Beef Wellington is an elegant, impressive dish that is often seen as intimidating to make at home. However, with some preparation and the right techniques, you can make restaurant-quality Beef Wellington in your own kitchen. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to make Beef Wellington at home successfully.
What is Beef Wellington?
Beef Wellington is a traditional British dish made of beef tenderloin that is coated with pâté and duxelles, then wrapped in puff pastry and baked. The result is a crisp, flaky crust enveloping tender, medium-rare beef in an earthy mushroom filling.
While the origin of Beef Wellington is disputed, the most popular story credits Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, as the namesake According to legend, his personal chef created the dish to celebrate the Duke’s victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815
Over time, Beef Wellington became a fixture on elegant dinner tables and menus at upscale restaurants and hotels. It remains a celebratory showstopper dish today that combines simple, hearty flavors into an impressive presentation.
Benefits of Making Beef Wellington at Home
There are several advantages to making Beef Wellington yourself rather than ordering it at a restaurant:
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Cost savings: Restaurant Beef Wellington can cost $50 or more per serving. Making it at home for 4-6 people may cost around $15-20 total.
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Customization You can tweak the recipe to suit your tastes, choosing your favorite mushrooms, herbs, sauce, and degree of doneness
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Impress guests: Serve Beef Wellington at your next dinner party for a dramatic presentation your guests won’t forget.
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Learn new skills: Making Beef Wellington allows you to practice your knife skills, pulsing pastry, and more. These techniques will carry over into making other impressive dishes.
Ingredients Needed for Beef Wellington
While the components may seem complex, Beef Wellington only requires a few core ingredients:
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Beef tenderloin: The most tender cut of beef that retains its moisture during quick cooking times. Filet mignon is a popular choice.
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Mushrooms: Such as cremini, portobello, or wild mushrooms. They add moisture and earthy flavor.
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Onion: Provides a savory sweetness to balance the mushrooms.
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Herbs: Like thyme or rosemary. Optional but adds depth of flavor.
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Pâté: A rich, savory spreadable meat paste.
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Puff pastry: Flaky and golden pastry that encloses the beef.
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Egg wash: An egg beaten with milk or water to glaze the pastry.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these steps to make perfect Beef Wellington at home:
Prep the Beef
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Choose your cut: Go for a 1.5-2 lb center-cut beef tenderloin fillet for the most even shape.
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Trim: Carefully trim off any excess fat and silver skin.
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Season: Generously season all over with salt and pepper.
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Sear: In a hot pan, quickly sear the beef fillet on all sides until browned but still rare inside.
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Chill: Let the seared beef cool in the fridge while you prepare the other components.
Make Mushroom Duxelles
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Sauté aromatics: Cook chopped mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and herbs in olive oil over medium heat.
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Reduce: Continue cooking until the moisture has evaporated and the mixture is pasty.
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Chop: Pulse the cooled mixture in a food processor until chopped but not pureed.
Assemble the Wellington
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Layer: Lay out slices of pâté and prosciutto. Spread duxelles over the center.
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Wrap: Place seared beef on top and wrap the prosciutto around to cover evenly.
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Cover: Drape puff pastry over beef, pressing to seal. Trim excess pastry.
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Decorate: Cut shapes from pastry scraps to decorate top if desired.
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Glaze: Brush assembled Wellington all over with egg wash.
Bake and Finish
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Bake: Place Wellington seam-side down on a baking sheet. Bake at 450F for 20-30 minutes until browned and flaky.
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Rest: Let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing to allow juices to redistribute.
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Serve: Slice into 1-inch thick slices. Serve with sauce like bordelaise or béarnaise.
Tips for Perfect Beef Wellington
Follow these tips to ensure you end up withtender, juicy beef wrapped in a perfectly flaky crust:
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Use high-quality beef: Splurge on the most tender cut like center-cut filet mignon.
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Don’t overcook: Pull the Wellington at 120-125F for medium-rare doneness. The residual heat will continue cooking it.
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Keep it cold: Chill the duxelles, beef, and pastry before assembling to prevent mushiness.
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** Prevent sogginess:** Cook duxelles over high heat until very dry and spread it thin under beef.
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Roll pastry thin: Stretch and roll to about 1⁄8-inch thick before wrapping to maximize flakiness.
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Brush generously: Apply egg wash thoroughly so the pastry browns beautifully.
Common Problems and Solutions
If your Beef Wellington doesn’t turn out right, here are some common issues and how to fix them:
Problem: Pastry is soggy and mushy
Solution: Cook duxelles until all moisture evaporates; chill beef and pastry before assembly
Problem: Beef is overcooked and dry
Solution: Don’t cook past 125F internal temperature; let rest before slicing
Problem: Wellington leaks juices
Solution: Seal the seams thoroughly; use enough duxelles to cushion beef
Problem: Pastry isn’t flaky
Solution: Make sure pastry is cold; roll out thinly; don’t overwork dough
How to Serve Beef Wellington
Beef Wellington makes for an elegant presentation served whole at the table, then sliced. Here are serving ideas:
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Pool some bordelaise or Madeira wine sauce on the plate and top with Wellington slices.
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Arrange roasted asparagus, Brussels sprouts, or other seasonal veggies alongside.
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Top with black truffle shavings for extra decadence.
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Offer mustard, horseradish sauce, or chimichurri as condiments.
A nice Cabernet Sauvignon or Tempranillo red wine complements the rich beef beautifully. Enjoy this beef tenderloin masterpiece for your next dinner party or special occasion meal!
While Beef Wellington requires some effort, the spectacular results are so worthwhile. With high-quality ingredients, proper technique, and a little patience, you can master this impressive dish in your own kitchen. Just follow the step-by-step instructions for searing, assembling, and baking. Before you know it, you’ll be serving up the ultimate beef tenderloin encased in flaky puff pastry perfection. So don’t be intimidated by Beef Wellington – with this guide, you can do it right at home!
For the tarragon sauce
- Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper. Place a large frying pan over a high heat, add the oil and fry the beef on all sides until browned. Transfer to a baking tray and roast in the oven for 15â18 minutes. Turn the oven off and remove the beef. Leave to cool, reserving any cooking juices, and then chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour (see tip).
- Next make the topping. Melt the butter in the same pan and fry the mushrooms over a high heat for 5â10 minutes â you may need to do this in batches. Tip the mushrooms into a sieve set over a bowl to collect the juices and reserve these for the sauce.
- Transfer the mushrooms to another bowl and allow to cool before mixing with the Parmesan, tarragon, mustard and egg yolk. Season with salt and pepper and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Sit the single 375g packet of pastry on a floured work surface and roll out to a square about 40cm/16in in size, then transfer it to the baking sheet.
- Place the cooked beef to one side of the pastry and spoon the mushroom mixture on top. Fold over the ends of the pastry and then fold the longest edge over the beef, sealing along the side with a little of the egg wash. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. While it is chilling, preheat the oven again to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
- Brush the top of the chilled beef Wellington with egg wash. Roll out the remaining half block of pastry and cut into 8 thin strips: lay 4 strips diagonally, and evenly spaced, across the top of the beef Wellington, and 4 strips across these to create a lattice pattern. Brush the lattice with egg wash and then roast in the oven for 30â35 minutes or until the pastry is golden-brown and crisp.
- Meanwhile, make the tarragon sauce. Melt the butter in the same frying pan and fry the mushrooms over a high heat for 5â10 minutes or until the juices evaporate. Sprinkle in the flour and add the crème fraîche with the reserved mushroom juices (from the topping), the mustard and tarragon. Season with salt, pepper and sugar and bring to the boil, stirring. Simmer for 3 minutes until reduced slightly and add any beef juices from the original baking tray. Keep hot.
- Allow the beef Wellington to rest, covered with foil, for 15 minutes before carving. Slice into thick slices and serve with the hot tarragon sauce.
Always buy the French tarragon as Russian tarragon grows well, but has no flavour. To ensure even cooking of the beef, try to buy a piece of beef fillet thatâs from the middle section, with a similar circumference all the way along the piece of meat. There are lots of chilling stages â this is so important as it ensures the temperature is always correct to give pink, rare beef and cooked pastry. For medium, add 5 minutes to the initial roasting time and for well done, add another 5 minutes. The beef Wellington can be prepared up to a day ahead and freezes well uncooked.
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How to Make Perfect Beef Wellington
FAQ
What cut of beef is used for Beef Wellington?
How to make your own Beef Wellington?
- Sear the tenderloin. Brown the tenderloin in a frying pan just to get some flavor and color on the outside.
- Cook the mushroom duxelles. Sauté very finely chopped mushrooms, shallots, and thyme together into a flavorful paste. …
- Wrap the tenderloin in prosciutto. …
- Wrap in puff pastry and bake.
What are common Beef Wellington mistakes to avoid?
The most common mishap is the beef on the inside turning out undercooked while the puff pastry is flaky and golden.Jan 8, 2024
Can you use store-bought puff pastry for Beef Wellington?
Beef Wellington is relatively easy to make if you use store-bought puff pastry (as I have always done before). There are two tricky parts: working with puff pastry (which will break if it is too cold or tear when it is too warm) and getting the puff pastry and the beef perfectly cooked at the same time.