Even thought Beef Wellington isn’t one of those quick and easy weeknight recipes, don’t let that scare you away. I like to make it for special occasions like Christmas Day or a small dinner party—it really is worth the effort, I promise.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the Duxelles:
- 1 1/2 pints (3/4 pounds) white button mushrooms
- 1 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
- 1 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Beef:
- 1 pound center cut beef tenderloin
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 thin slices prosciutto
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
- 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
- 1/2 pound puff pastry, thawed if using frozen (1 sheet of Pepperidge Farms)
- 1 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- Minced chives, for garnish
For the Merlot Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons shallots
- 2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoonblack pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup merlot (or any red wine you have on hand)
- 1 cup beef stock
- pinch of ground ginger
- salt & pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
STEP 1—Prepare the Duxelles
Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. I add a little at a time since I have a smaller food processor.
Add butter and olive oil to a large saute pan and set over medium heat. Add the shallot and mushroom mixture and saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
STEP 2—Prepare the Beef
Tie the tenderloin in 3 places so it holds its cylindrical shape while cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil – about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside and allow to cool.
Meanwhile set out your prosciutto on a sheet of plastic wrap (plastic needs to be about a foot and a half in length so you can wrap and tie the roast up in it) on top of your cutting board. Shingle the prosciutto so it forms a rectangle that is big enough to encompass the entire filet of beef.
Using a rubber spatula cover evenly with a thin layer of duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.
Cut off twine from beef and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard.
Then roll up beef in the duxelles covered prosciutto using the plastic wrap to tie it up nice and tight. Tuck in the ends of the prosciutto as you roll to completely encompass the beef. Roll it up tightly in plastic wrap and twist the ends to seal it completely and hold it in a nice log shape.
Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to ensure it maintains its shape.
STEP 3
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to about a 1/4-inch thickness (if using Pepperidge Farms frozen pastry, no need to roll it out). Depending on the size of your sheets you may have to overlap 2 sheets and press them together.
Remove beef from refrigerator and cut off plastic. Set the beef in the center of the pastry and fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the beef – saving ends to use as a decoration on top if desired. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt before flipping over.
Place the beef seam side down on a baking sheet and decorate with extra dough.
Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash then make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife – this creates vents that will allow the steam to escape when cooking.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. (When you pierce it with the thermometer, the juices might be very red, but trust the temp and don’t be tempted to put it back into the oven unless you want it more medium-well or well done)
Remove from oven and rest before cutting into thick slices. Garnish with minced chives, and serve with Merlot Sauce (ingredients above) or Green Peppercorn Sauce.
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence.
