Secret Recipe Club: Asparagus Gruyere Tart

This month, my assigned blog was Fried Ice & Donut Holes. Melissa, who is a teacher by trade, started her food blog in 2009. I love the story behind her blog's name and she has some GREAT recipes, it was so hard for me to choose.

When I saw her Asparagus Gruyere Tart, I was on board. My husband had been begging for steak when he got home from visiting his family and seeing his little brother graduate from Basic Training. I thought this tart would be the perfect side (instead of having potatoes) and we just recently tried gruyere for the first time and absolutely love it!

Updated Beef Wellington

This is another recipe I've had for over 5 years. To be honest, I hadn't made it because I was nervous. It seemed like an intimidating recipe. However, it really wasn't. It was incredibly easy. These are individual beef wellingtons and everyone loved them. I had to explain to my husband that I thought these would be hard to make when he jokingly complained about this recipe just sitting around for years. We will definitely be making these more often. The only change I made to this recipe was that I used onions instead of mushrooms. My family isn't big on mushrooms.

Crusty Steak Pie

This was basically a beef stew meets a beef pot pie and it was awesome.

I didn't do the extra puff pastry strip around the edges and I should have. I also didn't do the egg wash. It was still very good and gets a thumbs up from everyone in my family! Oh and the puff pastry totally made the recipe! :)

(Print)
What you need:

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. pepper, divided
• 1 lb. beef round cubes
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 sheet ready-made puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten
• Fresh thyme, optional

Directions:

Place flour, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a resealable plastic bag. 

Add beef cubes and shake to coat.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet and saute beef until it's all browned.

Add broth, celery, carrots, garlic, and remaining salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in parsley.

Lay pastry on a floured surface and place your pie dish on top. Trim and set aside.

Ladle meat mixture into pie plate.
Cut a thin strip from the leftover pastry and place around dish's edge. Brush with egg and place the circle of pastry on top. Push down to seal. Cut slits to vent. Glaze with egg and sprinkle with thyme.
Bake at 375* for 25 minutes.

Recipe Source Unknown
Although I suspect it is Pepperidge Farm or one of the bigger names like General Mills, Campbell's, etc.

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Easy Apple Strudel

I love all the possibilities from puff pastry and I’m always looking for a quick and easy breakfast. I’ve also been trying to get the kids to eat apples. I’d love to offer applesauce at lunchtime, but they won’t touch it. Thankfully, both of them ate this. So maybe it’s a step in the right direction.