Overview
Beef Wellington is a decadent dish that is perfect for holiday dinners. The essence of Beef Wellington is a beef tenderloin that is coated with fois gras pâté and duxelles, wrapped in puff pastry, and then baked. Leah Hyslop covers the history of Beef Wellington here. Most people assume that this is a British dish, likely named after the Duke of Wellington. Surprisingly, this appears to be a 20th century American invention. However, it is clearly similar to the French dish filet de bœuf en croûte.
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt has a great deconstruction of Beef Wellington here.
The Beef Tenderloin
- Beef tenderloin (also called filet mignon) is very lean. So, don’t spend extra on a Prime-grade beef when Select-grade will work just fine.
- Because beef tenderloin lacks flavor, the searing process, the mustard+horseradish sauce, and the prosciutto wrap are necessary to add flavor
- Chilling the beef overnight is essential to prevent it overcooking in the oven
The Pâté
- Although Kenji uses fresh fois gras, I find that fois gras pâté works well.
- Even fois gras pâté may be hard to find in grocery stores. You may need to resort to a mousse of goose and chicken livers. Or make a “faux gras” substitute. Or omit it entirely like Gordon Ramsey.
The Duxelles
- You should use a mixture of your favorite mushrooms. I recommend using at least button, shitake and portobello mushrooms
- You can use any high-proof, barrel-aged spirit though most recipes use cognac, brandy, or sherry
- Optionally, you can add soy sauce for umami
The Pastry
The beef and duxelles are wrapped in a crisp, buttery pastry. There is no need to make it from scratch because frozen puff pastry, such as Dufour or Pepperidge Farms, works well. However, you must create a moisture barrier to prevent the juices from leaking and creating a soggy mess. Filo dough works well for that moisture barrier.
My recipe is draws upon Gordon Ramsey, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, Alton Brown, and Claire Lower‘s recipes. I modify the traditional cooking method by first cooking the tenderloin in a sous vide water bath. I complement the beef with Gordon Ramsey’s red wine sauce.
Sous Vide Beef Wellington
Ingredients
Beef Wellington
- 2 x 450 g beef tenderloins trimmed of silverskin and fat
- 6 Tbsp butter unsalted
- 500 g mushrooms mixed: button, shiitake, portabello or other favorites
- 2 shallots peeled
- 2 tsp thyme leaves only
- 125 ml sherry or cognac or brandy
- 125 ml heavy cream
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 sheet phyllo dough
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp horseradish
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream
- 115 g foie gras pâté
- 8 slices prosciutto
- 400 g puff pastry
- 1 egg beaten
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 bunch chives (optional)
- 1 pinch sea salt
Red Wine Sauce
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 200 g beef trimmings
- 4 shallots peeled and sliced
- 12 black peppercorns cracked
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 thyme sprig
- 1 splash red wine vinegar
- 750ml red wine
- 750ml beef stock
Instructions
Beef Tenderloins
- Salt and vacuum seal the tenderloins in a bag along with 2 Tbsp of butter. Cook them in a sous vide water bath at 55°C (130°F) for one hour.
- Remove the tenderloins from the water bath. Wrap tightly in cling wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, heat the oil in a skillet until it begins to smoke. Sear the tenderloins until golden brown on all sides. Remove the tenderloins from the skillet and leave to cool.
Duxelles
- Place the mushrooms in a food processor. Use the pulse mode to finely chop them. Transfer the chopped mushrooms in a bowl. Repeat, using the food processor to chop the shallots.
- Heat the remaining 4 Tbsp butter in a skillet until melted. Add the mushrooms and cook them until they are golden brown and sticking to the pan. Add the shallots and thyme. Cook the mixture, stirring frequently until the shallots soften.
- Add the sherry (or other spirit) and cook until the sherry is nearly gone (about 4 minutes).
- Add 125 ml of heavy cream and soy sauce. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until it congeals.
- Transfer to a bowl and chill in the refrigerator at least an hour.
Red Wine Sauce
- Fry the beef trimmings in the olive oil until brown on all sides.
- Add the shallots, peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme, and red wine vinegar. Cook until the shallots are golden brown (about 5 minutes).
- Add the wine and reduce.
- Add the beef stock and bring it all to a boil. Then, lower the heat and let it simmer for an hour.
- Remove any scum on the surface of the sauce. Strain the liquid to remove any solids. Set aside until ready to serve.
Assembly
- Thaw the frozen phyllo dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Combine the mustard, horseradish, 1Tbsp of heavy cream, and black pepper (to taste) in a bowl. Brush the mixture on all sides of the tenderloins.
- Combine the duxelles and fois gras pâté in a bowl. Then, coat the beef with the duxelles and fois gras pâté.
- Lay the phyllo dough on a double layer of cling wrap. Layer the prosciutto on the phyllo dough. Leave a 3cm (2in) border of phyllo dough exposed at the top and bottom.
- Roll the coated beef in the phyllo dough+prosciutto wrap. Wrap them tightly in cling wrap. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Thaw the frozen puff pastry for at least 30 minutes
- Dust your counter with flour. Use a rolling pin to spread the puff pastry into a rectangle, at least 6cm (4in) larger than the beef roll. Fold the pastry over the Wellingtons, tucking all flaps underneath. Trim excess puff pastry.
- Brush the egg wash over the pastry. Score the top of the Wellingtons with a knife. Cover with cling film. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F). Cook the Wellingtons for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. The center of the Wellingtons should register 43°C (110°F) on a meat thermometer. Let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
- Reheat the red wine sauce.
- Cut off the ends of the Wellingtons. Serve the Wellingtons sliced, with the sauce as an accompaniment.
Updated on November 18th, 2020