If you want to make an upscale dinner this year, why not try your hand at making Beef Wellington for Christmas?
This recipe is not an everyday Saturday night dinner. This is for special occasions and Christmas dinner seems like the perfect time to make this.
I have watched Gordon Ramsay for years make this dish, so I decided that it was high time to give it a try. It has always seemed complicated, but I am here to say that it honestly was one of the easiest dishes I have made. It just has a lot of steps, so let's get into it!
What is Beef Wellington?
According to Wikipedia, Beef Wellington is a steak dish of English origin, made out of fillet mignon steak coated with pâté (often pâté de foie gras) and duxelles, wrapped in puff pastry, then baked. Some recipes include wrapping the coated meat in a crêpe or dry-cured ham to retain the moisture and prevent it from making the pastry soggy.
A whole tenderloin may be wrapped and baked, and then sliced for serving, or the tenderloin may be sliced into individual portions before wrapping and baking.
While historians generally believe that the dish is named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, the precise origin of the name is unclear and no definite connection between the dish and the duke has been found
How to Make Beef Wellington Recipe
For this recipe you will need the following ingredients —
- 3-pound beef tenderloin
- 2 packages of baby bella or button mushrooms
- 3 cloves of garlic
- fresh thyme leaves
- Dijon Mustard
- Proscuitto or Parma Ham Slices
- flaky Puff Pastry at room temperature
- Egg Wash
Add some olive oil to a large pan. Tie the whole tenderloin with kitchen twine. This is to ensure that it holds its shape during the searing process. Make sure you have a hot pan.
Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper and place it in the hot oil. Now, sear all sides including the ends until it gets a golden brown color all around.
Remove from the pan and set it aside to rest while you get the mushroom duxelles completed. Remove the kitchen twine and while the meat is still hot, smear on the Dijon Mustard.
Time to Grab the Food Processor
In the food processor, add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, black pepper, and salt. Pulse on high until all the mushrooms have been ground fine. It will look like a fine paste when finished.
Over medium heat in the same pan that you cooked the tenderloin, add a pat of butter and a little more olive oil.
Add the mushroom mixture to the pan and allow it to cook over medium-high heat until all the excess moisture evaporates and the mushroom paste starts to brown. This step usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Once the duxelles have cooked, set it aside.
Grab a large sheet of cling film or plastic wrap( I used two) and lay them out. Top it with 12 slices of prosciutto. Ensure it is in a rectangle and can be wrapped around the beef tenderloin.
Spread the mushrooms out onto the prosciutto.
Use the plastic wrap to help you wrap the tenderloin in the prosciutto. Wrap the whole thing with the plastic wrap and twist the ends of the plastic wrap tightly to ensure a tight barrel shape.
Place the ham-wrapped filet in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Time for Puff Pastry
On a lightly floured surface, bring out your puff pastry dough. If you need both pieces, lay them out on your work surface and seal them together to create one big rectangle. I only needed one piece. Trim off any excess pastry. Make sure to wrap the edges of the pastry around the ends and tuck the edges together to seal.
Take the ham-wrapped filet out of the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Now, exactly like you wrapped it with plastic wrap, wrap it the same way with the puff pastry. If you seem to have a lot of excess dough, be sure to cut it off so you have the right amount for this recipe.
Cut slits in the top and make sure that the sides have seamed together nicely. The slits will allow steam to escape.
Place the tenderloin on a baking sheet and bake in a 425-degree oven for about 40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temps of the meat.
Allow it to rest for 15 minutes before slicing into thick slices. Serve with a sprinkling of parsley and a little salt. You could even make a rich red wine sauce to drizzle over the meat as well.
Looking for other beef recipes? Check These Out
- The Best Slow Cooker Beef Brisket
- Mongolian Ground Beef Noodles
- 15 Minute Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Beef Wellington
Delicious beef tenderloin covered in puff pastry with a mushroom paste and seared to perfection.
Ingredients
- 3 pound center cut beef tenderloin
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard
- 1 1/2 pounds of button or baby bella mushrooms
- 1/2 onion roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons of dried thyme leaves
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 12 slices of proscuitto
- 1 package of puff pastry sheets
- 1 large egg for egg wash
- flaky sea salt
- minced parsley
Instructions
- Prepare the beef tenderloin by trimming away all the silverskin and fat making sure to have the center cut. Tie it up with kitchen twine at 1" intervals.
- Season with salt and pepper heavily.
- Heat a large skillet over high heat until smoking. Add the olive oil and then sear the meat on all sides until golden brown. Make sure to leave the meat alone until each side has browned. Make sure to sear the ends also.
- Remove the tenderloin from the pan and set it aside. Remove the kitchen twine and brush it on all sides with the Dijon Mustard while it is still warm.
- !Make the Duxelles!
- Combine the mushrooms, onion, thyme leaves, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until the mushrooms are finely chopped.
- Pour the mushroom mixture into the same pan that the cooked filet was in. Cook until all the moisture is removed from the pan and the mixture begins to brown and crisp up. This should take about 15 minutes.
- Remove the mushrooms from the heat and allow it to cool.
- !Put the Wellington together!
- Double up a large piece of plastic wrap and lay out the prosciutto in a large rectangle. Make sure the pieces overlap.
- Spread the mushroom mixture over the ham pieces.
- Now place the tenderloin on one end.
- Use the plastic wrap to help roll the tenderloin up. Wrap it tightly to form a log. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap then place the tenderloin in the fridge for 30 minutes so that everything stays together.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Roll out the thawed puff pastry. Use both sheets if you need it but I only needed one.
- Remove the tenderloin from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Place the tenderloin on the puff pastry and roll it up, tucking the ends under and brushing the beaten egg over the long edge to seal the seam. Cut off any excess pastry.
- Transfer the beef wellington to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Slice the top in 3 places to allow steam to escape.
- Use the egg wash to brush on the top and then sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Bake for around 40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees F.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing into thick slices.
- Serve the slices garnished with minced fresh parsley and salt and pepper.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 988Total Fat: 71gSaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 37gCholesterol: 294mgSodium: 1980mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 75g