Beef Wellington
This impressive and traditional Beef Wellington recipe is perfect for holidays and special occasions.
Prep: 15min
Total: 2h30min
Yield: 6 serving(s)
Ingredients:
- 1 (2 lb.) center-cut beef tenderloin, trimmed
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing
- 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 lb. mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 shallot, roughly chopped
- Leaves from 1 thyme sprig
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 12 thin slices prosciutto
- all-purpose flour, for dusting
- 14 oz. frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Flaky salt, for sprinkling
Instruction:
- Using kitchen twine, tie tenderloin in 4 places. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Over high heat, coat bottom of a heavy skillet with olive oil. Once pan is nearly smoking, sear tenderloin until well-browned on all sides, including the ends, about 2 minutes per side (12 minutes total). Transfer to a plate. When cool enough to handle, snip off twine and coat all sides with mustard. Let cool in fridge.
- Meanwhile, make duxelles: In a food processor, pulse mushrooms, shallots, and thyme until finely chopped.
- To skillet, add butter and melt over medium heat. Add mushroom mixture and cook until liquid has evaporated, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then let cool in fridge.
- Place plastic wrap down on a work surface, overlapping so that it’s twice the length and width of the tenderloin. Shingle the prosciutto on the plastic wrap into a rectangle that’s big enough to cover the whole tenderloin. Spread the duxelles evenly and thinly over the prosciutto.
- Season tenderloin, then place it at the bottom of the prosciutto. Roll meat into prosciutto-mushroom mixture, using plastic wrap to roll tightly. Tuck ends of prosciutto as you roll, then twist ends of plastic wrap tightly into a log and transfer to fridge to chill (this helps it maintain its shape).
- Heat oven to 425°. Lightly flour your work surface, then spread out puff pastry and roll it into a rectangle that will cover the tenderloin (just a little bigger than the prosciutto rectangle you just made!). Remove tenderloin from plastic wrap and place on bottom of puff pastry. Brush the other three edges of the pastry with egg wash, then tightly roll beef into pastry.
- Once the log is fully covered in puff pastry, trim any extra pastry, then crimp edges with a fork to seal well. Wrap roll in plastic wrap to get a really tight cylinder, then chill for 20 minutes.
- Remove plastic wrap, then transfer roll to a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Bake until pastry is golden and the center registers 120°F for medium-rare, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before carving and serving.
CHRISTMAS RECIPE: Christmas Beef Wellington
FAQ
What cut of beef is best for Beef Wellington?
Beef Wellington is a nice cut of meat, usually a fillet steak, beef tenderloin, or filet mignon. It uses the center-cut portion of the meat that is known to be the most tender and juicy part of the cow. The meat is wrapped in a mustard sauce, then a mushroom duxelles and prosciutto.
Why is Beef Wellington so hard to make?
The difficulty boils down to presentation. If the pastry base absorbs too much liquid, the Wellington won’t hold together when you slice it. Slices that don’t look perfect will still taste incredible, but if you want the pastry to hold together, you need to keep the juices inside the prosciutto wrap.
How do you keep the bottom crust from getting soggy in Beef Wellington?
Tying the tenderloin improves both the appearance of the final dish, and leads to more even cooking. Phyllo provides a moisture barrier, preventing the puff pastry from getting soggy. A double layer of plastic wrap makes it easier to wrap up the tenderloin.
