Best Ever Beef Wellington Recipe - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

What are common mistakes in Beef Wellington? ›

Phyllo provides a moisture barrier, preventing the puff pastry from getting soggy. A double layer of plastic wrap makes it easier to wrap up the tenderloin.

Beef wellington is not an easy dish to prepare with perfection. For starters, getting the tenderloin steak right is a challenge in itself. It has to be tender on the inside but decently firm on the outside, so it doesn't get mushed inside. The pâté and the duxelles are like preparing two individual dishes themselves.

How To Prevent A Soggy Beef Wellington. When pre-cooking the beef tenderloin for a beef Wellington, making sure to sear it and not just brown it is a crucial step in preventing sogginess. Searing locks in some of the juices so they don't seep out and pool in the bottom of the pastry.

One other approach is to bake "blind" a rectangle of puff pastry for the base before assembling the wellington. Cut a rectangle of pastry slightly larger than the beef for the base, prick it thoroughly with a fork and bake at 200c/400F for 20 minutes until golden.

You can prepare the Wellington up to 24 hours in advance at this point, but make sure you remove it from the fridge 30-40 minutes before the final bake.

2) The crepes protect the pastry from excess moisture as the beef cooks, and also helps the beef stay joicy and tender once cooked. 3) Be very careful to tightly wrap your beef – the tighter the wrapping, the better the shape, which will result in more even cooking.

Tenderize the sirloin by pounding with a meat mallet for several minutes (we're trying to simulate a filet here). In a medium-hot pan, sear the steak on all sides, about 30 seconds per side. The steak should still be rare inside at this point. Refrigerate until ready to use again.

However, crepes are optional, you'll see many different recipes and some use crepes and some don't. You can make your own crepes using my recipe, or get some already made from the grocery store. Prosciutto – Prosciutto has good flavor, and is delicately sweet, and salty. It pairs well with the beef.

If you want to dress up your chateaubriand just a bit, one show-stopper of a traditional recipe is Beef Wellington. Essentially, it's chateaubriand coated in mushroom duxelles and liver pâté and rolled in puff pastry. There are many fabulous recipes for this classic if you want to spend the time.

Does Beef Wellington need to be room temperature before cooking? ›

Before prepping the meat take it out of the fridge to get to room temperature. Use a sheet of puff pastry and keep the leftovers to make some fun decorations on top of the beef wellington . Use your instant read thermometer to make sure the beef is cooked properly.

Bake in 425°F oven 35 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 135°F for medium rare; 150°F for medium.

Yes! You can prepare the beef and duxelles, and follow the recipe right up until it's time to add the puff pastry layer. Instead of adding the puff pastry (which may get soggy if you add it now) wrap the beef, duxelles, and prosciutto up in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge after cooling for up to 24 hours.

Also, the pieces in the middle didn't have enough pastry, so I decided to go with individual Beef Wellingtons from then on. Since each 2-inch thick portion of tenderloin is small enough to cook quickly, phyllo dough would work well, so that is what I used in place of puff pastry.

Place slices of beef wellington on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Cover loosely with foil. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Like many famous meals, the exact origin of Beef Wellington is unknown, though it was most likely inspired by a handful of places and cultures. The widely accepted story is that it was created to celebrate Arthur Wellesley, Irish general of the British army, becoming the first Duke of Wellington—hence the name.

We'll cook the Wellington at 425°F (218°C) to puff the pastry. But we needn't fear that our beef will overcook too quickly because once the pastry is puffed, it literally becomes a coat of insulation for the meat: all those air pockets slow the flow of heat from the outside to the beef and prevent it from scorching.