ULTIMATE BEEF WELLINGTON

This is the easiest and most perfect every time Beef Wellington recipe, the success is simply in the method and it is all in the 20’s!  This I learnt from a cooking lesson with my fabulous son Oscar with John Torode at Hampton Court Palace, Henry VIII’s home.  I made my own puff pastry but this is optional, recipe below!  But store brought is excellent puff pastry and the whole point of entertaining is to also enjoy hosting your party too.

The Key To Success is all in The 20’s ...

220 C / 428 F for 20 minutes, 200 C / 392 F for 20 minutes & 20 minutes resting

Ingredients 

(serves 6-8)

The Rough Puff Pastry

330g self raising flour

130g suet

150g water

1 pinch Himalayan sea salt 

200g butter

The Wellington 

1kg centre cut fillet steak

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

200g chestnut mushrooms finely chopped

1 small onion finely chopped

1 clove garlic finely chopped

1 pinch Himalayan sea salt 

1 pinch black pepper 

6 slices Parma ham optional 

1 beaten egg for wash

Mushroom Pate

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

1 garlic finely chopped

500g mushrooms finely chopped

First make the rough puff pastry, place all the ingredients except the butter in a bowl and bring together to a rough ball, roll out to a 1/2 " thick rectangle, slice the butter into 12 slices, place 3 butter slices on the top first half of the rolled out pastry and fold up the bottom half covering the butter, turn the folded pastry 90 degrees and roll out to rectangle again, repeat 3 more times, wrap in parchment paper or cloth and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes while you make the mushroom pate.

This is roughly how your rough puff pastry will look inside, all the layers of butter are what will melt and make your rough puff, puff up and become light, melt in the mouth pastry.

The Mushroom Pate

Heat a skillet medium hot, add the butter and olive oil, add the onions and garlic and soften for five minutes, add the mushrooms and cook for a further five minutes, remove from the pan and leave to one side to cool.

To Sear The Wellington 

 Place the same skillet back on the heat, turn up to hot, sear the whole fillet steak until browned all over, remove from the heat and leave to cool.

The Wellington 

Pre heat your oven 220 C degrees

Roll out your pastry to a large thin rectangle, that will cover the beef fillet when wrapped up, you do not want any excessive overlapping, maybe a centimetre or so as to much overlapping will cook soggy, trim off as much excess as you dare.  If using the Parma ham lay a blanket over the pastry then  spread the mushroom pate on the pastry up to a inch or so away from the edges of the pastry, place the fillet of seared beef in the centre of the pastry and bring the left and right side up and over the fillet to cover, now hug the ends of the pastry parcel around the end of the beef fillet, trim off as much excess pastry as you dare, turn the parcel over so that the Wellington is now sitting seam side down and using your hands hug/tuck the minimal excess pastry back under the Wellington parcel.  

The Key To Success is all in The 2's ...

220 C 20 minutes, 200 C 20 minutes, 20 minutes resting ...

Place your beef Wellington parcel on a baking sheet, egg wash generously all over and place in your pre heated hot oven, once in do not touch or open that door!  After a further 20 minutes turn the temperature down to 200 degrees C and quickly turn the Wellington 180 degrees in the oven, next as soon as your 20 minute timer alerts you take your Beef Wellington out of the oven and leave to rest on the side for 20 minutes, this gives you time to fuss with any side dishes you want to serve with this dish.  Resting is as important as cooking.

 That's it, you Beef Wellington is now ready to carve and serve perfectly rare medium and juicy to serve to your family and guests.  It really is a beautifully simple dish when you have the perfect cooking method, a party show stopper still served in the old classic original restaurants in the city of London where even the queen eats among many, this unassuming restaurant is down a back street behind a old theatre and it’s decor is still sumptuous deep velvet upholstery.