This is from Gourmet. If you've never been to their website, I urge you foodies out there to do go. I have about one hundred recipes in my personal recipe box. No matter what I'm looking for, I can always find it at Epicurious.com And if by some chance not, then there is always Saveur.
FILLET OF BEEF WELLINGTON

Some say it was his favorite meal, and others claim it resembled the boots that he wore. Whatever the case may be, the Duke of Wellington has a grand dish named after him, which became the entertaining extravaganza of the 1960s.

a 3 1/2-pound fillet of beef tied with thin sheets of larding fat at room temperature*
3/4 pound mushrooms, chopped fine
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound p? de foie gras (available at specialty foods shops) at room temperature**
1 pound puff paste (page 196) or thawed frozen puff pastry plus additional for garnish if desired***
1 large egg white beaten
an egg wash made by beating 1 large egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of water
1/2 cup Sercial Madeira****
2 teaspoons arrowroot dissolved in 1 teaspoon cold water*****
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons finely chopped black truffles (available at specialty food shops) if desired
watercress for garnish if desired

In a roasting pan roast the beef in the middle of a preheated 400?F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the thermometer registers 120?F. Let the fillet cool completely and discard the larding fat and the strings. Skim the fat from the pan juices and reserve the pan juices.

In a heavy skillet cook the mushrooms in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until all the liquid they give off is evaporated and the mixture is dry, season them with salt and pepper, and let them cool completely. Spread the fillet evenly with the p? de foie gras, covering the top and sides, and spread the mushrooms evenly over the p? de foie gras. On a floured surface roll 1 pound of the puff paste into a rectangle about 20- by 12- inches, or large enough to enclose the fillet completely, invert the coated fillet carefully under the middle of the dough, and fold up the long sides of the dough to enclose the fillet brushing the edges of the dough with some of the egg white to seal them. Fold ends of the dough over the fillet and seal them with the remaining egg white. Transfer the fillet, seam side down to a jelly-roll pan or shallow roasting pan and brush the dough with some of the egg wash. Roll out the additional dough and cut the shapes with decorative cutters. Arrange the cutouts on the dough decoratively, brush them with the remaining egg wash, and chill the fillet for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. Bake the fillet in the middle of a preheated 400?F oven for 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 350?, and bake the fillet for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the meat thermometer registers 130?F. for medium-rare meat and the pastry is cooked through. Let the fillet stand for 15 minutes.

In a saucepan boil the reserved pan juices and the Madeira until the mixture is reduced by one fourth. Add the arrowroot mixture, the broth, the truffles, and salt and pepper to taste and cook the sauce over moderate heat, stirring, being careful not to let it boil, for 5 minutes, or until it is thickened. Loosen the fillet from the jelly-roll pan, transfer it with two spatulas to a heated platter, and garnish it with watercress. Serve the fillet, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices, with the sauce.

Serves 8.


Gourmet
January 1991

* I used a 3.5 pound beef tenderloin, no larding
** I didn't like the p? I saw at the market, so I used a p? mousse, with black truffles in it
*** Puff pastry, feh. I made a regular old Crisco pie crust, enough for 3 single crust pies. The guests raved.
**** Sandeman Rainwater Madiera, the only thing on the shelf at the market
***** Arrowroot, son of Arrowshirt, also known as Stomper. Wait. That's from Bored of the Rings. Who has arrowroot hanging around? Not me. I used a heavy pinch of regular old flour to thicken. Again, the crowd raved.

I am Iron Chef. Fear me.

Work two days straight at an art show. Get up, go to the office the next day. Come home and prep for a dinner party by baking a cake, roasting a tenderloin and making pastry. Clean and go to bed. Get up, go to the office. Come home and prepare a Beef Wellington, a Caesar Salad (from scratch, especially the dressing) and a saute of celery. Prep the house. Throw dinner party, drink, watch movie, clean the kitchen. Go to bed at quarter to two. Get up. Do not go to the office. Wake up at 4:30PM and wonder where the truck is that hit you.

I used to be able to do all that and still go to the office on the day after. I thought, when I decided not to go to work today, that I'd sleep late and then go get a manicure. "Sleep late" was not defined by me as sleeping all day. My body and my brain need to coordinate their plans better.

Still, the Beef Wellington was a masterpiece. The martinis were flawless and flowing. The repartee unbeatable. I just have to remember to do this on a Friday or Saturday next time.

I have half of the Welly still in the fridge. I'm debating about photographing the evidence of my kitchen prowess. It's either shoot it, or eat it. If there's a picture, you'll know the answer.

Tonight I bring you a letter written by my mother in 1970, to my aunt and uncle who were abroad. She tells the story of the day my cousin and I decided to cook dinner. I give it to you in its entirety.

"Dear I** and E******,

As I write this, you have been gone from Stuart only five days. I know it seems to you like five months, and you'll be surprised when you get back at how little has happened here. B****** (ed. note: my cousin) wrote you a letter yesterday, and sent it to Stockholm, so I'm sending mine to the next place. You needn't worry about her - we are getting along fine. L**** (ed. note: that's me) loves to have her here, and maybe I won't give her back to you when you return. Saturday, when she was dressing to go out, she saw L's old games (Candyland, etc.) in the closet. She told L to wait up for her and they would play them when she got home from her date. Is this a college girl? She's just as young and childish as L.

M** and L***** (ed. note: my father and brother) are getting along pretty good in the store. He's (L) working in fine -- selling shoes, etc. At home it is still pretty grainy. He is such a slob -- and of course runs to Ft. Pierce every night -- and doesn't get home until everyone's asleep.

G***** and A** (ed. note: aunt and uncle) were up yesterday, with W***** (ed. note: another cousin). L**** (ed. note: yet another cousin) is not going to school or working. All he does is play bridge. (ed. note: he's now a professional bridge player). He has a couple of old ladies from Palm Beach that take him and pay his losses. If he wins, they let him keep the money. Some life -- a bridge bum. W***** is going to PBJC in the fall.

They finally opened the exercise studio this week. I am going in to talk to them this morning.

(Tuesday) I didn't finish this yesterday, because I thought there'd be something else to tell you. I joined the Sauna Club -- but haven't started yet -- don't have time now. B****** worked this morning and decided to stay home this afternoon. When I went to the store at noon I told them to think of something for dinner. M** told me they had the kitchen full of limes when he went home for lunch. I got home at 4PM. "Don't ask!" Up to then they had made a souffle for dessert. They were throwing beaten egg whites at each other and at 4:30 they decided to go to the grocery store to get something to go with or before the souffle. They left me to wash -- 2 pots, 5 bowls, 2 dishes and 12 assorted items. There was dried egg yolk on all the counters and stove -- and they have worked themselves to death. It is 5:15 and they aren't back yet. I pity the man that had to eat what they make.

Just now in the store a Jewish woman came in. She is moving from Titusville and Ira the butcher told her to look us up. They are building in Sherwood Forest here. Anyway, when she told me her name -- I recognized her. We were in college together 34 years ago. She has a daughter, 18 going to Gainesville in the fall, and twins 15. I'm going to introduce them to our girls.

Incidentally, maybe I'll let you have B****** back, plus L***** when you come home.

Haven't heard from the folks. They only write when written to.

Hope you are having a wonderful time. I'll see you in West Palm on the 21st."

Now, my cousin and I don't remember throwing the egg whites at each other, and we have each become the hostess for family gatherings on either side. We are both known to be a dab hand in the kitchen, and have never had a man complain about our cooking.

I bring this up because as soon as I end this entry, I am off to prep a Beef Wellington for tomorrow night's movie night. We're doing Our Man Flint and so a 60's revival menu is called for. Martinis to start. Caesar salad at the table and a Grand Marnier cake to finish.

And, no, my mother neither kept my cousin, nor gave me away.

Spam Haiku

churchyard clot
insulin parallelepiped
adhesive

mutant italic
pontific busboy
civet

The Show

The show went well, and the RLA sold four pieces. They all went to good homes. We had fun, and are both totally spent today. It is just exhausting being arty, cute and conversational for hours at a stretch.

The Old Cat

Is responding well to his treatments, and will be going in for another checkup this week.

Ralph Nader

Is an idiot and a spoiler. I hope, even if he learned nothing in 2000, that the idiots who voted for him did. But that's asking way to much of the American electorate, I'm sure. And I'll tell you something else: the Chevy Corvair was a very cool car, way ahead of its time. Thanks for ruining that for us too, Ralph.

1. Take 15 year old cat to the vet for follow-up (possible feline leukemia)
2. Random errands: grocery store, bank, tobacco store, drug store
3. Pick up "Masked and Anonymous" at the DVD store
3. Try not to think about cat
4. Prep for the RLA's show

This time tomorrow we'll be out in the street, hawking art. Working as an artist is dancing the tightrope of constant rejection. I'd say that is particularly true of the RLA's work, which has gone in this past year, from photo-realism to a surreal jazzy sort of dreamscape. Will the audience be able to relate to it? Will the audience buy it? Is it too far removed from the literal to be accepted by the crowds at a street show? Will it sell?
I don't think that any of that matters to the RLA. He is true to his art and his vision, in what ever direction it takes him. Sell or not sell, it doesn't have any influence in how he wields his brush. It's one of the things I love the most about him.

Because I work, and have always worked, in the realm of the corporation, my graphic design work is, well, safe. It is clean and easy to read/understand. I use paper with a nice tactile element, type faces that are well-designed and highly legible. I would even go so far as to say that my style is no style. That is to say, I have no identifiable style. Whatever is best for the client and the job at hand is what I do. Graphic design-wise, I am a ghost.

My fiber work is just as safe and commercially marketable. Is this shallow? Is this bad? I don't know. There are times when it makes me feel like less of an artist, but is that insecurity or valid self-criticism? Again, I don't know. I know that I can make things that I like, and that stretch me as a craftsman, and people will buy them. But I never stretch too far. I never take that leap that the RLA can take, off the edge and into the unknown.

For me, the bottom line is always the bottom line. That's why he's an artist, and I'm just an artisan.

Title says it all. There IS a double elimination in this round... So if I can just rustle up enough votes to beat what has to be one of the cheeeeziest "faux-porn" stories ever written, I can keep going.

I'm sorry about this, but I've voted against "This Ones For the Ladies" in every round. Now it comes back to bite me, because I have to run the elimination against it.

So, one more time: BlogMadness

I'm entry #18, "Back Home" a tear-inducing tale of love, and loss and AIDS and memories. Follow the links below the box to where it says vote. Then on the left hand side of the next page there will be the area where you click the box. If you want to play nice, read the other entry. If you want to play really, really nice, peruse the whole site and read all the entries. There's some lovely writing in there.

I can't wait to see when this post shows up. Last week's server meltdown also included a new server, with a new IP and a new path... none of which my free host mentioned. So even though I've been updating Today's Shoes, you can't see it. Yet. We'll see how fast Register.com actually redirects.