The dish of Knights!
#food #home #Wellington #beef #London #Knights #thyme
“Rumor has it that Beef Wellington got its name from Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, who counted the dish among his favorite recipes” — Paul Ebeling
My Beef Wellington
Beef Wellington is rapped in golden, buttery puff pastry and filled with deeply savory mushroom duxelles, beef Wellington is an unforgettable centerpiece to super meal. I have added dried porcini mushrooms as they deliver extra umami to the beef, while a touch of Dijon and chopped herbs adds a layer of freshness.
If you skip the foie gras the dish is more approachable, and swapping out the traditional crepe lining for phyllo streamlines the process, but beef Wellington demands several hours of searing, stuffing, rolling, and chilling to ensure its magical result. I have been making this dish for 47yrs.
The addition of Thyme makes it the dish of Knights, it is special!
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
Beef
- 1 2.5lb center-cut Wagyu or grass fed prime beef tenderloin roast trimmed
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ oz dried porcini mushrooms (5 to 6 pieces), ground to a powder in a spice grinder
- 2 tablespoons Avocado oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
Duxelles
- 1 ½ pounds fresh cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, coarsely chopped (8 cups)
- 3 large shallots, roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus thyme branches for serving
- 2 ½ tablespoons dry sherry
- ½ teaspoon teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Additional Ingredients
- 2 frozen phyllo pastry sheets, thawed
- 8 thin prosciutto slices
- ¼ cup finely chopped chives
- ¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 (14-oz) package all-butter frozen puff pastry sheet thawed according to package directions
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Flaky sea salt
Directions
Prepare the Beef
- Using kitchen twine, tie tenderloin crosswise at 2-inch intervals, starting from center and working out to ends. Sprinkle beef all over with salt and pepper. Place on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Let stand at room temperature 1 hr. Prepare the duxelles
- Pulse half of the cremini mushrooms and half of the shallots in a food processor until very finely chopped, about 10 pulses, stopping to scrape down sides and stir as needed so you have evenly sized pieces. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Repeat process with remaining creminis and shallots.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high until foamy. Add cremini-shallot mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until creminis are dry and beginning to brown and stick to bottom of skillet in spots, 25 to 30 minutes. Add garlic and thyme; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sherry and pepper, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on bottom of skillet. Cook, stirring often, until mixture is dry and just starts to stick to bottom of skillet again, 2 to 4 mins. Remove from heat. Spread mixture out on a small baking sheet. Chill, uncovered, until cold, about 30 mins. Cold duxelles may be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 days.
- Heat Avocado oil in a large skillet or a small roasting pan over medium-high until shimmering. Add tenderloin; cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 10 to 12 mins. Transfer tenderloin to a wire rack set inside a baking sheet; let cool 15 mins. Remove and discard twine. Brush tenderloin all over with mustard, and sprinkle all over with porcini powder. Chill beef in refrigerator, uncovered, at least 1 hr.
- Moisten a clean work surface with a damp kitchen towel, and overlap 3 pieces of plastic wrap on work surface to form a 22-in square. Overlap the 2 phyllo sheets in center of plastic wrap to form a 13 1/2-by-12-in rectangle, with long edge facing you. Overlap prosciutto on top of phyllo in 2 rows, leaving about a 1/2-in border on the left and right phyllo edges. Spread duxelles evenly over prosciutto, and gently press down to form an even layer. Sprinkle with chives and parsley. Lay chilled beef lengthwise over bottom 1/3rd of duxelles. Roll up beef and phyllo into a log, using plastic wrap as a guide and keeping it on the exterior of the log. Hold the outer ends of plastic wrap, and roll log on work surface back toward you to tighten. Refrigerate while you prepare the puff pastry.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll puff pastry out on a lightly floured work surface to a 15-by-12-in rectangle with long edge facing you. Lightly brush top 1/3rd of puff pastry with some of the beaten egg. Unwrap chilled beef log, and discard plastic wrap. Lay log lengthwise on bottom edge of puff pastry. Holding edge in place, roll up jelly-roll style until log is completely wrapped. Roll to face log seam side up, and gently press overlapping dough to seal. Fold ends of puff pastry down over beef, pinching seams to seal.
- Transfer beef log, seam side down, to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush off excess flour using a pastry brush. Brush puff pastry all over with beaten egg. Using a paring knife, very light score a line lengthwise down center of puff pastry. Very lightly score 2 lines parallel to the 1st, 1 on either side of the center line, and each spaced 1 1/2 ins outward from the center. Very lightly score zig-zag lines across beef Wellington, spacing rows 1/2 in apart and forming a herringbone-like pattern. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Using the tip of a paring knife, create 3 (1-in-long) steam vents along center line, spaced about 3 in apart.
- Bake until puff pastry is puffed and browned and a thermometer inserted into center of beef registers 120°F, 40 to 45 mins. Using 2 large spatulas, carefully lift beef Wellington from baking sheet, and transfer to a cutting board. Let rest 15 mins. Using a serrated knife, cut into slices.
- Serve beef Wellington on a platter, garnished with thyme branches, the herb of Knights!
Pair with Beef Wellington with a dry and medium-bodied red wine such as a Bordeaux, Pinot Noir, or Barolo, Malbec to stand up to the beef flavors, while complementing the puff pastry, mushroom and foie gras flavors in this elegent dish.
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