, like a chuck roast, to braise. I’ll occasionally get a top round roast if I want to make the equivalent of deli meat - cut thin and used for sandwiches.
Edit: and now you have me wanting to make Beef Wellington. Damn you! I’d be tempted to do one today if I thought I had any hope of finding pâté de foie gras in this town, which I don’t. Bullet dodged!
Come on liverwurst or any shop bought pate will do the job. Get to it.
If I’m going to go through THAT much work, I’m doing it right. And store-bought pâté is what I want, it’s just that in small towns in the middle of nowhere, pate isn’t something they keep in stock.
Liverwurst, yes. But liverwurst != pâté de foie gras.
Duxelles, made really well, can substitute nicely for the pate. The New Basics Cookbook (either that or the Silver Palate) has a wellington recipe without pate, but a superior duxelle.
It is not for anything except taste, browning has a very specific flavor profile.
Mid-rare beef should be closer to 130-135.
Yes! Thank you.
nm