Beef Carnavon

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 50 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces (2 sticks)
• 6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 10 -12 tablespoons ice water
• 6 lbs filet of beef
• 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup cognac
• 1 egg , lightly beaten
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon cream (or milk)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 lb mushroom, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup carrot, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped (or 1/2 t. dried thyme)
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup flour or 1/4 cup potato starch
• 2 1/2 cups cleaf beef broth
• 1 cup dry wine
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• salt, to taste
• 1/2 lb mushroom, sliced
• butter, for sauteing mushrooms

Recipe

• 1 pastry:.
• 2 in a large bowl mix together flour, butter, shortening and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• 3 pour lemon juice and 10 tablespoons ice water over mixture and toss lightly.
• 4 gather into a ball;if any crumbs remain add a little more water to form mass and add to ball.
• 5 wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
• 6 beef:.
• 7 preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• 8 trim filet well (or have butcher do it).
• 9 rub meat with butter and pepper.
• 10 turn ends under if necessary to retain uniform thickness in filet and tie with butcher's twine.
• 11 place meat thermometer in filet.
• 12 roast on rack until temperature reads 120 degrees, about 20 minutes.
• 13 remove from oven; flame with cognac.
• 14 reserve pan and drippings to make sauce.
• 15 cool meat on rack,remove string(if used) and then refrigerate.
• 16 while meat is cooling, prepare the duxelles mixture.
• 17 duxelles:.
• 18 melt butter in a large skillet.
• 19 saute shallots until translucent.
• 20 add mushrooms; cook slowly over low heat until mushrooms loose moisture, turn dark, and develope a dry look.
• 21 add salt to taste; chill.
• 22 assembling:.
• 23 roll pastry out 1/4 inch thick to envelope meat completely,allowing an overlap at bottom and ends.
• 24 there may be excess of pastry depending on size of meat.
• 25 spread pastry with chilled duxelles.
• 26 place filet in center; sprinkle with salt.
• 27 bring edges of pastry together,paint with egg and secure.
• 28 place seam side down on a baking sheet.
• 29 cut small leaves from pastry scraps and fasten to roll with egg .
• 30 mix yolk and cream and brush roll completely.
• 31 let dry 3 or 4 minutes.
• 32 refrigerate until ready to complete baking.
• 33 preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• 34 place filet on a cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes.
• 35 reduce heat to 375 degrees and continue baking 20 to 23 minutes longer.(at 20 minutes the meat will be quite rare.).
• 36 remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes befoer carving.
• 37 garnish with watercress or parsley.
• 38 serve with sauce espagnole.
• 39 sauce espagnole:.
• 40 melt butter in a 1 1/2 quart saucepan.
• 41 add next 5 ingredients and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, about 12 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and beginning to brown.
• 42 remove from heat and blend in flour.
• 43 increase heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until roux turns hazelnut brown. (this seems to take a long time, but you must be patient. once it begins to brown it darkens rapidly so be careful that it does not burn.).
• 44 stir in broth and wine.
• 45 bring to boiling point and simmer 30 to 40 minutes.
• 46 add tomato paste and pepper.
• 47 taste and add salt,if needed.
• 48 saute mushrooms briefly in a little butter and add to sauce just before serving.