Beef Wellington

With great trepidation, I tried my hand at this extraordinary dish a few months ago. I needn’t have worried. because it turned out perfectly! I made two Beef Wellingtons last weekend, and they were excellent, too! So now I feel confident enough to pass along what is an admittedly intricate recipe, but one that’s not as difficult as you might think. One proviso: Mortgage the house, Dollinks! This famous recipe is pricey. If beef tenderloin isn’t in your budget, tuck this recipe aside for a later occasion, because it’s a keeper.

Beef Wellington is a splurge not only because it’s costly to make, but also because many of us don’t consume red meat as often as we once did. For those reasons as well as the extra time this dish requires, I’d list it under the decadently delicious category of “gourmet.”

However, if you’d like a memorable option to turkey and ham this holiday season, consider this delectable dish! I guarantee you’ll feel an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment as you present this beautiful dish at the table and everyone tucks in!

As with anything else that seems a little complicated, preparing Beef Wellington is a simple matter of taking things one step at a time. I’m going to try my best to make this recipe as easy to follow as I possibly can. Please read the entire recipe through before you begin. If anything puzzles you or seems unclear, drop me an e-mail or leave a comment under the recipe. I’ll respond in a day or two. As always, if you’d like to see any photo in greater detail, just click on it. 

Beef Wellington has five components: The best fillet of beef you can afford, a thin layer of paté over that, a thin layer of mushrooms “Duxelles” over the paté, a puff pastry casing, and a thin, richly flavored broth (“au jus”) served on the side. Take it easy and take it slowly: Prepare, cover, and refrigerate the Paté and the Duxelles up to a day in advance. 

Yesterday’s blog featured two Paté recipes, either of which is suitable for preparing Beef Wellington. To make Duxelles, use the recipe I gave you last summer (see Phyllo-Wrapped Chicken and Duxelles, July 15, 2011), or the one I’ll give you today. The Duxelles and Paté recipes are posted just below this Beef Wellington recipe. The photos show that I made a total of three Wellingtons in testing this recipe, but the recipe quantities I’ve given you are sufficient for one. And so to begin! 

Beef Wellington:

To Prepare the Beef Filet:

2-½ lb. (1 kg) beef tenderloin

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a cast iron frying pan over high heat, sear unseasoned beef fillet 5-to-7 min. in butter and oil. Turn the meat using tongs, rather than a fork. When meat is well seared, season to taste, remove from pan, cover, and chill, reserving and refrigerating pan juices and fat.

To Prepare the Paté and the Duxelles: 

See recipes below this post. Using fingers, spread 2-to-3 oz. (about ⅓-to-½ c.) prepared, chilled Paté thinly and evenly over chilled beef. Press Duxelles into Paté. Cover lightly and chill.

To Prepare the Pastry Casing:

1 - 14 oz. (397 g) pkg. frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg yolk, beaten

Preheat oven to 450 deg. F. Roll puff pastry very thinly. Center beef fillet on a narrow sheet of pastry. Roll out second, broader sheet also very thinly, placing over top and ensuring pastry drapes to bottom of meat on all sides. Pinch pastry edges tightly to seal. Lightly press a knife handle from the top center to sides of pastry, making diagonal indents as decoration. Cut a few diagonal slits in top crust to match indents and allow steam to escape. Dip pastry brush into beaten yolk, dabbing over top and sides of pastry. Transfer fillet to baking dish. Bake 10-to-15 min. Reduce heat to 425 deg. F. Bake 20-to-25 min. further, until pastry turns golden brown. Keep meat warm and allow to rest 10-to-15 min. while making the “jus.”

To Prepare the Broth or “Jus”:

Reserved pan juices and fat 

1 - 10 oz. (284 mL) can beef broth

2 tbsp. red wine

Combine first two “au jus” ingredients over high heat in small saucepan. Boil 10 min., until slightly reduced. Stir in wine. Strain and serve at the table, alongside beef.

Note: Our dining room table is small. We like to “present” Beef Wellington to our guests (you think we eat this way every day, Dollinks?) before slicing it in the kitchen. We also prefer our beef medium-rare. If you’re concerned that the time in the oven isn’t enough, remember that the meat will continue to cook in its pastry casing as it rests on the kitchen counter. Don’t overcook this dish! Beef Wellington should always be served pink at the center.

Begin with the best cut of tenderloin you can afford

Sear beef fillet on all sides in hot pan 5-to-7 min.

Cover and chill beef fillet (I made two), Duxelles, and pan juices

Bake until pastry turns golden brown

Present to the table before slicing and serving

Further Note: TV chef Gordon Ramsay has another way of making this dish. You’ll find it at http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2538/beef-wellington

I tried Ramsay’s recipe several months ago, and am attaching the photos of my preparation of his version, in which he substitutes prosciutto for paté. I must admit, I found Ramsay’s recipe and his instructions for wrapping the meat with prosciutto and Duxelles a little difficult. Regardless, the recipe’s out there on the Internet, ready for you to try for yourselves. 

With no paté to baste lean meat, Ramsay's
version requires basting with olive oil

In Ramsay's version, I spread the duxelles over the meat  ...

... And draped the meat with prosciutto

Slipping away with cello wrap, center meat on pastry

I fussed, trying for perfection! 

I brushed a little yolk inside, to adhere pastry seams

Present meat to guests

Present sliced meat ... Ramsay's version was on the rare side

Duxelles

If you’ve never made mushrooms “Duxelles,” you’re in for a treat! There are many recipes for Duxelles, but the basic ingredients are mushrooms sautéed with shallots, onions, garlic, tarragon, and sometimes parsley. Unless you grow fresh tarragon in your garden, it’s quite expensive. I’ve used fresh tarragon to make Duxelles in the past, but believe dried tarragon is every bit as good: My peasant’s palate can’t tell the difference! In the absence of shallots, I sometimes use very finely minced green (“spring”) onions and an extra clove of garlic, also finely minced. 

I love good food, but I’m not a food snob. I’ve made Duxelles with a costly mixture of mixed wild mushrooms, and - by the time everything was chopped, seasoned, and reduced in volume - I felt I’d wasted my money. Unless you’re fortunate enough to live in an area in which you can harvest wild mushrooms (see my May 9, 2011 post: René’s Mmmm! Morel Mushrooms), ordinary white or brown mushrooms will do just fine.

Duxelles:

2 tbsp. butter (no substitutes)

2 tsp. oil

2 tbsp. finely minced shallots

1 garlic clove, crushed

½ tsp. dry leaf tarragon (or 2 tsp. freshly chopped tarragon)

1 tbsp. finely minced parsley (optional)

1 c. very finely chopped mushrooms, divided (4 large white ones)

½ c. heavy cream, optional (I sometimes use beef stock)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Have all ingredients prepared and ready. Turn your element to “high” (or very close to it). Add butter and oil to your skillet, swirling them just above the stove element so they don’t burn as they melt. The fat should be very hot when you add the shallots, garlic, and tarragon and/or parsley. Sauté about 1 min. Add the mushrooms, sautéing 2 min. longer, until the mushroom mixture is tender. Reduce this mixture to a paste, stirring constantly. If desired, add heavy cream 1 tbsp. at a time, stirring well after each addition. Season to taste with salt and finely ground pepper. Refrigerate until needed for use in my posts for Beef Wellington, Phyllo-Wrapped Chicken and Duxelles, and other recipes.

Chop mushrooms as required.

Add mushrooms to onion, shallots, garlic, and tarragon.

Sauté until mushrooms are tender.

Add stock or cream, seasoning to taste.

Mushrooms “Duxelles” reduction.

Phyllo-Wrapped Chicken and Duxelles

Phyllo pastry! The very words make strong cooks quiver - and weak ones weep. It’s not difficult to work with phyllo pastry - though some people think it is. If you’re one of them, I’ll soon disabuse you of that notion.

If you’ve never worked with phyllo before, see my blogs dated April 16, 2011, for Baklava and for Potato, Wild Mushroom, and Cambozola Strudel. All of these delicious recipes will make you a phyllo fan! As I mentioned then, you’ll find it in your grocer's freezer case; it’s best thawed overnight, in your fridge. You can rewrap and refreeze the unused phyllo sheets. “Filo,” as it’s sometimes spelled, is a handy ingredient to stock in your home freezer. 

I’m not a professional chef, so at my level of cooking, I classify this dish as “gourmet.” It requires slightly more effort than something like baked pork chops, but I’m sure you’ll find the results well worth while. Because some cooks shy away from phyllo, it’s sure to wow whomever you ask to dinner. I’ve made this recipe often, but when I prepared it for Ron a few days ago, he was certainly wowed! Because this dish is so rich, I suggest you serve it with a simple green salad. When I made it for Ron, I served it with fresh green beans and Brown Rice Salad with Mango Chutney Dressing (I’ll give you this extraordinary rice salad recipe tomorrow. It's one of my summer favorites!).

Phyllo-Wrapped Chicken and Duxelles:

For the Duxelles: 

1-to-2 tbsp. butter (no substitutes) (see Note)

2 tbsp. finely chopped shallots

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tsp. fresh tarragon, finely chopped (or 2 tsp. dried leaf tarragon)

1 c. very finely chopped mushrooms

2-to-3 tbsp. heavy cream (33% milk fat) (see Further Note)

Salt and pepper, to taste

If you’ve never made mushrooms “duxelles,” you’re in for a treat! Have all ingredients prepared and ready. Turn your element to “high” (or very close to it). Add butter to a medium skillet, swirling it just above the stove element as it melts, so it doesn’t burn. The butter should be very hot when you add the shallots, garlic, and tarragon. 

Using a silicone spatula, flip this mixture every 5-to-10 seconds, giving it good exposure to the base of the hot pan, sautéing about 1 min. Add the mushrooms, sautéing 2 min. longer, until the mushroom mixture is tender. Reduce this mixture to a paste, stirring constantly. Add cream 1 tbsp. at a time, stirring well after each addition. Season to taste with salt and finely ground pepper. Set aside.

Note: Use only just enough butter to lightly coat the bottom of the pan, so the food sautés and doesn’t sizzle or slide around the pan.

Further Note: Adding a little whipping cream towards the end enhances the rich flavor of the duxelles - but don’t add too much or you’ll have mushroom sauce, which you definitely don’t want in this recipe. Duxelles can be used as a garnish over steak, or - as in this recipe - as a delicate complement to the chicken filling. 

For the Chicken Filling:

2 whole chicken breasts, boned and skinned

2 tbsp. butter (no substitutes) 
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms

Using the flat side of a meat mallet or heavy cleaver, flatten chicken breasts slightly. Sliver into ½-inch wide strips. Turn your element to “high” (or very close to it). Add butter to a large, clean skillet, swirling it just above the stove element as it melts, so it doesn’t burn. 

Add slivered chicken, browning quickly until no pink remains. Remove with tongs or slotted spoon. Set aside in bowl, but do not wash skillet. Sauté sliced mushrooms in same skillet, about 2 min. Turn heat to low. Return chicken mixture and finely minced duxelles to skillet, combining until chicken is well coated with duxelles. Set aside to cool.

For the Phyllo Wrap:

5 sheets phyllo pastry

1/3 c. butter, melted

1 egg

1 tsp. water

Preheat oven to 425 deg. F. Thaw, unwrap, and peel off five phyllo pastry sheets. Rewrap and return remaining phyllo sheets to freezer for another time. Phyllo dries out quickly, so keep it covered with a clean, damp tea towel as you work with it. Place the first sheet on your work surface, dabbing with melted butter. Top with second and subsequent phyllo sheets, dabbing each except the last one entirely with melted butter. 

With this sheet, brush melted butter as a 2-inch border around the outside edges. Arrange cooled chicken and duxelles mixture lengthwise along a third of the phyllo pastry, leaving a 2-inch border around edges. Carefully fold bottom of phyllo sheets over chicken mixture; repeat with sides. 

Roll up and over, jelly-roll style, ensuring seam is at bottom. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet, seam-side down. Swirl egg and water to combine. Brush over phyllo-wrapped chicken. Bake 15-to-20 min., until pastry is golden. Serve immediately, slicing into 6-to-8 pieces.

Phyllo-Wrapped Chicken, top right, with fresh green beans
and Brown Rice Salad with Mango Chutney Dressing