Savory Beef Bundles

Meat in a pie crust or puff pastry has always been a weakness for me. Whenever I visit England, one of the first things I search for is a sausage roll. The combination of the grease soaking into the pastry and a little crunch just works for me. So why not seasoned beef wrapped up in a puff pastry for dinner. I recall my mother cooking chicken and other items in puff pastry. I loved unwrapping these and digging into the contents ever on the lookout for peas she may have stuffed in there!

The idea for this Savory Beef Bundles recipe came from the Ontario LCBO Food and Drink magazine. It has been modified for my taste. We have served these on several occasions to guests who feel very special when presented with their package while wondering what is inside. “Don’t worry we did not stuff Tripe in there.”, could be one response. As each guest breaks the crust you can hear the trapped air escape and with it a savory aroma that triggers your receptors to get on with the business of eating these.

These can be prepared in advance, saving you time while entertaining your guests. Simply store in an air tight container at step six and place in the freezer. When you are ready to cook them, let them thaw for 15 minutes and then coat with the egg and bake.

If you enjoy cooking with puff pastry, you should try our Aussie sausage roll recipe for a hot appetizer.

Recipe

1 lb quality beef, strip loin or filet
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
2 med. sweet onions, thinly sliced and chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp herbes de Provence
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 pkg frozen butter puff pastry sheets
1 egg, lightly beaten

1. Trim and prepare steak minimizing the fat content. Using the end of a filet tenderloin is perfect for this. Cut steak into ½-inch cube pieces. Dry with paper towels and and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Thaw the puff pastry sheet per package instructions. Preheat oven to 425°F

3. Pour 1 tbsp of the oil in large nonstick skillet. Heat oil on medium high heat and then add the steak. Brown the meat and then remove to a bowl.

4. Add the remaining oil to the skillet maintaining the medium high heat. Cook mushrooms, onion, garlic and herbes de Provence seasoning, stirring for about 10 minutes or until golden brown and liquid has evaporated.

5. Remove the beef from the bowl with slotted spoon and add to the skillet. Discarding any accumulated juices in the bowl. Add Worcestershire sauce and cook for 1 minute. Add the parsley until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let cool to room temperature.

6. Cut each puff pastry sheet in half on the diagonal. This will make 4 triangles. Using a spoon, divide meet filling evenly on center of each triangle. Brush edges with some of the egg. Bring 2 of the corners to center to meet last corner and form a square. Pinch seams to seal. Repeat with remaining bundles. Carefully transfer, seam-side down, to a Silpat lined baking sheet (you can also use parchment paper).

7. Lightly brush each bundle with egg and bake on the middle rack for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.