Beef Wellington
INGREDIENTS
3 lb beef tenderloin, center cut whole piece
16oz puff pastry
3 oz prosciutto
2 tbsp butter
6oz pate (optional)
12 oz chopped mushrooms
1 shallot
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 sprigs of thyme
1 tbsp sherry
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp Dijon
1 egg
EQUIPMENT
Cooking Twine
PREPARE THE TENDERLOIN
Use kitchen twine to tie the tenderloin in 4 even sections, and generously coat the meat with salt and pepper. In a skillet over high heat, sear the tenderloin for approx. 2 minutes on each side, until the meat is a golden brown.
DUXELLES
Chop (or blend) mushrooms, shallot, garlic and thyme until it is finely diced. Heat in a skillet with 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp sherry, and cook for 25 minutes until the liquid has evaporated. Set to the side and let cool.
LAYER THE WELLY
Lay down a large piece of saran wrap on a flat surface with double the wrap on each side so you can ultimately wrap the entire piece of wellington. First, layer the prosciutto slices in a rectangular shape that will be big enough to cover the tenderloin. If using pate, spread a thin layer on top of the prosciutto. Next, spoon the cooled duxelles as the next layer. Remove the cooking twine, and brush the tenderloin with a generous coat of Dijon, and set the tenderloin on one side of the rectangle of layered prosciutto/pate/mushrooms. Using your hands, roll the tenderloin with the layers, tucking in the excess prosciutto as you roll. Once you have a nice and compact wellington, wrap it completely in the saran wrap, and let cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
COOK THE WELLINGTON
Preheat your oven to 400° oven and let the puff pastry come to room temperature.
Lay down another layer of saran wrap, and spread out the puff pastry in a rectangular shape that is slightly larger than the tenderloin. Whisk a cracked egg in a bowl to prepare an egg wash. Brush the ends of the puff pastry with the egg wash. Remove the wellington from the refrigerator, and place in the center of the puff pastry. Tightly wrap the tenderloin with the puff pastry, and fold in the ends like a burrito. Cut any excess puff pastry off with a knife so that the wellington fits perfectly inside. Use a fork to pack in the sides and make sure the wrapping is compact. Wrap back up in the saran wrap, and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Remove from the freezer, and use the remaining egg wash to brush the outside of the wellington. Score a crisscross pattern in the top of the wellington with a knife, and sprinkle with cracked salt. Place on an oiled baking sheet and put in the oven at 400° for 45 minutes. When the center temperature of the tenderloin reaches 120°, remove from the oven and enjoy!
