Beef Wellington

Name: Beef Wellington
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 400 g cremini mushrooms, cleaned; 2 tbsp English mustard (or Dijon); 2 tbsp olive oil; 750 g beef tenderloin (center cut); 8 slices prosciutto or Parma ham slices; 500 g all-butter puff pastry, cold; 1 small handful all-purpose flour, for dusting; 2 egg yolks, beaten

From the kitchen of Carly

The dinner-party showstopper: a whole beef tenderloin wrapped in mushroom duxelles, prosciutto, and golden puff pastry. Looks impossible, isn't really. The chill steps do half the work for you, and the carve at the table earns the gasp. The chill steps are non-negotiable. Skip them and the beef releases water into the pastry, making the bottom soggy.

Prep: 1 hr
Cook: 35 min
Total: 1 hr 50 min
Servings: 6
Difficulty: hard

Ingredients

6 servings

400 gcremini mushrooms, cleaned
2 tbspEnglish mustard (or Dijon)
2 tbspolive oil
750 gbeef tenderloin (center cut)
8 slicesprosciutto or Parma ham slices
500 gall-butter puff pastry, cold
1 small handfulall-purpose flour, for dusting
2egg yolks, beaten

Instructions

Make the duxelles. Pulse the mushrooms in a food processor with a pinch of salt and pepper until you have a coarse paste. Scrape into a dry pan over high heat. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until almost all the moisture cooks off and the mix tightens up. Spread on a plate to cool.
Sear the beef. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Pat the tenderloin dry, season generously with salt and pepper. Sear 30 seconds on each side, just to color. Pull off the heat and let it cool 10 minutes.
Brush the cooled tenderloin all over with the mustard.
Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on the counter. Arrange the prosciutto slices in slightly overlapping rows. Spread the cooled duxelles evenly across the prosciutto. Place the mustard-coated beef along one edge.
Use the plastic wrap to roll the prosciutto and duxelles tightly around the beef into a barrel shape. Twist the ends of the wrap to seal. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
Roll the puff pastry on a floured surface to a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick, large enough to fully wrap the beef.
Unwrap the chilled beef and place it in the center of the pastry. Brush the surrounding pastry with egg yolk. Fold the long sides over, then the short ends, sealing the seams.
Flip seam-side down onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush all over with egg yolk. Refrigerate another 15 minutes.
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Score the top of the pastry lightly in a diagonal pattern. Brush again with egg yolk.
Bake 20 minutes at 400°F, then drop to 350°F (180°C) and bake 15 minutes more. Internal temperature should hit 130°F at the thickest point for medium-rare.
Rest 15 minutes before slicing into 1-inch rounds. Serve with red wine jus and side dishes.

Substitutions

beef tenderloin to pork tenderloin. Smaller and faster. Drop the bake to 25 minutes total. Same technique, different price point.
prosciutto to thin-sliced bacon (par-cooked) or Bayonne ham. Bacon adds smoke; Bayonne is similar to prosciutto. Either preserves the moisture barrier between mushrooms and pastry.
puff pastry to rough puff or shortcrust. All-butter puff is best. Rough puff (homemade) lifts higher; shortcrust gives a flatter, more rustic finish.

Pairs well with: Roasted potatoes and a green vegetable (asparagus, broccoli, or peas), A bold red wine: Bordeaux, Barolo, or Cabernet Sauvignon, A simple red wine jus or horseradish cream

Adapted from TheMealDB.