Boeuf En Croute

4 pound beef eye of the round roast
3/4 cup burgundy
3/4 cup dry sherry
2 bay leaves
1 onion, quartered
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 large leek
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup liver pate
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup cold water
1 slightly beaten egg
3 tbsp. flour

Place roast in clear plastic bag; set in deep bowl. For marinate, mix the burgundy, sherry, bay leaves, and onion; pour over meat in bag. Close bag. Chill overnight; turn bag occasionally to distribute the marinade.

Next day, remove meat from bag; reserve marinade for use in filling and gravy. Place meat on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer. Roast, uncovered, in 425 degree oven about 55 minutes or till thermometer registers 130 degrees. Remove meat from pan; cool 20 minutes. Reserve drippings for gravy. Trim any fat from meat.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Cook mushrooms and leek in butter about 6 minutes; remove from heat. Stir in the liver pate, bread crumbs, and 3 tbsp. of the reserved marinade. Cover, chill at least 1 hour.

Prepare pastry. Stir together the 2 cups flour and salt. Cut in shortening till size of small peas. Gradually add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork till all is moistened; form into a ball.

On lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a 14x12-inch rectangle. Spread with filling to within 1 inch of edges. Center the partially cooked roast atop. Wrap pastry around meat, using beaten egg to seal the edges. Transfer to greased baking sheet; bake in 425 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or till pastry is golden (meat will be rare).

To make gravy, heat the reserved drippings with 3/4 cup water till solids dissolve. Blend the 3 tbsp. flour with 1/2 cup cold water; stir into drippings. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved marinade. Cook and stir till bubbly; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with roast.

Tip: Wrapping meat in pastry takes extra time, but is not hard to do. Center the meat atop the rolled out pastry. Carefully lift up long edge pressing against meat. Repeat with the remaining long side, overlapping pastry atop meat. Brush edges with a little beaten egg; seal. Trim excess pastry from ends; fold up. Brush with a little beaten egg; seal. Place, seam down, on greased baking sheet. Brush egg over all. Reroll pastry trimmings. Cut into strips; crisscross on roast. Brush with remaining egg.