Classy as hell, son An elegant meal for a nice night in.
Beef Wellington: perfectly cooked beef tenderloin topped with mushroom-shallot duxelles and wrapped in golden-brown puff pastry. Though its origins are unknown, its been a classic for over a hundred years. And this week, its part of a Musings From the Cook tradition: impressive dishes that look harder to make than they are.
Whether youve got a date coming over, an anniversary with your partner, or are hosting for a family holiday, its important to have recipes that impress without taking too much time. Beef Wellington is four basic steps, none of which should occupy your full attention: sear the beef, cook the mushrooms, wrap the beef, bake. This leaves plenty of time for a side dish and entertaining. (We went with asparagus and little potatoes, roasted.)
Yours will be pinkerKendalls pregnant, so we cooked it a little longer to be safe. Still super tasty, though!
Its a beautiful dish. The cut of meat and the mushroom duxelles ensure every bite is perfectly juicy, and the flakiness of the puff pastry adds a textural component the beef wouldnt have on its own, as well as enhancing the presentation. If you want to step the presentation up another notch, you can cut puff pastry trimmings into shapes to embellish the top of the Wellingtons. Pair it with roasted vegetables, a salad, or anything else that catches your fancy. Enjoy!
Beef Wellington (Makes 4; active time 20 minutes, total time 40 minutes; low complexity)
Ingredients
- 4 6-oz filet mignon rounds, trimmed of any extra fat
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 8 oz mushrooms, diced (we used white, you do you)
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1/8 cup white wine
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- Salt and pepper
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons water
- Side dish of your choice
Directions
- Season the filets on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once sizzling, place the filet rounds on the skillet, flat-side down. Sear briefly (1 minute or so), then turn and sear the other side. Transfer the filets to a plate, cover, and refrigerate.
- In the same pan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and shallot and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have released their juices and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the white wine, stir again, and continue to cook until the mushrooms and shallot have reduced and all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a ramekin or small bowl, beat together the egg and water to make an egg wash.
- When oven is preheated, roll out the sheet of puff pastry into a 1414 inch square. Cut it into four 77 inch squares.
- Remove the filets from the fridge, and gently dab them with a paper towel to dry off any accumulated juices. Tightly pack the mushroom mixture onto the top of each filet, then turn each filet over, mushroom-side-down, onto the center of a puff pastry square.
- Brush egg wash onto the edge of a pastry square, then fold the pastry over the top of the filet, pressing to seal. Transfer the wrapped filet, seam side down, to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the other filets, then brush egg wash onto the tops and sides of the wrapped filets.
- Bake 20 minutes, until pastry is golden-brown, then remove the tray from the oven and allow the Wellingtons to rest 5 minutes.
- Serve with the side of your choice. Enjoy!