Beef Wellington

 

Beef Wellington

Delight in a personal beef Wellington, accompanied by a rich red wine mushroom sauce. 

Aunt Kate explained that this type of dish was perfect for a memorable celebration or intimate evenings, or just a Sunday dinner meal after Church. What’s best is you can put this together the day before you need to fully cook it and then just take it out of the fridge 4 hours before you cook it to ensure it’s at room temperature.

Servings 2 

Ingredients 

Puff Pastry

1 frozen puff pastry sheet, Pepperidge Farm recommended

Mushroom Filling

8 ounces brown mushrooms, rinsed and dried

1 teaspoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Beef

16 ounces beef tenderloin steaks, filet mignon (two 8-oz pieces) 1 ½ to 2" thick

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 ounces prosciutto, 6 to 8 slices

water, as needed for brushing the pastry

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon milk

kosher salt, as needed for seasoning

black pepper, as needed for seasoning

Mushroom Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup red wine

¼ cup diced shallots, ¼" dice

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups beef stock, divided

4 ounces brown mushrooms, ¼" thick slices

kosher salt, as needed for seasoning

Instructions 

Let the Puff Pastry Thaw –

Take one sheet of puff pastry and let it sit at room temperature on a parchment-lined pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap until it's cool and pliable, about 30 to 40 minutes. If not using right away, pop it in the fridge.

Preheat Your Oven –

Adjust the oven rack to the center and preheat to 400°F before starting your mushroom filling.

Mushroom Filling – 

In a food processor, pulse mushrooms until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs—avoid turning them into paste! You can also chop them finely with a chef’s knife instead.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat; add chopped mushrooms and sauté for about five minutes or until softened and most moisture is gone. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Transfer to a bowl and chill completely in the refrigerator.

Preparing the Steaks:

Trim off excess fat or silver skin. Tie them with butcher's twine if needed, then pat dry and season generously with salt and pepper.

Searing Time:

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Once sizzling, brown the steaks for 2 minutes per side, including edges.  

Transfer to a plate and brush with Dijon mustard while warm.

Wrapping in Prosciutto:

On plastic wrap, lay out prosciutto slices to cover beef completely. Spread mushroom filling on top, leaving borders for wrapping.

Carefully place the seared filet at the center of the prosciutto and mushroom layer. For rectangular cuts, align them with the longer sides of the prosciutto.

Wrap tightly using plastic wrap and refrigerate for 5 minutes. 

Next, roll out your puff pastry to an 11-inch square. Cut in half, then position each beef fillet in the middle.  

Brush edges with water and seal by folding over opposite corners. Secure all ends well before wrapping remaining filets too! Chill again for a few minutes to firm up

Eggwash Application:

In a bowl, whisk egg yolk with milk. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the wellingtons seam-side down. Brush each pastry with egg wash and create cross-hatched lines on top if you like, then sprinkle salt.

Baking Instructions:

Bake until golden brown—20 to 30 minutes at 125°F (medium-rare) or 130-135°F (medium). Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Mushroom Sauce Preparation:

Heat steak drippings over medium. If absent, add olive oil to a new pan and deglaze with red wine by whisking away browned bits. Add shallots; reduce the wine by half in about 1–2 minutes. Stir in flour for one minute, then gradually whisk in beef stock until it reaches one cup.

Simmer until thickened (~2 mins), adding sliced mushrooms and cooking till tender (~5 mins). Adjust consistency as needed; season with salt and pepper while keeping warm on low heat.

Serving Suggestion: Slice wellingtons into medallions or serve whole alongside mushroom sauce

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts from Phoenix University in Business Management, then a degree. Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Phoenix University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, Gouche, and pastels. As a political operative having worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 7 blogs that range from art to life coaching, to food, to writing, Gardening, and opinion or history pieces each week. 

British Fare, Potpourri of Frugality. Kilbride