Celebrate New Years Eve 2010 At The Turtle Restaurant

Oh Boy, our menu this year is going to be old school! See The History of Beef Wellington posted below.

Dinner will be served from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Reservations required. Call 325-646-8200 or reserve online enter the date December 31, 2009 and the number in your party. You will receive a confirmation. In the spirit of The Bakery and Chef Louis Szathmary, the evening is Three Courses Prix Fixe at $45.00 per person not including, drinks, dessert, alcohol and tip.

Bloody Mary Crab Cocktail
wild caught crab, tortilla strips, spicy tomato broth,
Tito's Vodka, pico de gallo

Winter Salad
rocket, toasted almonds, maytag bleu cheese, cranberries,
aged balsamic vinaigrette

Filet of Beef Wellington
wild mushroom duxelle, pate foie gras, puff pastry, perigourdine Sauce

Now a word about our sparking wine. We brought in a variety of sparkling wine, Cava from Spain, Champagne from France, and Prosecco from Italy for the New Year because, what kind of a New Year's celebration would it be without bubbles? Few people have heard of Cava. We think that is a shame as Spain produces many fine "champagnes" equal to the French and at a better price. So we have Champagne for the die hards, Cava for the adventurous, and Prosecco for the romantics at a wide range of price points so you can comfortably afford to try something new.

Rumor has it that there might be a live jazz duo as well.

The Turtle Enoteca will be opened from 5:00 until people leave or the law says close.

The Turtle Restaurant, 514 Center Ave, Brownwood, Texas 76801
325-646-8200

The History of Beef Wellington

You have probably heard of Beef Wellington. There are many recipes which claim to be the "original recipe", Some including truffle paste, others using brioche or pastry dough instead of puff pastry. This famous dish had a resurgence in the 1960's because former President Nixon was quite fond of it. The White House served Beef Wellington based on a recipe from the early 19th Century at every state diner during his tenure.

At the end of the 18th century it was very popular to cook meat inside pastry shells, sometimes with a sauce much like pot pies, and often just wrapping the cut with vegetables in a basic pastry made with flour and water. This pastry would protect the meat from the extreme and hard to regulate heat from the period's kitchen appliances. All of which combined to produce a juicy and fragrant cut.

The origins of the basic recipe for Beef Wellington can be traced back to the kitchen of Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington. Wellesley is famous for having won the battle of Waterloo in 1815 against Napoleon. That first version of the dish was filled with truffle paste instead of duxelle mushrooms and the wrapping was normal pastry dough.

Several other sources mention that the dish might have gotten its name from the resemblance to a highly polished riding boot -- also called a wellington boot -- when taken out of the oven. Another theory is that Beef Wellington is of Irish origin. In "Irish Traditional Food," Theodora FitzGibbon uses Irish spelling for the recipe by calling the dish Steig Wellington. While this theory has never been confirmed, it still appears in various cookbooks as part of the history of Beef Wellington.

The first time we tasted Beef Wellington was right after we were married in the mid 1970s. Food fans who were in Chicago in the 1970s probably remember The Bakery, Louis Szathmary's restaurant, one of the very best restaurants in the city, whose specialty was Beef Wellington. The popularity of the Bakery was partly due to its moderate prices and casual attire. Chef Louis was friendly and accessible. He would check on every patron, warm and welcoming, part Santa Claus and part, well ... Chef Louis. The Bakery is where we learned to become comfortable with Fine Food. Julia Child and Chef Louis were both responsible for my learning to make puff pastry, mushroom duxelle, and Beef Wellington.

Szathmaryism:

"I see no reason why the artists in the kitchen who are creating our daily bread should not be treated academically the way other artists are. To be a good chef, a good culinarian is to be an artist, and a scientist. Our skills are the perfect combination of creative, visual and performing arts at once."