Beef Wellington Recipe (Easy)

Name: Beef Wellington Recipe (Easy)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Québécoise
Ingredients: 1 center-cut beef tenderloin, trimmed and tied, 2 to 3 lb (900 g to 1.4 kg); 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil; 2 tbsp (30 ml) Dijon mustard; Salt and pepper; 1 ½ lb (680 g) cremini mushrooms; 2 French shallots; 4 garlic cloves; 2 tsp (10 ml) fresh thyme; 2 tbsp (30 ml) butter; 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil; 12 slices prosciutto (115 g); 450 g puff pastry, thawed (2 sheets); 1 egg, beaten; Fleur de sel and fresh chives, to serve

Preparation 45 min
Refrigeration 1 h 5 min
Cooking 1 h
Servings 8
Freezing Absolutely

Ads

Beef

1 center-cut beef tenderloin, trimmed and tied, 2 to 3 lb (900 g to 1.4 kg)
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
2 tbsp (30 ml) Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Duxelles

1 ½ lb (680 g) cremini mushrooms
2 French shallots
4 garlic cloves
2 tsp (10 ml) fresh thyme
2 tbsp (30 ml) butter
1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil

Assembly

12 slices prosciutto (115 g)
450 g puff pastry, thawed (2 sheets)
1 egg, beaten
Fleur de sel and fresh chives, to serve

Ads

Preparation

Season the tenderloin generously with salt and pepper, counting 1 tsp of salt per pound. In a very hot cast iron skillet, sear it in the oil for 2 minutes per side, ends included, adding oil as needed. Remove the twine right away, while the meat is still hot. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Brush the cooled tenderloin all over with Dijon mustard. Lay it on thick, Dijon loses a lot of its punch once cooked.
In a food processor, finely chop the mushrooms, shallots, garlic and thyme in 2 or 3 batches. Never all at once: the bottom turns to slurry while the top stays in chunks.
In the same skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter in the oil. Cook the duxelles, stirring, until all the water has evaporated and the mixture starts to stick to the pan and brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Let it cool completely.
On a double layer of plastic wrap, lay out the 12 slices of prosciutto, overlapping them into a rectangle slightly larger than the tenderloin. Spread the duxelles over it, mostly in the center and a little up the sides.
Set the tenderloin at one end and roll it up tightly with the wrap. Twist both ends like a skipping rope, turning until the roll is genuinely compact. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Set a rack at the bottom of the oven and a baking sheet on the top rack. Preheat to 425 °F (220 °C). Once the oven is fully hot, switch to broil for 5 minutes so the sheet gets screaming hot.
Meanwhile, stack the 2 sheets of puff pastry one on top of the other, with nothing between them. On a floured surface, roll them out together into a rectangle slightly wider than the beef roll, then trim the excess from the sides.
Remove the plastic wrap, set the tenderloin on the pastry and roll it up. Seal the seam and the ends with the beaten egg. Set it on a sheet of parchment paper, seam side down. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Brush the whole surface with beaten egg. Score diagonally in both directions, about 1 mm deep only, to draw a diamond pattern. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.
Pull the hot sheet from the oven with mitts, set it on the bottom rack and slide the Wellington onto it with its parchment. Return the oven to 425 °F (220 °C).
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Tent with foil if the pastry browns too fast.
Check the temperature by inserting the thermometer from the TOP, aiming for the center, never from underneath or low on one side. A hole in the bottom becomes a chimney and all the juices run out onto the pastry. Pull it from the oven at 115 °F (46 °C) and leave the thermometer in the meat.
Rest with the thermometer still in and watch it: the center climbs on its own to 120 °F (49 °C) for a rare tenderloin, which takes about 5 minutes. Slice as soon as it hits the target, thick, and finish with fresh chives and fleur de sel.