Best beef Wellington recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are common mistakes in Beef Wellington? ›

Not cooking the mushroom mixture long enough

Unfortunately, beef Wellington often falls victim to soggy pastry from excess moisture. The beef Sirloin juices are one explanation, but mushroom duxelles can also cause excess liquid to soak into the crust.

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. And once it's all wrapped up in the pastry, the final hurdle is to bake it at the right temperature.

Tying the tenderloin improves both the appearance of the final dish, and leads to more even cooking. 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.

What's a Beef Wellington? It's a beef tenderloin (better know as "filet" outside of the US) covered in a mushroom paste (duxelles) and wrapped in puff pastry. It looks stunning, tastes amazing, and can be prepared up to the final bake the day before the event.

As the beef cooks and juices start to run, they all end up right at the bottom of your pastry. So, what do we do? We make a moisture barrier! Before wrapping it all in pastry, add a pancake to the bottom of your Wellington to absorb some of that moisture and help the pastry cook.

Generally you want the beef fillet (tenderloin) to be fully cooled before wrapping it in the puff pastry as if the beef is warm when it is wrapped it can warm the puff pastry up and cause it to be a little greasy after baking.

Chill for at least 30 mins and up to 24 hrs. 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.

Lower the fat content of your wellington by using filo pastry instead of puff, eliminating butter, a non-stick frying pan to reduce the amount of oil needed, replacing the pate and using herbs and garlic to boost flavour without needing salt.

But Kenji takes it one step further by wrapping the prosciutto, duxelles, and loin in filo dough before wrapping it in puff pastry. Why? Because filo is great at making packets that contain liquid, and that's great for keeping your puff pastry from getting soggy, one of the common problems with Beef Wellington.

If liver paté isn't your thing, feel free to skip it and just add some cream cheese to the mushroom duxelles to make it spreadable. I love this because you can tailor it to your tastes. Get all the recipes for the mushroom duxelles, beef wellington and a simple red wine pan gravy below!

Do you need prosciutto for Beef Wellington? ›

The Main Ingredients You'll Need For Beef Wellington

Puff pastry: Puff pastry is the final outer layer of beef Wellington. Get frozen all-butter puff pastry for the best flavor if you can. Prosciutto: The layer of prosciutto adds flavor and asks as a barrier to keep the mushroom paste from making the puff pastry soggy.

Excess moisture doesn't make the beef extra juicy. Instead, it prevents the puff pastry from fully crisping up, ultimately causing the crust to get soggy. Luckily, using proper cooking techniques can prevent too much moisture from collecting in your beef Wellington.

Chill for at least 30 mins and up to 24 hrs. 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.

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.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Set up a rack about 1/3 up from the bottom of the oven (this will ensure the bottom of the wellington browns nicely).