Steak and Brie Enchiladas

I created a Leftover Steak Enchiladas recipe, found here, that admittedly wasn't really culinary art - it was just a clever way to re-purpose leftover rib eye steak.  This recipe has a bit more panache and can be made with either leftover beef filets or freshly cooked beef tenderloin steaks.  If the latter, simply broiling the steak to medium rare would work just fine.  If the former, hopefully you've had the good sense to cook them no more than medium rare, and the steak may be used in this recipe out of the fridge from there.

You might think that mushrooms don't really find their way into a lot of Mexican enchilada recipes and you would be correct.  But this dish is more of a French-Mexican fusion approach and in fact, if you substituted crepes for the flour tortillas, eliminated the green chilies and exchanged the cumin for, say, Herbs de Provence, you would have something decidedly more Old World. Brie cheese, originating from the French province that surrounds Paris, practically demands mushrooms as an accompaniment.

Ingredients
For the Enchiladas
12-16 oz grilled or broiled medium rare beef tenderloin filet, very thinly sliced
1 small sweet onion (like, Vidalia or Texas 1015), very thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 4-oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
6-8 large flour tortillas
2 tbsp olive oil

Ingredients
For the Brie Sauce
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock (like, Swanson's or Kitchen Basics)
1/2 cup Mexican-style Sour Cream (like, Cacique Crema Mexicana Agria)
1 4-oz can chopped green chilies (like, Old El Paso)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp smoked salt (like, San Francisco Salt Company alder wood)
8 oz wheel Brie cheese (like, Président), rind removed and cut into small pieces
small handful fresh chopped cilantro

The Recipe
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and sauté the thinly sliced onions and peppers until wilted and beginning to pick up a little caramelized color, 5-7 minutes. Toss in the mushrooms and sauté a minute longer. Toss the beef in last and give the whole concoction a stir, then remove from the heat. You don't want to cook the beef, just take the chill off of it if it has been in the fridge.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Stir in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.  Gradually whisk in the chicken stock until it is blended and smooth.  Slowly simmer it as it thickens, about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the sour cream, diced green chilies, ground cumin, garlic powder and salt.  Blend everything together.

Keeping the temperature at a medium high heat while stirring constantly with a spoon, add the pieces of Brie to the sauce and allow them to melt before adding more cheese.  Do this until all the cheese has been incorporated into the sauce.  Remove from the heat.

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.

Pour a thin layer of the Brie sauce into the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish.

Fill each flour tortilla with a portion of the cooked steak (2 oz or so), a spoonful of the sautéed vegetables and a spoonful of the Brie sauce.

Roll up the tortilla and place seam side down in the baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes until the enchiladas are heated through and the Brie sauce is bubbly.  Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes to get a little browning on top.

Remove from the oven and garnish with the chopped cilantro.