Beef Wellington
Beef Wellington has been a favorite special occasion meal of mine for as long as I can remember
The first thing that drew me to it was the puff pastry, and I most likely focused on the puff pastry part until I got older and could appreciate the beef tenderloin, pate, mushrooms and other insanely luxurious ingredients. Since the puff pastry is an important piece of this showstopper, I like to make this dish as individual portions so that I have more puff pastry per surface area. This dish is a bit more tedious than your average recipe, but it’s worth it- especially for special occasions!
To make preparing this less stressful, you can break this up into a couple of days. The day prior before baking, you could even prep everything and fully prepare the dish up until the baking part! I made the mushrooms, browned the tenderloin, and then wrapped the tenderloin in the prosciutto/pate/mushroom wrap and then refrigerated overnight and finished the rest the next day.
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Beef Wellington Recipe
Ingredients
4 servings
2 lbs beef tenderloin-4 pieces (about 8 oz per piece)
2+ tablespoons grapeseed or avocado oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 lb button mushrooms, chopped very fine (other varieties work too)- you can use a food processor to achieve right size
4 tablespoons butter (I prefer salted, you can use unsalted)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup cognac
1/2 tsp beef concentrate
7-8 oz Pate
1 lb frozen puff pastry (2 lbs if you want to do a lattice or cutouts)
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 lb Prosciutto
Red Wine Reduction (recipe at bottom of page)
1 cup rich red wine
2 cups beef stock
4 tablespoons butter, I prefer salted
4 large shallots, peeled and sliced thinly
salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Season tenderloin liberally with salt and pepper
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over high heat until almost smoking. Add tenderloin and brown each side- do not move the tenderloin until well browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, let cool, and then stick in refrigerator until cooled completely.
Add butter to the pan on medium-high heat to melt. Add mushrooms and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated and they are dry and are sticking to the pan, stirring occasionally. This should take about 15-25 minutes.
Add thyme and cook for about 2 minutes.
Add Cognac and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits. Continue to cook until brandy has evaporated. Add heavy cream and 1/2 teaspoon beef concentrate and cook, stirring frequently until cream thickens. Season with salt and pepper and then transfer to a bowl to cool and then put in the refrigerator.
Once the mushrooms and beef are chilled, Lay 2 layers of plastic wrap (about 10x10 depending on the size of your steak) on a work surface and lay two-three pieces of prosciutto side by side slightly overlapping. Cover the prosciutto evenly with 1/4 of the mushrooms. Take 1/4 of the pate and apply to the top of the mushrooms and spread evenly. Place tenderloin on the middle of the mushroom/pate mixture.
Fold the sides of the prosciutto up towards the steak, and then roll the steak forward as tightly as possible. Once the steak is rolled up, re-wrap with more plastic wrap and twist ends to tighten. Continue with the rest of the tenderloins and then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour and unfold the puff pastry and cut into 4 equal pieces. Then roll each piece into a 10x10 inch square and set on top of a piece of parchment paper.
Unwrap the steak one at a time and gently place one steak in the middle of a piece of puff pastry. Brush the edges of the puff pastry with egg to seal the pastry together. Fold the pastry like a present. Repeat with the 3 other steaks. Chill in freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Take the beef tenderloin out of the refrigerator and unwrap and place on the baking sheet. Generously brush the egg wash over the puff pastry on all of the individual wellingtons and then finish with a sprinkle of Maldon salt or sea salt.
*If you would like a lattice on top of the Wellington, roll out the rest of the puff pastry (you should only need 1/2 the previous amount since you’re covering less area) and then use your lattice roller. Brush the egg wash on top of the Wellington and then lay the lattice puff pastry on top. Cut off excess pastry and brush again with egg wash. Then top with Maldon salt.
**You could also use the extra puff pastry to cut out designs and use the above method for the puff pastry add-ons instead of the lattice design.
Depending on the size of the beef tenderloin, cook for 20-35+ minutes. Internal temperatures for:
Rare: 120°F
Med Rare: 130°F
Medium: 140°F
Med Well: 150°F
Well Done: 160°F
Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. The internal temp will increase while it’s resting.
Red Wine Reduction Sauce
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots with a pinch of salt and cook until caramelized and jammy. About 25-35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the wine and cook until wine has evaporated. Then add beef stock and cook until sauce is reduced by half and thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Pour the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve & use a spoon or spatula to squeeze out every last drop of this liquid gold. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with truffled mashed potatoes!
