Steak, Mushroom and Gruyere Puff Pastry with Cabernet Sauvignon Glace

     The puff pastry crust seals all of the flavor inside.  The aroma is mouth watering when the pastry is cut open!  The sauce is a simple cabernet sauvignon and beef stock reduction.
     I used a store bought, frozen puff pastry for this recipe, but a home made blitz puff pastry dough can add more character.  Frozen sheets of puff pastry are convenient and over 90% of all restaurants used this products.
     Many years ago, I cooked this recipe as a lunch menu item at a little French Bakery Cafe that was located just outside of Philadelphia.  The owner of the restaurant was a Swiss chef who had three French bakery cafes located in key shopping areas.  One thing about restaurants in malls and shopping areas is that the flow of business can be feast or famine.  During the holiday season the restaurants were very busy, but during the dog days of summer, the restaurants only served one or two customers per day.
     Th Swiss chef had several different flavors of this puff pastry item on the lunch menu and the fillings were all common sandwich meat and cheese combinations.  On the dinner menu, a petite beef wellington was offered.  The chef liked his food to be served with no excess garnishing or decorating, just like the ball shaped puff pastry in the photographs above.  I have to admit, a plain ball shaped pastry on a plate is rather odd and interesting looking.
     This puff pastry can be made ahead of time then refrigerated, till it is time for it to be popped in the oven.  This makes for an easy meal!  In a busy restaurant kitchen, it is always nice to have a few "easy bake" entrees on the menu, to give relief to the busy a la minute saute and broiler cooking.

     Steak, Mushroom and Gruyere Puff Pastry Recipe:
     Lean beef is best for this recipe.  Top sirloin or ball tip steak are good choices.
     A 6 ounce lean steak is needed for this recipe.
     Season the beef with sea salt and black pepper.
     Heat a saute pan over medium/medium high heat.
     Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
     Add 1 pat of unsalted butter.
     Sear and saute the the steak on all sides.
     When the beef becomes cooked medium rare to medium, remove it from the pan and set it aside.
     Reduce the temperature of the pan to medium low heat.
     Drain the grease out of the pan.  (dégraisser)
     Add 3 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add 1 teaspoon of finely chopped shallot.
     Add 1 clove of minced garlic.
     When the shallots turn clear in color, add 1/3 cup of thin sliced mushrooms.
     Add 1 pinch of Herbs du Provence.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Gently saute till the mushrooms become sweated soft.
     Add 1/2 cup of water.
     Scrape and deglace the suc that is stuck on the bottom of the pan.
     Quickly reduce the liquid till it evaporates.
     Place the mushroom mixture into a mixing bowl.
     Slice the seared steak into very thin, bite size strips.
     Add the sliced steak to the mushrooms in the mixing bowl.
     Add 1/4 cup of grated gruyere cheese to the steak and mushroom mixture.  (Swiss emmentaler cheese can be substituted for gruyere, if none is available.)
     Toss the steak mixture together and set it aside.
     Cut an 8" x 8" square of puff pastry dough.
     Place the pastry dough on a lightly floured counter top.
     Mound the steak, gruyere and mushroom filling on the center of the pastry dough.  Leave a 1" wide border of bare puff pastry dough around the filling.
     Pull the pastry square corners up and over the filling, so they meet at the center of the top of the pastry and a ball shape starts to take form.
     Pinch the pastry dough corners together, so they stay in place.
     Pull the loose open folds of the pastry dough up and pinch them together on top of the pastry, so it forms a ball shape.
     Be sure to completely seal the filling inside the pastry, or the melted cheese will leak out when it is baked!
     Trim any excess dough off from where the pastry dough was pinched together.
     Brush a small sheet of parchment paper with melted unsalted butter.
     Place the buttered parchment paper on a baking pan.
     Set the stuffed pastry ball on the parchment paper, so the area where the pastry is pinched together is facing down.
     Note:  You can decorate the pastry with any extra pastry dough cut into flower petal shapes if you want a fancier presentation or just leave it plain for a modest presentation.  Use egg wash to attach the decorations.  A perfect round ball shape is not as easy to make as it seems!
     Brush the stuffed pastry ball with egg wash.
     Bake the pastry in a 375 degree oven.
     The pastry is done baking when it becomes a golden brown color.  (About 15 to 20 minutes.)
     Let the Steak, Mushroom and Gruyere Puff Pastry rest for 2 minutes before serving.
     The Cabernet Sauvignon Glace can be made while the pastry bakes!
  
     Cabernet Sauvignon Glace Recipe:
     Heat a small sauce pot over medium heat.
     Add 1 cup of cabernet sauvignon wine.
     Add 3/4 cup of rich beef stock.
     Simmer and reduce the liquid, till it becomes a thin glace sauce consistency.  The glace should have a thin syrup like consistency.
     Remove the cabernet sauvignon glace from the heat and keep it warm on a stove stop.

     Steak, Mushroom and Gruyere Puff Pastry with Cabernet Sauvignon Glace:
     Spoon the cabernet sauvignon glace onto a plate in a decorative manner as a bed to set the pastry on.
     Place the steak, mushroom and gruyere puff pastry on top of the cabernet sauvignon glace.
     Serve with a vegetable medley of your choice.
     Garnish the plate with a parsley sprig.
  
     This is a very nice comfort food entree that is very satisfying in chilly weather!  Yum!  ...  Shawna