Beef Wellington has been around for a long time and many of today's
recipes make only minor revisions. It used to be that the beef in
beef Wellington was roasted twice. Today, this is rarely done.
What is beef Wellington, you ask? Well it's sort of this filet
of beef that gets dressed up with pate, sautéed mushrooms
and is then baked in a pastry crust. To get started on your next
dinner party which will headline this classic dish be sure to buy
quality meat that is either prime or choice.
What you will need to make beef Wellington is either chateaubriand
or center-cut filet of beef that is well trimmed. To yield 6 to
8 servings you will need to buy about 3 pounds of meat. There are
numerous recipes available for cooking this classic - many of which
can be found online. It's always good to compare a few to see which
one works best for you. Here's one we like...
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In large oven roasting pan on
rack, form tenderloin into ring so that thick end rests on thin
end to hold securely. Brush beef with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.
Roast tenderloin 40 minutes or use a meat thermometer. When the
temperature reaches 120 degrees F (very rare) remove tenderloin
from oven and let stand 30 minutes. Do not turn oven off.
2. Pastry should be thawed before hand.
3. In a 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat, add 3 tablespoons
butter. Saute onion until tender. Add mushrooms, thyme, salt, and
pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all liquid evaporates.
Stir in wine and cook over medium heat until mixture is dry. Remove
skillet from heat; cool slightly.
4. On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll 1
sheet puff pastry into 14 x 12 inch rectangle. Place puff pastry
sheet on ungreased large cookie sheet. Center partially roasted
tenderloin ring on dough. With knife, cut pastry with 1 inch border
all around tenderloin.
5. Spread pate evenly over tenderloin; top with mushroom mixture.
With pastry brush, brush some egg white on pastry around tenderloin.
On lightly floured surface, roll second sheet puff pastry as above;
place loosely over tenderloin ring, pressing pastry around base
of tenderloin to seal; crimp pastry border to make a pretty edge.
6. In cup, with fork, beat egg yolk with milk; brush top and sides
of pastry with egg mixture. Bake Beef Wellington 10 minutes; reduce
heat to 375 degrees F; bake 20 minutes longer or until crust is
golden. With 2 pancake turners, transfer roast to warm platter.
Let stand 15 minutes for easier slicing.
7. Prepare Bordelaise Sauce (see information below)
8. To serve, garnish with parsley, cut Beef Wellington into wedges.
Serve with Bordelaise Sauce.
Makes 10 servings.
BORDELAISE SAUCE:
In heavy 1 quart saucepan over low heat, in 3 tablespoons hot butter,
cook 1 tablespoon minced onion until tender. Stir in 3 tablespoons
all-purpose flour; cook until lightly browned; add 1 tablespoon
chopped parsley, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, and 1/8 teaspoon
ground black pepper.
Slowly stir in one 10 1/2 ounce can condensed beef broth (bouillon),
1/2 cup red wine, and 1/4 cup water. Increase heat to medium-high;
cook mixture, stirring constantly, until sauce boils and thickens.
If you prefer a metric
version of this recipe, you can find it here or watch Gordon
Ramsay prepare this dish on you tube:
