Petite Beef Wellington

Make the herbed salt

1. Combine coarse sea salt, dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried thyme, rubbed sage, and granulated garlic in a bowl. Rub using your fingers to incorporate. Set aside until ready to use.

Make the mini beef Wellingtons

1. Make the mushroom duxelles

   Working in batches, pulse mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped, 6 to 8 pulses. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add chopped mushrooms and thyme sprigs; cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms begin to brown and stick to skillet, about 20 minutes. Add shallots and garlic; cook, stirring often, until shallots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add Madeira; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and mushrooms begin to stick to bottom of skillet, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 teaspoon herbed salt. Spread duxelles on a baking sheet; let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs.

2. Sear the filets

   

   Sprinkle beef with remaining 1 teaspoon herbed salt. Heat oil in a large skillet over high. Cook filets until just browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate; refrigerate, uncovered, until ready to use.

3. Layer the ham and duxelles

   

   Place a 12- x 16-inch sheet of plastic wrap on a work surface. Overlap 2 country ham slices to form a cross shape on center of plastic wrap; spread 1/2 cup duxelles evenly over ham. Pat 1 filet dry; brush with 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard, and place in center of cross. Fold ham slices with duxelles over filets, making sure to fully encase beef.

4. Shape the bundles

   

   Gather and twist plastic wrap to seal into a tight bundle. Repeat with remaining ham, duxelles, filets, and mustard. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour. (Alternatively, freeze for 3 hours or up to overnight; see step 8.)

5. Prepare the puff pastry and cut the lattice

   

   Meanwhile, roll 1 puff pastry sheet into a 16- x 12-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut out 2 (8-inch) circles. Repeat process with 1 more pastry sheet. (Reserve dough scraps for another use.) Place circles between parchment paper on a baking sheet, and set aside. Roll remaining pastry sheet into a 16-inch square, and cut out 4 (7-inch) circles. Using a square or round cutter, punch out 3/4-inch squares from the 7-inch circles to create a lattice. Discard scraps or reserve for another use. Add lattices to baking sheet; refrigerate until ready to use.

6. Wrap the meat in pastry

   

   Preheat oven to 425°F. Unwrap 1 filet bundle; center bundle on 1 (8-inch) pastry circle. Lightly brush beaten egg in a 1-inch border around dough edge. Fold dough up and over to encase filet bundle; pinch dough to seal, and trim off any excess dough. Place pastry bundle, seam side down, on parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining filet bundles and remaining 8-inch pastry circles. Brush pastry bundles lightly with beaten egg.

7. Decorate the Wellingtons with the pastry lattice

   

   Stretch 1 lattice over each pastry bundle. Tuck lattice edges under; trim excess lattice, if needed. Brush lattice lightly with beaten egg; place thyme leaves in each lattice opening. Refrigerate, uncovered, until cold, 10 minutes.

8. Bake the Wellingtons

   Insert probe of an oven-safe meat thermometer in thickest portion of 1 bundle. (Alternatively, use an instant-read meat thermometer to check temperature during last few minutes of bake time.) Place baking sheet with all 4 bundles in preheated oven; immediately reduce temperature to 400°F. Bake, rotating baking sheet halfway through bake time, until pastry is golden brown and thermometer registers 115°F, 30 to 32 minutes. Let rest on a wire rack 10 minutes before serving. (Beef temperature will rise to 130°F for medium-rare. For rare, freeze bundles in step 2 for 3 hours or up to overnight; bake until thermometer registers 85°F, 35 to 40 minutes. Temperature will rise to 115°F while resting.)