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Delicious dinners that can be made in a jiffy

Rachael Ray, the queen of the 30-minute meal, shares her recipes for quick and tasty beef Wellington and tiramisu

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TODAY
updated 8:09 p.m. ET Aug. 29, 2005

Sick of your family making fun of you for calling leftovers from the Chinese restaurant "dinner"? With today's packed schedules, finding time to cook is more challenging than ever, but delicious dinners don't have to take hours. Rachael Ray, the host of the Food Network's "30 Minute Meals," was invited on "Today" to share recipes for beef Wellington and tiramisu that you can make — and eat — in less than an hour.

Individual Beef Wellingtons With Broiled Plum Tomatoes and Steamed Broccoli Spears
Makes 4 servings

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (once around the pan), plus some for drizzling
1 tablespoon butter
1 large shallot, chopped
1/2 pound button mushrooms and stems, cleaned and finely chopped or processed
4 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon) or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons dry sherry (2 splashes)
4 tournedos, fillet mignon steaks (1-inch thick)
8 ounces mousse paté (available in specialty cheese and appetizer cases)
1 sheet frozen prepared puff pastry, 11 x 17 inches, defrosted
1 egg, beaten with a splash of water
4 plum tomatoes
1 large head broccoli, trimmed and sliced into spears

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Preheat oven to 425ºF. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter, shallots, and chopped mushrooms, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and sauté 5 minutes. Add sherry and let the liquid evaporate. Remove mushrooms from heat.

In a nonstick skillet over high heat, sear meat 2 minutes on each side in a drizzle of oil. Remove skillet from the heat and season meat with salt and pepper.

Cut paté into 4 pieces, 2 ounces each. Spread the puff pastry sheet out onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Quarter the dough with a sharp knife. On each rectangle of dough, place 1/4 of the cooked mushrooms. Top mushrooms with 2 ounces paté and 1 tournedo of beef. Wrap dough up and over the meat, trim excess dough, and seal the dough with egg wash, using a pastry brush. Leftover dough bits may be used to decorate the tops of your Wellingtons. Turn the wrapped Wellingtons over and cover with egg wash. Bake 10 minutes or until golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Preheat broiler to high. Split plum tomatoes in half lengthwise. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Broil 5 minutes, then transfer to a serving dish. Steam broccoli spears in 1 inch simmering salted water, covered, for 5 to 6 minutes or until just tender. Transfer to a serving plate and serve alongside Wellingtons and plum tomatoes.

Quick Tiramisu
Makes 4 servings

1 package ladyfingers (sponge cakes)
1/2 cup strong black coffee or espresso
2 ounces (shots) coffee liqueur (Kahlua)
2 cups Mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup powdered confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Open the ladyfingers and separate them.  Paint the ladyfingers with coffee combined with the coffee liqueur using a pastry brush.  Line 4 martini glasses with a single layer of ladyfingers, letting the cakes overlap a bit at the stem.  Press the cakes down to fit the lines of the glass.  Beat Mascarpone and sugar together for 2 or 3 minutes and spoon into the glasses.  Top glasses off with a cap of coffee-and-liqueur-soaked ladyfingers.  Dust each completed dessert with cocoa powder combined with a touch of cinnamon.

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