Day 47: Beef Wellington with Cheesy Sauce, Ceasar Salads, Rum Runners

It's not all that often that we feed the kids a separate meal and eat together after they go to bed.  Before I had kids, I never thought I would prepare a different meal for my kids.  My kids CAN eat whatever we eat, and usually do.  I'm not the type of mother to give in to "picky" eaters.  But now I see a better reason for eating separate meals: peace and quiet.  How nice to eat dinner without having to worry about two little extra mouths.  Randy now has Fridays off from his night job.  Yay!  So tonight, we had a mini celebration!  While we fed the kids and got them ready for bed, we snacked on a baguette with cheese, jam, and wine.  Then it was cooking time!

Beef Wellington with Cheese Sauce  (for 2)
A traditional beef wellington is usually one piece of meat wrapped in a puff pastry.  I create mine more like a calzone.  The beef is cut into chunks with a mushroom/dijon sauce.  I saw this made on a food network cooking show a few years ago.  I honestly don't even remember the person's name.  It was a weekend show that wasn't one of the "popular" ones--but I'm glad I caught it, this recipe rocks!

1/2 lb filet mignon
4-6 oz white mushrooms, minced or finely chopped
1 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 TB dijon mustard
1-2 TB olive oil
salt, pepper
1 sheet puff pastry
1 egg + water (for egg wash)
2 TB butter
2 TB flour
1/2 cup beer
1/2 cup milk
1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
paprika
pepper

In a small saucepan, heat the oil.  Add the finely chopped mushrooms and garlic.  Cook for about 2 minutes over medium heat.  When the mushrooms have cooked down, turn off the heat and add the dijon mustard.  Cut the beef into small chunks and add it to the mushroom mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Cut a sheet of puff pastry diagonally.  Spoon half of the filling onto each triangle.  Spread the egg wash around the edges of the pastry, and fold over.  Brush the egg wash onto the wellingtons and poke a few holes in them with a knife.  Bake at 400* for 20 minutes.

For the cheese sauce:
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the flour and whisk one minute.  Add the beer, milk, and Worcestershire sauce.  Season with paprika and pepper.  Turn the heat up to high and add the cheese.  Whisk continually until the cheese is melted, then turn off the heat.
Pour over the wellingtons and serve with a ceasar salad with homemade dressing.

Rum Runner
1 1/2 oz coconut rum
1 oz blackberry brandy
3 oz orange juice
3 oz pineapple juice
3 oz cranberry juice
ice