Beef Wellington is a luxurious and impressive dish that features a tender beef fillet wrapped in a rich mushroom duxelles, encased in puff pastry, and baked to perfection. This classic recipe is perfect for special occasions and is sure to impress your guests. Let’s dive into the details to create this culinary masterpiece!
Ingredients
For the Beef Wellington:
- Beef fillet (center-cut): 2 pounds (900g), trimmed
- Salt and black pepper: To taste
- Olive oil: 2 tablespoons
- English mustard: 2 tablespoons
For the Mushroom Duxelles:
- Mushrooms: 1 pound (450g), finely chopped (use a mixture of cremini and shiitake)
- Shallots: 2, finely chopped
- Garlic: 2 cloves, minced
- Thyme: 2 teaspoons, fresh and finely chopped
- Butter: 2 tablespoons
- Salt and black pepper: To taste
For the Assembly:
- Prosciutto: 8-10 thin slices
- Puff pastry: 1 sheet (about 10×15 inches), thawed if frozen
- Egg yolk: 1, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water (for egg wash)
For the Red Wine Sauce (optional):
- Red wine: 1 cup (240ml)
- Beef stock: 1 cup (240ml)
- Shallots: 2, finely chopped
- Butter: 2 tablespoons
- Flour: 1 tablespoon
- Salt and black pepper: To taste
Equipment
- Skillet: For searing the beef and cooking the mushroom duxelles.
- Baking sheet: For baking the Beef Wellington.
- Plastic wrap: For wrapping the beef and duxelles.
- Pastry brush: For applying the egg wash.
- Saucepan: For making the optional red wine sauce.
- Instant-read thermometer: To check the internal temperature of the beef.