Since it would be only the two of us for Christmas this year (we’re getting together with the rest of the family on New Year’s Eve weekend), we decided to try something different and make Beef Wellington for Christmas dinner.
We started by giving the tenderloin a good coating of salt, wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap, and letting it rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
Out of the fridge and into the frying pan. Traditionally, Beef Wellington is made medium rare to rare, but neither of us likes rare meat, so we let it brown a little longer while searing the tenderloin.
A nice, soothing coat of stone ground Dijon mustard and back in the fridge to rest.
While that was resting, we made the duxelles – a mixture of Baby Belle and Shitake mushrooms and shallots, seasoned with thyme. It was cooked for about 15 minutes to pull the moisture out of the mushrooms – don’t want a soggy Wellington!
After letting the duxelles cool in the fridge, we laid out some plastic wrap and made a sheet of prosciutto large enough to wrap around the tenderloin. The duxelles was then spread into a layer over the prosciutto. Placing the tenderloin at the bottom of the prosciutto sheet, it was wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and returned to rest in the fridge again.
After 20 minutes, another sheet of plastic wrap was laid out and the puff pastry was laid on top and rolled out so that it was large enough to wrap around the tenderloin, including the ends.
Back in the fridge to rest again while the oven preheated to 425℉ (Man, this is the laziest piece of meat I’ve ever known – always resting! 😂)
The pastry-wrapped tenderloin was then unwrapped, placed on a cooking sheet, and brushed down with an egg wash. A few gentle slices across the top should give it a pretty finish.
In the oven for 45 minutes, then resting on the counter for 10 minutes before serving up with sides of asparagus and mashed potatoes. We also whipped up some mushroom onion gravy for the potatoes and beef. Man, that was a delicious meal! Merry Christmas!
Beef Wellington
Equipment
- Plastic Wrap
Ingredients
- 2 pound Beef Tenderloin
- 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 pounds Mushrooms
- 1 Shallot
- 1 sprig Thyme
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 9-12 slices Prosciutto
- all-purpose flour
- 14 ounce frozen puff pastry
- 1 Egg
- Finishing Salt
Instructions
- Season tenderloin generously with salt and pepper, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest in refridgeratorfor at least 20 minutes, but preferably about 2 hours.
- Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over high heat. Once pan isnearly smoking, sear tenderloin until well-browned on all sides, including the ends – about 2 minutes per side (less if you like it more rare). Transfer to a cutting boar or plate to cool. When cool enough to handle, coat all sides with mustard. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap again and return to fridge to rest.
- In a food processor, finely chop shallots. Add shallots to skillet over medium heat with butter and saute until translucent.
- Chop mushrooms and thyme in the food processor until finely chopped. Add to skillet with shallots and cook until liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, spread out flat on a cooking tray, then let cool in the fridge.
- Place plastic wrap down on a work surface, overlapping so that it’s twice the length and width of the tenderloin. Arrange the prosciutto on the plastic wrap into a rectangle that’s big enough to cover the whole tenderloin. Spread the duxelles evenly and thinly over the prosciutto.
- Place tenderloin at the bottom of the prosciutto. Roll meatinto prosciutto-mushroom mixture, using plastic wrap to roll tightly. Tuck ends of prosciutto as you roll, then twist ends of plastic wrap tightly into a log and transfer to the fridge to chill for 10-20 minutes.
- Heat oven to 425°. Lightly flour your work surface, then spread out puff pastry and roll it into a rectangle that will cover the tenderloin (just a little bigger than the prosciutto rectangle you just made!). Remove tenderloin from plastic wrap and place on bottom of puff pastry. Brush the other three edges of the pastry with egg wash, then tightly roll beef into pastry.
- Once the log is fully covered in puff pastry, trim any extra pastry, then crimpedges with a fork to seal well. Wrap roll in plastic wrap to get a really tight cylinder, then chill for 20 minutes.
- Remove plastic wrap, then transfer roll to a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Bake until pastry is golden and the center registers 120°F for medium-rare – about 40 to 45 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before carving and serving.