This Beef Wellington recipe is the best! Fillet of beef is spread with mustard, mushroom duxelles, ham and then wrapped in puff pastry and baked. Based on Gordon Ramsay’s Beef Wellington recipe, it doesn’t disappoint.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
A few months ago my dad came up with the idea of making Beef Wellington, smothered beef tenderloin with mushroom duxelles, wrapped in puff pastry and baked. Who knows where he got the idea from, maybe just curiosity.
It also helps that chef Gordon Ramsay has a video online of how to prepare his version of Beef Wellington, with Parma ham wrapped around the fillet rather than the more traditional pâté de foie gras.
So we set out to make it happen recently, and Dad channeled Koch Ramsay, albeit without the yelling and swearing (although I suspect he would if Dad thought he could get away with acting like Koch Ramsay before us to behave towards others).
It’s actually a lot easier to make than it looks, assuming you use ready-made puff pastry, and the result is fantastic. A great Father’s Day dinner idea for the beef loving dads out there.
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Click play to watch this savory Beef Wellington come together
What is Beef Wellington?
Beef Wellington is a traditional English way of preparing beef tenderloin. It is said to have originated in the 19th century after the Duke of Wellington won a victory at Waterloo in 1815 and was a popular ‘chic’ dish in the mid-20th century.
The beef is covered with paté de foie gras or mushrooms duxelles (a mushroom puree whose moisture is boiled out), and a type of ham – like parma or proscuitto – covers the beef. Then it is wrapped in puff pastry and baked in the oven.
Make-Ahead Strategies for Beef Wellington
We don’t recommend making Beef Wellington ahead of time and reheating before serving or the puff pastry will become soggy, but you can make the mushroom duxelles ahead of time so they rise faster when cooking.
Prepare the mushroom duxelles up to 2 days in advance as directed in step 4. Let them cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before use.
What to serve with Beef Wellington
- Smashed new potatoes with garlic and chives
- French green beans with butter and herbs
- Asparagus quick and easy
- Broccoli Rabe with caramelized onions
- Roasted baby carrots
More beef recipes to try!
- Garlic Herb Butter Prime Rib
- Beef Bourguignon
- Simple brisket
- Beef and barley stew with mushrooms
- Beef tenderloin with sautéed mushrooms
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Beef Wellington
Recipe adapted from this video for making Beef Wellington by Chef Gordon Ramsay.
You can use any mushrooms. We used half cremini and half shiitake. If using shiitake mushrooms, trim off the tough stems and discard or save for storage.
This recipe uses a frozen puff pastry sheet. Plan ahead to thaw the sheet for 2 to 4 hours in the refrigerator or about 40 hours on the counter, until slightly pliable but not too soft or mushy.
ingredients
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1 lb beef tenderloin
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Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper
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2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
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1 lb Mushrooms (see recipe note)
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4 slim slices ham (parma ham if you can get it) or prosciutto
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2 tablespoon yellow mustard (we used Coleman’s Original English Mustard)
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1 (7 to 8 1/2-ounce Sheet) puff pastrythawed (see recipe note)
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2 big egg yolkbeaten
method
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Preheat the oven:
Allow the oven to preheat to 400°F while you assemble the wellies.
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Fry fillet:
Season the fillet generously with salt and pepper. Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a large skillet over high heat. Fry the fillet in the pan on all sides until well browned. (Tip: Don’t move the fillet until it has had a chance to brown.)
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Spread the fillet with mustard:
Remove the fillet from the pan and let cool. Once cool, brush the fillet with mustard on all sides.
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Prepare the mushroom duxelles:
Chop the mushrooms and place in a food processor and puree. Heat the frying pan over medium heat. Add the mushroom puree to the pan and cook to allow the mushrooms to release their moisture.
When the moisture released by the mushrooms has cooked off, remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside to cool.
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Wrap the fillet in mushroom paste and ham:
Unroll a large piece of plastic wrap. Place the ham slices on the cling film so that they overlap. Spread the mushroom mixture over the ham.
Place the beef tenderloin in the center, roll the mushroom and ham over the tenderloin, use cling film to ensure you do this firmly.
Wrap the beef tenderloin in a tight barrel shape, twisting the ends of the plastic wrap to secure. Chill for 20 minutes.
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Roll out the puff pastry and wrap the fillet of beef:
Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface so that it encloses the beef fillet.
Unwrap the fillet from the cling film and place in the middle of the puff pastry. Brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg yolk.
Fold the dough around the fillet and trim off the excess material at the ends. (Pastries that are more than 2 layers thick will not cook fully, try to limit the overlap.)
Place seam-side down on a small plate and brush with the beaten egg yolk. Chill for 5 to 10 minutes.
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Brush with egg yolk and score:
Place the dough-wrapped fillet on a baking pan. Brush the exposed surface again with beaten eggs.
Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife, being careful not to go all the way through the dough. Sprinkle the top with coarse salt.
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Bake in the oven:
Bake at 400°F for 25 to 35 minutes. The batter should be nicely golden when done. To ensure your roast is medium rare, test with an instant-read meat thermometer. Pull out at 125 to 130°F for Medium Rare.
Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Cut into 1 cm thick slices.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 1029 | calories |
| 68g | Fat |
| 35g | carbohydrates |
| 68g | protein |
