Salmon Wellington Recipe

Make flaky pastry: In food processor with metal blade or in mixing bowl, mix butter and cream cheese until blended. Add flour and continue mixing until well incorporated. Shape into 2 flat balls and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Make mushroom artichoke filling: Melt butter or margarine in skillet and saute artichokes and onion until lightly browned. Add mushrooms and Maderia and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste. Remove to bowl and chill.

Roll half the pastry on a floured board into a rectangle approximately 14 inches long and 12 inches wide. Cut into 4 rectangles. Repeat with remaining dough. Place salmon fillets on a greased baking sheet. Tuck the thinner parts of fillet underneath, making them all the same thickness. Divide mushroom artichoke filling among the fillets and spread evenly on top. Cover each with a rectangle of pastry. Tuck 1/2 inch of pastry under fillets; trim off excess dough. Do not cover the entire bottom with pastry or it will become soggy. Brush top and sides with egg yolk glaze, being careful not to let glaze drip. Reroll scraps of pastry and cut out small decorations. Place on Wellingtons and glaze the entire pastry again.

Make light white wine sauce: Place wine, vinegar and shallots or onion in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until slightly thickened and reduced to approximately 4 tablespoons. Slowly whisk in the cream. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens to desired consistency. This will take a little time, but as the water evaporates from the cream, it will thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in chives or parsley. Reheat before serving. If sauce becomes too thick, thin down with additional wine or cream. Serve hot.

Before serving, bring Wellingtons to room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Bake Wellingtons for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden. At this time, if the fillets are 3/4 inch thick, they will be moist and flaky. Spoon a small amount of sauce on each plate, place Wellingtons on sauce and pass remaining sauce.