2 lbs Beef Tenderloin - trimmed and cut into 24 one inch 'cubes'
2 sheets Frozen Puff Pastry - thawed
1 Tbs Oil - can use olive, canola, grape seed, avocado, sunflower, or safflower oil
1 Tbs Unsalted Butter
8 oz. Cremini (AKA Baby-Bella) Mushrooms - stems removed and minced
1 Tbs Fresh Thyme Leaves - fine chopped
6 slices Prosciutto / Parma Ham
1 large Shallot - minced
¼ Cup Dijon Mustard
1 Egg -beaten
Kosher Salt to taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste
Preparation:
Pat your beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering - Add the beef and allow to cook until seared and browned all over but still rare in the middle (apx 3 minutes) - Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and set aside until needed
Wipe out the skillet and return to medium heat - Melt butter and add the mushrooms and shallots - Sauté until tender and the mushrooms have begun to release their juices (apx 3 minutes) - Add thyme. salt. and pepper to taste and continue to sauté until all excess moisture has evaporated (apx 7 minutes more) and you are left with a mushroom paste known as a duxelles - Remove the duxelles from the skillet and set aside until needed
Cut your Parma ham into 24 'strips' and set aside - Add the mustard to the beef and toss to evenly coat - Set aside until needed
Preheat oven to 400ºF
On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of your pastry sheets into a rectangle apx ⅛ inch thick - Cut into 12 equal squares
Place 1 'strip' of the ham in the center of each pastry square - Spread apx 1 Tbs of the duxelle over the ham - Place one of the beef 'cubes' in the center and fold the ham over the top
Pull two opposing sides of the pastry up over the filling and pinch to seal - Pull the remaining sides up over the top and pinch to seal to form a sealed 'packet' - Repeat with the remaining squares -Transfer the 'packets' to a parchment lined baking sheet seam side down and lightly brush with egg
Repeat steps 6-8 with the remaining sheet of pastry and filling
Bake until golden brown (apx 15-20 minutes) - Remove from oven and allow to cool for 8-10 minutes - Transfer to a serving platter and garnish as desired