Beef Wellington

Nothing says 'special occasion' quite like a traditional beef Wellington. It's pure pleasure on a plate.

Ingredients

1 piece of beef fillet - approx 1.35kg/ 3lb a little olive oil

15g/½oz unsalted butter

salt and pepper

175g/6oz chicken liver pate

4 shop bought pancakes

1 small free-range egg, beaten

For the mushroom stuffing (duxelles)

55g/2oz unsalted butter 150g/5oz shallots, peeled and finely diced

250g/9oz flat black mushrooms, chopped

3 tbsp double cream

salt and pepper

1 packet shop bought, ready rolled (all butter)puff pastry

Preparation method

1. Heat the oil and butter in a non-stick frying pan, when hot add the seasoned beef and seal on sides. Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely.

2. To make the duxelle stuffing, in the same frying pan add the butter and when

3. hot and foaming, add the shallots and cook until softened and golden. Add the mushrooms and cook until all the liquid evaporates.

4. Add the cream, salt and pepper. Continue to gently heat until it has reduced to a thick purée. Set aside to cool completely.

5. preheat the oven to 230C/450F/Gas8.

6. Roll the pastry to fit the beef and lay two of the pancakes on top, slightly overlapping. Spread a strip of chicken liver pate across the centre of the pancakes - to the same width as the beef fillet.

7. Make a cut about ¾ of the way through the beef into the centre of the beef fillet and fill with the cooled duxelle mix. Place the beef on to the pancakes and cover with the remaining two pancakes. Cut away the middle of the ends of the pastry. Fold over the main part of the meat and then neatly fold the ends.

8. Brush the edges with a little water. Place seam side down on a large baking tray. Decorate the top with extra pastry if desired and then brush all over with the beaten egg.

9. Place it in the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190C/375F/Gas 5 and continue to cook for another 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden.

10. Remove from the oven to a carving board and allow to rest for 5 minutes before carving into thick slices.

Photo © stockexpert.com This Classic Beef Wellington Recipe from Angela Boggiano's delicious book Pies is a classic British recipe. Beef Wellington was named after the Duke of Wellington in 1851 and has graced British tables ever since. It is based on a classic French boeuf en croute, beef wrapped in pastry.

It is not necessarily a Pie in the true sense of the word, but who cares, it is delicious.Prep Time: 30 minutesCook Time: 45 minutesTotal Time: 1 hour, 15 minutesIngredients:

1 oz/25g butter 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 5oz/150g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped 3 ½ oz/ 100g smooth liver pate 1 ½ lb/750g beef fillet salt and ground black pepper 1lb/500g ready-made puff pastry 1 egg, beaten to glaze

Preparation: Serves 6

Heat the oven to 400F/200C/Gas 6

Melt the butter in a large frying pan and cook the onion for about 5 minutes until beginning to soften. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes until soft and creamy. Stir in the garlic and parsley and season with a little salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Beat the pate into the mushroom mixture and set aside. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a sheet large enough to

enclose the beef, reserving the offcuts for decoration. Spread the pate mixture down the middle of the pastry and lay the beef on top of

the mixture. Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg and fold the pastry over the meat to

enclose it in a neat parcel, sealing the edges well. Place the meat parcel on to a baking sheet, seam side down, Cut decorative leaves from the reserved pastry. Brush the parcel with beaten egg,

decorate with the leaves and chill for about 10 minutes. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffed up. Transfer to a

serving board and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Serve cut into thick slices.

User Reviews 3 out of 5Beef Wellington, Member ronnie2011

Hello, Not wishing to be unkind to the author but i feel there is some love missing in the preperation of this fantastic dish. It feels very ""matter of fact"" for something that should be cherished. My second point is if you cook this for 45mins it will be completely overcooked. This of course is not wrong but to get the best result, cook it for 30 mins. rest for 10mins and be brave. Enjoy one of the best dishes in the world.

1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Sit the beef on a roasting tray, brush with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with pepper, then roast for 15 mins for medium-rare or 20 mins for medium. When the

beef is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven to cool, then chill in the fridge for about 20 mins.

2. While the beef is cooling, chop the mushrooms as finely as possible so they have the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. You can use a food processor to do this, but make sure you pulse-chop the mushrooms so they don't become a slurry.

3. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil and all the butter in a large pan and fry the mushrooms on a medium heat, with the thyme sprig, for about 10 mins stirring often, until you have a softened mixture. Season the mushroom mixture, pour over the wine and cook for about 10 mins until all the wine has been absorbed. The mixture should hold its shape when stirred. Remove the mushroom duxelle from the pan to cool and discard the thyme.

4. Overlap two pieces of cling film over a large chopping board. Lay the prosciutto on the cling film, slightly overlapping, in a double row. Spread half the duxelles over the prosciutto, then sit the fillet on it and spread the remaining duxelles over. Use the cling film's edges to draw the prosciutto around the fillet, then roll it into a sausage shape, twisting the ends of cling film to tighten it as you go. Chill the fillet while you roll out the pastry.

5. Roll out a third of the pastry to a 18 x 30cm strip and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Roll out the remaining pastry to about 28 x 36cm. Unravel the fillet from the cling film and sit it in the centre of the smaller strip of pastry and brush the pastry's edges, and the top and sides of the wrapped fillet, with beaten egg yolk. Using a rolling pin, carefully lift and drape the larger piece of pastry over the fillet, pressing well into the sides. Trim the joins to about a 4cm rim. Seal the rim with the edge of a fork or spoon handle. Glaze all over with more egg yolk and, using the back of a knife, mark the beef Wellington with long diagonal lines taking care not to cut into the pastry. Chill for at least 30 mins and up to 24 hrs.

6. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Brush the Wellington with a little more egg yolk and cook until golden and crisp - 20-25 mins for medium-rare beef, 30 mins for medium. Allow to stand for 10 mins before serving in thick slices.

Sealing the pastry

Use the rounded end of a fork or spoon handle to seal the edges rather than the prongs of a fork - using the prongs will only pierce the pastry rather than joining it.

Trim carefully

Lower the chances of the edges separating by giving yourself lots of room - and don't trim the pastry too close to the meat.

Keep it air-free

Drape over the top layer of pastry very carefully, smoothing it down with your hands as you go. You don't want any air trapped between the pastry and the meat.

Use up leftover pastry

Any leftover pastry is fine to use for something else, even if covered in egg. Simply roll it into a ball and refrigerate until needed.

Gordon's tips

Brush the meat as well as the pastry with egg wash. This will make the top layer of pastry stick to the meat and stop it from rising and leaving a gap.

400g flat cap mushrooms, roughly chopped Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Olive oil, for cooking

750g piece of prime beef fillet 1-2 tbsp English mustard 6-8 slices of Parma ham 500g ready-made puff pastry Flour, to dust 2 egg yolks, beaten

Method

1. Put the mushrooms into a food processor with some seasoning and pulse to a rough paste. Scrape the paste into a pan and cook over a high heat for about 10 mins, tossing frequently, to cook out the moisture from the mushrooms. Spread out on a plate to cool.

2. Heat in a frying pan and add a little olive oil. Season the beef and sear in the hot pan for 30 secs only on each side. (You don't want to cook it at this stage, just colour it.) Remove the beef from the pan and leave to cool, then brush all over with the mustard.

3. Lay a sheet of cling film on a work surface and arrange the Parma ham slices on it, in slightly overlapping rows. With a palette knife, spread the mushroom paste over the ham, then place the seared beef fillet in the middle. Keeping a tight hold of the cling film from the edge, neatly roll the Parma ham and mushrooms around the beef to form a tight barrel shape. Twit the ends of the cling film to secure. Chill for 15-20 mins to allow the beef to set and keep its shape.

4. Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface to a large rectangle, the thickness of a £1 coin. Remove the cling film from the beef, then lay in the centre. Brush the surrounding pastry with egg yolk. Fold the ends over, the wrap the pastry around the beef, cutting off any excess. Turn over, so the seam is underneath, and place on a baking sheet. Brush over all the pastry with egg and chill for about 15 mins to let the pastry rest.

5. Heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6.6. Lightly score the pastry at 1cm intervals and glaze again with beaten egg yolk. Bake for 20

minutes , then lower the oven setting to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4 and cook for another 15 mins. Allow to rest for 10-15 mins before slicing and serving with the accompaniments. The beef should still be pink in the centre when you serve it

Prep: 30 mins  |  Cook: 30 mins

Serves: 6 Beef Wellington should always be served with the centre slightly pink. Enjoy!

Recipe provided by: Allrecipes

Ingredients

Preparation method 1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees C (gas mark 7). Place beef in a roasting dish, and

spread with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned. Remove from dish and allow to cool completely. Reserve pan juices.

  2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute onion and

mushrooms in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.  

3. Mix together pate and 2 tablespoons softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Spread pate over beef. Top with onion and mushroom mixture.

  4. Roll out the puff pastry dough and place beef in the centre. Fold up, and seal all

the edges, making sure the seams are not too thick. Place beef in a baking dish, cut a few slits in the top of the dough and brush with egg yolk.

  5. Bake at 230 degrees C for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 220 degrees C for

10 to 15 more minutes, or until pastry is a rich, golden brown. Set aside and keep warm.

  6. Place all reserved juices in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir in beef stock

and red wine; boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Strain and serve with beef.

Classic Beef WellingtonThe classic Beef Wellington, what a stunner of a dish! It’s almost like a complete meal as you have the carbohydrate, protein, sauce and vegetable all in one, I think this makes a party pretty special.I suppose that some people may beg to differ and argue that the classic Beef Wellington should be large and then ceremoniously carved in a spectacular manner at the dinner table.I have chosen to make individual ones as I do not like the mess associated with carving the Wellington into portions. I also dislike cold food and believe once it’s served it should be enjoyed immediately.It’s not completely clear exactly where the Beef Wellington originated from, some says it’s a borrowed and recreated dish from the French “filet de bœuf en croûte“. It does not really matter as it’s spectacular and

is bound to be the talking point of any dinner party. You might have seen the word ‘Wellington’ used as a descriptive word for variations of this dish using other proteins such as salmon, lamb or chicken.I love what I do for a living! Not one day is the same, today I had do create and test this recipe for a posh dinner party that’s coming up for a group of  Americans who will be in town soon, last week I recreated Julia Child’s omelette and next week I’m hosting a training and cooking day for a group of young and enthusiastic chefs. I love my job as I eat my way through everyday, bliss!Originally I planned to make this Beef Wellington as close to the traditional way as possible with a chicken liver pate, creamy mushroom duxelle and a pancake. Distracted by the phone ringing and with the fridge bursting at its seams I completely forgot about the pate and the pancake. Well it was not a complete disaster as it turned out spectacularly well without the pate or the pancake. I found that if the tray is heated in the oven before you bake the Wellington it seals the pastry, helps it cook from the bottom and delivers a well cooked piece of beef with a crispy  pastry bottom, great!Only the very best ingredients will do for this recipe and for that reason I made my own rough puff pastry. I bought Aberdeen Angus fillet of beef and went to town to get the mushrooms of my choice. I literally went to London’s Borough market to buy the girolles, I’m pleased that I went to all that trouble as it’s well worth it and I

know the Americans will love it too.

Girolle mushrooms also known as chanterelles are a perfect specimen and I have been very privileged to use them through out my career, their flavour is earthy and they are in season right now. Yesterday we went for a walk in the nearby forest , with one eye on the dog and one eye on the floor looking  for the the first mushrooms. As we have not had any rain for quite sometime the forest is dry and the mushrooms are scarce. The hopes to find a truffle or two were soon dashed, no luck I’m afraid, so I had to opt for the bottle of truffle oil hidden at the back of the larder,

not bad though!

Mushrooms A La Crème40g oyster mushrooms, ripped

40g chestnut mushrooms, sliced 40g shitake mushrooms, sliced 40g girolles mushrooms cut in ¼’s 1 banana shallot, diced 1tbs unsalted butter 50ml white wine 80ml double cream

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper 1tsp chopped fresh thyme 1tsp Truffle oil (optional)

Heat a large non-stick frying pan with the butter, once the butter starts to foam add the mushrooms and season. Sauté the mushrooms and chopped shallot until golden brown and drain on kitchen paper.

Wipe the pan clean and return to the heat, return the golden brown mushroom and shallot to the pan and add the white wine, cook until the wine has evaporated and left the mushrooms with a gloss.

Add the cream and reduce until thickened and coating the mushrooms, stir in the chopped thyme and truffle oil.

Let the mushrooms cool whilst preparing the rest of the dish.

Wellington

600g Home Made Rough Puff Pastry 1 egg, cracked and whisked 1tsp poppy seeds 4 x 100g fillet steaks, cut even in sizes 100g baby spinach 1tbs unsalted butter 1tbs sunflower oil Mushrooms a la crème

Heat a large non-stick frying pan with the oil; pat the beef fillet dry with kitchen paper and season well all over.

Seal the fillet of beef on all sides, do this quickly as you only want to seal the meat and give it some colour, drop the butter into the pan whilst the beef is colouring to add extra flavour, drain on kitchen paper.

Bring a medium saucepan with seasoned water to the boil, dunk the spinach in and refresh immediately in ice cold water. Let the spinach drain in a colander, set aside.

Roll the pastry out ,3mm thick, on a lightly floured work surface and cut 8 x 12 cm disks of pastry. Whisk the egg and get a pastry brush ready.

Place 4 disks of the pastry on a lined baking tray, place one piece of beef  in the middle of each disk.

Squeeze the cooled blanched spinach between your fingers to remove any excess water.

Divide the spinach in four and place the spinach on top of each piece of beef, followed by a generous spoonfulof mushrooms a la crème.

Brush the pastry around the beef with the whisked egg wash and place another disk over the mushrooms to cover the Wellington.

Without stretching or lifting up the whole Wellington , just raise the sides of the bottom pastry and gently press the edges together, press to crimp the edges. Your Wellington will look like a space ship.

Brush the top of the Wellington with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with the poppy seeds.

Leave the Wellingtons to rest for 30 minutes in the fridge before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 200°C, place the baking tray in the oven to got, transfer the Wellingtons to the hot tray in the oven and bake them for 20 - 22 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Food Fanatics Tip

Do not roll the pastry too thick; if the pastry is too thick your beef will be over cooked by the time your pastry is cooked. Make the Wellingtons one day in advance for a dinner party, keep them refrigerated. The choice of mushrooms is entirely up to you I have chosen to use girolles as they are in season and I love them, I have also chosen the shiitake mushrooms as I like their meaty and natural garlicky flavour. You could use only one type of mushroom if that suits you. The truffle oil is entirely optional, I add it for that little tough of luxury!

  Serves 8

Ingredients

  7 oz (200 g) dark chocolate (75 per cent cocoa solids), broken into

pieces

  7 oz (200 g) butter, diced

 2 tablespoons brandy

  4 oz (110 g) golden caster sugar

  4 large eggs, plus 4 large egg yolks

  1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

  2½ oz (60 g) plain flour

To serve:

  a little pouring or whipped cream

Conversions

Need help with conversions?

Equipment

You will also need 8 mini pudding basins, each with a capacity of 6 fl oz (175 ml),

generously brushed with melted butter.

This recipe is taken from How to Cook Book Two and The Delia Collection: Chocolate

Method

First of all place the broken-up chocolate, along with the butter and brandy, in a large heatproof

bowl, which should be sitting over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl

doesn't touch the water.

Then, keeping the heat at its lowest, allow the chocolate and butter to melt slowly; it should take 6-

7 minutes. Then remove it from the heat and give it a good stir until it's smooth and glossy.

While the chocolate is melting, place the sugar, whole eggs, yolks and vanilla extract in a large

mixing bowl , place it on a tea towel to steady it, then whisk on a high speed with an electric hand

whisk until the mixture has doubled in volume – this will take between 5 and 10 minutes,

depending on the power of your whisk. What you need to end up with is a thick, mousse-like

mixture that, when you stop the motor and lift the whisk, leaves a trail like a piece of ribbon.

Now you need to pour the melted chocolate mixture around the edge of the bowl (it's easier to fold

it in from the edges) and then sift the flour over the mixture. Using a large metal spoon, carefully

but thoroughly fold everything together. Patience is needed here; don't be tempted to hurry it, as

careful folding and cutting movements are needed, and this will take 3-4 minutes.

Now divide the mixture between the pudding basins (it should come to just below the top of each

one) and line them up on a baking tray. If you like, the puddings can now be covered with clingfilm

and kept in the fridge or freezer until you need them.When you're ready to bake the puddings, pre-

heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C).

Remove the clingfilm and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 14 minutes if they have been

chilled first, but only 12 if not; after that time the puddings should have risen and feel fairly firm to

the touch, although the insides will still be melting.

Leave to stand for 1 minute before sliding a palette knife around each pudding and turning out on

to individual serving plates. If you're cooking these puddings from frozen, give them about 15

minutes' cooking time and allow them to stand for 2 minutes before turning out.

Serve absolutely immediately, with some chilled cream to pour over. As the puddings cool, the

melted chocolate inside continues to set, so they can, if you like, be served cold instead as a

fudgey-centred chocolate cake with whipped cream.