Turn tail of beef under and tie with string to make even thickness for roasting. Roast at 425 ° for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, cool, wrap in foil and chill for 4 hours or overnight. Saut, onion and nuts in butter until onion is tender and nuts toasted. Stir in mushrooms and cognac. Cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture with the remaining forcemeat ingredients. Mix well, let cool, cover and refrigerate. In a large bowl, cut the butter and shortening into the flour and salt until the mixture resembles small peas. Sprinkle cold water over all and work quickly into the flour mixture until it forms a ball. Sprinkle with flour. Pastry may be rolled out at this time or wrapped in waxed paper and refrigerated. Pastry must be removed from refrigerator 2 to 3 hours before rolling. On a generously floured board, roll pastry into a square approximately 18 inches by 18 inches. Trim uneven edges. Remove string from filet and lay along one edge of the pastry. Spread the forcemeat evenly over the filet. Lift pastry over all, overlapping it under the meat and sealing the edges. Cut designs from remaining pastry to decorate the Wellington. Brush entire pastry with egg white. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 425 ° for 40 minutes. Transfer carefully to serving platter and allow to set for 10 to 20 minutes before serving. This recipe may be halved.

Place the unbaked Wellington on a narrow, folded sheet of aluminum foil strong enough for lifting and with the ends extending for grasping. This prevents the pastry from breaking when transferring to the serving platter.

Marti Thomas (Mrs. A. Henry)

From <Traditions: A Taste of the Good Life>, by the Little Rock (Ar) Junior League. Downloaded from Glen's Mm Recipe Archive,