Bacon Ranch Cream Cheese Wellington Recipes

DECONSTRUCTED PORK WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sprinkle some flour on the countertop and unroll the puff pastry. With a rolling pin, roll out the puff pastry slightly, so it is large enough to cut out 6 circles with a 3-inch ring cutter. Cut out 6 circles and place them on a baking sheet. Bake the circles until they're puffy and golden.
• For the pork: Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
• In a bowl, mix together the mustard and pepper. Coat the pork in the mixture. Season with salt.
• Heat the oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the pork until browned on all sides, adding more oil if necessary. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pork from the skillet and keep warm.
• For the sauce: Place the same skillet used for the pork over medium heat, add the chicken stock and apple juice and cook, scraping up any browned bit from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the fig jam and let simmer 2 minutes. Stir in the butter and cook 1 more minute. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Keep the sauce warm.
• For the mushrooms: In a second skillet (or the cleaned out skillet from the pork), heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the onion, shallot and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve: Slice the pork into 1-inch-thick medallions. Place a puff pastry circle on each plate, then top with a circle of mushrooms and a slice of pork. Spoon some sauce over the top and garnish with a small sprig of parsley.

POTATO-BACON TORTE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Pulse the butter, flour and fine salt in a food processor until the mixture looks like wet sand. Add 8 to 10 tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the dough just begins to clump together. Divide the dough between 2 resealable plastic bags and pat into disks. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Roll out 1 disk of dough into a 10-inch round on a floured surface. Fit the dough into a 9-inch pie plate and refrigerate.
• Make the filling: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp; drain on paper towels. Let cool, then crumble.
• Bring the cream and thyme sprigs to a bare simmer in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from the heat; let steep 5 minutes. Remove the thyme.
• Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. Remove the pie plate from the refrigerator. Add a layer of potato slices over the dough in a circular pattern, overlapping; season with kosher salt and pepper and sprinkle with about one-quarter of the bacon. Continue layering until the pan is nearly full. Top evenly with the gruyere. Gently pour the cream over the torte, allowing it to seep down between the potato slices.
• Roll out the remaining disk of dough into a 10-inch round on a floured surface. Lay the dough over the filling; press the edges of the 2 crusts together and crimp them closed. Beat the egg yolk with a splash of water and brush on the top crust. With a sharp knife, cut a few slits in the center of the crust to let steam escape. Put the torte on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is browned and the potatoes are cooked through, 50 minutes to 1 hour. (Cover the edges with foil if they brown too quickly.) Let rest at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges. Top with thyme leaves.

GRILLED CHEDDAR CHEESE SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Mix the butter, mayo and smoked paprika in a small bowl until well combined. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Lightly butter one side of each of the bread slices with the mayo mixture. Add the cream cheese to the remaining mayo mixture and mix well to combine. Spread some of the cream cheese mixture on the other side of each of the bread slices.
• Distribute the Cheddar on the cream cheese-side of 4 of the bread slices. Place the remaining 4 bread slices on top. Place the sandwiches in the skillet and cook until golden on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip the sandwiches and place a heavy-bottomed skillet on top of the sandwiches and cook until golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 4 minutes.

BEEF WELLINGTON WITH SPINACH & BACON

Steps:

• Pat the beef fillet with kitchen paper to remove any blood, then season. Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan until very hot, then sear and turn the fillet with tongs for 8-10 mins until it's well browned on all sides - hold it up to sear both ends, too. Set the beef aside on a tray to catch any juices. Take the pan off the heat, but don't clean it.
• Tip the spinach into a colander and pour over a kettle of boiling water to wilt it, then pour over cold water to cool it down. Squeeze the spinach as hard as you can to extract as much liquid as possible, then set aside. Lay a large sheet of cling film on your work surface. Overlap the pancetta or bacon on it in a row, then cover with another sheet of cling film. Use a rolling pin to roll it out to a thin layer. Remove the top sheet of cling film and scatter the spinach over the pancetta. Replace the cling film and roll again. Carefully peel away the top layer of cling film again, and sit the beef on top. Using the edge of the cling film, lift and roll the pancetta and spinach to encase the beef and roll everything into a tight sausage. For best results, place in the freezer for 30 mins to firm up - do not leave for longer or cooking times will be affected.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry to a rectangle a little larger than your Good Food magazine. Trim the edges to neaten, then lightly brush the pastry with egg yolk. Carefully unwrap the beef parcel and lay in the middle of the pastry. Fold the shorter edges over the beef, then roll the whole thing around the fillet to encase. For a really neat finish, get another clean sheet of cling film and roll the wellington into a tight sausage again. Chill for at least 30 mins, or up to one day.
• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and put a lightly oiled baking tray in it. Unwrap the wellington, brush with egg yolk, then use the back of a knife to score a neat criss-cross or checkerboard pattern all over it. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and transfer, sealed-side down, to the hot baking tray. Roast for 10 mins, then reduce the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and continue to cook for 25 mins for rare meat, 30 mins for medium rare, 35 mins for medium, and about 45 mins for well done, making sure the pastry doesn't burn (cover it with foil if it starts to darken). Remove from the oven and immediately brush with more egg yolk. Leave to rest for 10 mins.
• To make the gravy, heat the butter in the beef pan. Fry the shallot, thyme and bay leaf, scraping the crispy bits off the pan with a wooden spoon. Scatter over the flour and brown, then add the red wine and boil to a purple paste. Add the beef stock cube and any juice from the resting beef, and simmer for 5 mins. Pass through a sieve into a pan and season to taste. Use a sharp knife to carve the wellington into six thick slices and serve with the gravy on the side.

CHICKEN BACON RANCH CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. , In the same pan, combine milk, ranch salad dressing and salad dressing mix until smooth. Stir in cream cheese. Cook and stir over medium heat until cream cheese is melted; pour over pasta. Stir in chicken, bacon and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, until heated through and cheese is melted, 15-20 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with green onions.