How to make Beef Wellington

If you feel the need for an impressive, albeit expensive meal, perhaps to impress someone, or just plain indulge yourself for once, this recipe has to be top of my list. The English like to claim this recipe as their own, but the French also have a claim, calling it, “Boeuf en croute.” Either way, I like to think of this as the first “fusion” recipe, because I can see how the two culinary cultures combined for this. So, I am giving equal credit to England and France.

Some people have trouble making pastry, so I am going to let that slide for once. If you don’t enjoy making pastry, go ahead and buy some ready-made. That’s something you will rarely hear from me, but I totally understand because pastry making needs a large flat surface to work on and many kitchens just don’t have enough room, mine included. Just make certain it’s flaky pastry.

This recipe is enough to get the average vegetarian fuming. It’s all about the meat. Meat, meat, meat, and then some more meat. I love it and it’s always a party favorite. It will take about a tenth of the time you think, the only proviso is that you will need to do a fair amount of prep work. Having said that, it’s still an easy recipe. First thing to do is pop down the bank and ask for a mortgage, you are going to need at least 2 pounds of beef fillet and some foie gras pate. One way of reducing the cost of the meal is to use a different pate, but my thinking has always been that if you are going to this much trouble and spending the money on a big piece of fillet, you might as well go the whole hog. Just writing this one is making my mouth water. Some chefs will tell you to make individual beef Wellingtons, but my advice? Forget it. This recipe is best done on a large scale. Minimum four servings because it is almost impossible to cook a small piece of beef properly. This will serve 6.

You will need:

Equipment:

• A skillet
• A sharp knife
• A cutting board
• A roasting tin
• A saucepan
• A wooden spoon

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 8 oz plain flour
• 5 oz margarine
• cold water

For the stuffing:

• 2 lb beef fillet
• ¼ lb foie gras pate
• 1 lb cep mushrooms
• 1 medium onion
• 2 oz butter
• splash of brandy
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper

First, make the pastry and place in a plastic bag in the fridge until needed. Pre heat the oven to 375F. Now, take the fillet and trim any excess fat or gristle off. Keep the pieces, we will use them in the gravy. Put the skillet over a medium heat and add a little butter. While the skillet is heating, rub the fillet with a little brandy, then butter then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Now place the meat in the skillet and fry the outside quickly until brown. Now, put the skillet in the oven and cook the meat for 30 minutes.

While the meat is cooking, chop the onion and mushrooms. Finely. Very finely. Really, really finely. Put a knob of butter in a saucepan and add the onion. Fry for about 5 minutes until it is going soft. Add the mushrooms and cook on a low heat for about 15 minutes. We do not want any moisture left, so if there is any after 15 minutes, pour into a bowl and keep for the gravy. Put the mushrooms and onion in another bowl and mix with the pate. Put aside.

When the meat is finished cooking, remove from the oven and place on a baking rack to cool. When the meat is cool, take the pastry out of the fridge and lay out on a chopping board sprinkled with flour. In the middle of the pastry, spread out half the mushroom and foie gras pate mix. Place the fillet on top. Spread the rest of the foie gras over the beef. Now fold the pastry over and seal the edges with a little beaten egg. Brush the pastry with the rest of the egg and place on a baking tray. Put back in the oven and cook for another 30 minutes. Beef Wellington should be served rare, but the ends will be more well-done, so there should be something for everyone. If your guests prefer well-done beef, the extra cooking should be done the first time in the oven.

I often see Beef Wellington served in pretentious restaurants with lightweight vegetables like wilted lettuce. (see photo) My response to that is , NO, NO, NO. This should be served with roast potatoes, green beans, carrots and sprouts; a red wine gravy and a heavy red wine. Nothing else will do. When the Wellington is ready, cut into thick slices at the table. Not only does this recipe taste great and smell great, it looks good too and is an impressive sight on the table. Bon Apetit!