Puff-Pastry Beef Wellington with Red Wine Sauce

Few dishes carry the theater of a Beef Wellington. Beneath a lacquered, golden dome of puff pastry hides a seared tournedo, layered with silky duck-mousse pâté and an earthy tarragon-cream duxelles. It looks like the work of a master, yet it is really a sequence of simple steps done with care and a little patience for chilling. Set one before each guest and watch the room fall silent.

Building the Layers

A great Wellington is built in cool, patient layers. Sear the seasoned tournedos hard on both sides and let them come back to room temperature, then soften shallots and finely chopped baby portobellos in butter and finish them with sherry, cream and tarragon, cooking until most of the liquid is absorbed. Let that cool too — a warm filling against cold pastry is the whole difference between a crisp crust and a soggy one. Three or four minutes a side is all the sear needs; the oven finishes the job later.

The Pastry & the Red Wine Sauce

Roll the pastry thin and cut it into four rectangles, set a tournedo on each, and layer on the pâté and the mushrooms. Gather the pastry up into a purse, crimp it closed, and chill the bundles at least an hour. They bake hot and then gentler — ten minutes at 425 degrees, twenty more at 375 — while a red wine reduction with Dijon, lemon and thyme simmers down to a glossy sauce for the plate. Ten minutes of rest out of the oven and they hold together cleanly on the plate.

Jorj Morgan

Puff-Pastry Beef Wellington with Red Wine Sauce

The formal dinner party menu. A spectacular center-cut fillet of beef wrapped in golden puff pastry, served alongside ethereal, cloud-like Pommes de Terre Chantilly baked in individual dishes.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Wait Time (Chilling) 1 hour hr

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Servings: 4 people

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

The Beef & Seasonings

• 4 (1 ½ to 2-inch thick) beef tournedos (center cut fillet of beef)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper

The Mushroom Duxelles

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium shallot, peeled and minced, about ¼ cup
• 1 pint baby portobello mushrooms, stemmed
• 2 tablespoons sherry
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped

The Pastry & Assembly

• 1 1-pound package frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• 4 to 6 ounces pâté, preferably duck mousse, cut into 4 slices

Pommes de Terre Chantilly

• 3 large (about 9 ounces each) baking potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces, about 6 cups
• 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature, plus 1 tablespoon for baking dish
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• ⅓ cup milk
• ¾ cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated, about ¼ cup

Method

 

Searing the Beef

1. Brush the beef with olive oil.
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a skillet on high heat.
4. Add the steaks to the skillet and sear until well browned, about 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Flip and continue cooking until the second side is golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes more.
6. Transfer to a rack and cool to room temperature.

Preparing the Mushroom Duxelles

1. Use a mini food processor to finely chop the mushrooms into tiny pieces.
2. Heat the butter in the skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the shallot and cook until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the sherry, cream, and tarragon to the skillet.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 3 to 5 minutes more.
8. Turn off the heat and cool this mixture to room temperature.

Assembling the Wellington Bundles

1. Roll out the pastry sheets to about ¼-inch thickness.
2. Cut into 4 rectangles.
3. Place a beef medallion onto each pastry rectangle.
4. Brush the edges of the dough with beaten egg.
5. Lay a slice of pâté on top of the beef.
6. Top with a spoonful of mushroom-tarragon cream sauce. Wrap the pastries up, making sure everything is enclosed.

Sealing and Chilling the Pastry

1. Crimp the top ends together to seal.
2. (Form the bundles into purses, trimming off the excess pastry.)
3. Place each bundle onto a baking sheet coated with vegetable oil spray.
4. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Baking and Serving

1. When you are ready to serve, preheat your oven to 425°.
2. Brush each package with beaten egg.
3. Bake for 10 minutes.
4. Reduce the temperature to 375° and continue baking until the pastry is golden, about 20 minutes more.
5. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
6. Serve with red wine sauce (see recipe).

Boiling and Mashing the Potatoes

1. Add the potatoes to a pot with salted boiling water.
2. Cook until the potatoes are very soft, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Use a colander to drain the potatoes.
4. Place 3 tablespoons room-temperature butter and the milk into a large bowl.
5. Use a potato ricer to mash up the potatoes.
6. Stir into a smooth puree.

Preparing the Baking Dishes

1. Preheat your oven to 400°.

Whipping and Folding the Cream

1. Use an electric mixer to whip the cream into soft peaks.
2. Place about ⅓ of the whipped cream into the center of the potatoes.
3. Gently stir the cream into the potatoes.
4. The potatoes will be soft and light.
5. Scrape the remaining whipped cream into the bowl with the potatoes.
6. Gently fold this cream into the potatoes.

Baking the Potatoes

1. You don’t need to overwork the potatoes. You want these to be light and airy.
2. Divide 1 tablespoon butter into four individual baking dishes. Place these into a larger baking dish. Place in the oven and let the butter melt on the bottom of each one, about 2 to 3 minutes. (If you don’t want to serve in individual containers, simply melt the butter in one large baking dish.)
3. Remove the hot dishes (use a potholder).
4. Spoon in the potatoes.
5. Sprinkle each dish with Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake until the potatoes are warmed through and the tops begin to turn golden brown on the edges, about 20 to 25 minutes.