By Eric Kim
- Total Time
- 50 minutes, plus 1 hour’s chilling
- Rating
- 4(1,175)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Beef Wellington, the English dish of a large beef fillet wrapped in pastry, is a project, but the joy of this scaled-down version is that it’s significantly easier to prepare. Pâté de foie gras and prosciutto are common ingredients in a traditional Wellington, but they’re skipped here for a more balanced flavor profile. Just as common is a deeply caramelized mushroom and shallot mixture known as a duxelles, which lends a strong foundation of earthy umami; a little red wine and heavy cream add richness to it. These are excellent for making ahead: Just stop after Step 5, and store them covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours until you’re ready to bake. Serve with roasted potatoes, green salad or wonderfully bitter radicchio.
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Ingredients
Yield:2 servings
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 2(5-ounce) filets mignons, each about 1½ inches thick
- Salt and black pepper
- 2teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 4ounces cremini mushrooms, finely chopped (1¼ cups)
- 1large shallot, finely chopped
- ½teaspoon herbes de Provence
- 1teaspoon honey
- ¼cup medium-bodied, acidic red wine, such as cabernet franc or pinot noir
- 2tablespoons heavy cream
- 1sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed but still cold (half of a 17.3-ounce box)
- 1large egg
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
965 calories; 70 grams fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 36 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 42 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 38 grams protein; 907 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat a large skillet over medium-high and add 1 tablespoon oil. Generously season the filets mignons with salt and pepper, and sear until the surfaces on the top, bottom and rounded sides are no longer raw, about 2 minutes total. Transfer the steaks to a plate, reserving the oil in the skillet. Brush or spread the Dijon mustard all over each filet mignon and refrigerate until cool, about 15 minutes.
Step
2
Turn the heat to medium-high, and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Add the mushrooms and shallot, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned and no longer watery, 10 to 12 minutes. Be patient: The mushrooms will first release some water; then, once that liquid evaporates, the vegetables will start to brown. If the vegetables are sticking before they can brown, lower the heat or add a little water to the pan.
Step
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When the mushrooms are deeply browned, reduce the heat to medium and stir in the herbes de Provence, honey, wine and cream. Let the liquids bubble up and reduce until the mixture is thick and jammy, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small dish and refrigerate until cool.
Step
4
To assemble the Wellingtons, cut the puff pastry sheet in half (it doesn’t matter which direction). Use a rolling pin or empty wine bottle to evenly roll each sheet into an ⅛-inch-thick rectangle. Mount a filet mignon-size circle of the chilled mushroom mixture in the center of each rolled-out sheet, evenly dividing the mixture between the two pastry pieces. Top each mound of mushrooms with a filet mignon.
Step
5
Carefully bring the edges of the puff pastry up and over the steaks, stretching the dough if needed to completely cover the meat. Twist the tops of the dough to seal the filling, as if you’re making dumplings. You want an even, uniform layer of pastry, so trim any overlapping dough as you go. When the tops are nicely sealed, flip the Wellingtons over, seam side down, and transfer to a parchment-lined sheet pan. You can use your hands to gently tighten each Wellington into perfectly smooth spheres. Refrigerate to chill completely before baking, at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
Step
6
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small dish, whisk the egg until hom*ogenous and, using a pastry brush or your fingers, evenly coat the entire outsides of the chilled Wellingtons with the egg. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes. The internal temperature of the steak should read 120 degrees for medium-rare (it will continue to cook as it rests).
Step
7
Transfer the Wellingtons to serving plates. Let them rest for about 15 minutes before serving.
Ratings
4
out of 5
1,175
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Cooking Notes
Tom M
Been doing a variation of this for years, based on an Eduardo Loubet recipe. 3 tips 1) at450 degrees 10-12 minutes for a perfect medium rare; only 5 minutes rest. 2) To keep from getting soggy wrap the meat in paper towels and let sit for at least a half hour. 3). To keep the pastry base firm and not soggy make a thin crepe and let cool. Cut crepe to fit beef bottom and place on pastry then place beef and wrap. The crepe absorbs moisture for non soggy puff.
Joe
You are suggesting wrapping the meat in paper towels AFTER you cook it, not before, right? Just want to confirm.
Neil
Always wrap a filet BEFORE you cook it. No matter what the dish, letting it rest at room temp in the paper towel improves the final product
Richard NYC
You decrease the cooking time to 10-12 minutes from the 17-20 minutes directed in the recipe. Are you starting with chilled steaks as the recipe directs, or have you allowed them to come to room temp? That's a big difference in cooking time.
Tom M
Wrap in paper towels before cooking
stewart
Can you use another cut of steak or does it have to be filet mignon ?
Topper McRoberts
@Stewart The steaks have be the extremely lean cuts of filet mignon (tenderloin) or the fat will melt and ruin the pastry with a greasy slimy feel on your tongue.
Sharon Snodgress
My husband HATES mustard. Can I leave it out or substitute?
Tom M
Wrap in paper towels before cooking to draw out moisture and avoid soggy puff
Jan R
I've made this for decades - but I wrap it in filo dough not puff pastry. A few sheets per wellington, lightly buttered. I always sear the meat then put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Then assemble them and cook at 400F until the filo is lightly browned. In my oven this has always produced perfect medium rare individual beef wellingtons. Also no mustard, very few herbs: mushroom duxelles (basically, step 2 of this recipe, prepared ahead), fois gras, sometimes truffle slices.
Carla G
A full wine bottle is a bit too heavy. Putting the full bottle on the pastry will just flatten it without even getting to rolling. An empty bottle is just heavy enough and more closely resembles a rolling pin.
Natalie
For those trying the crepe trick, you can just use a store-bought flour tortilla. It's easier and more absorbent.
EB
Why does the wine bottle used to roll the dough have to be empty?
Chef Carlos
This dinner was phenomenal. The only issue was with the puff pastry being completely cooked, so trim as much as possible. The radicchio and Brie are the perfect accompaniment along with a green salad. And go find some Barolo. This one is a real keeper
Diane
Wrap the filets in paper towels before cooking while coming to room temperature to absorb extra liquid.
Lydia
What. A. Bust. And an expensive bust at that. Followed the recipe to the letter. Thin 1/8” roll on the dough, tight wrap with no extra bits. Pastry still came out soggy. Not just the bottom (which was total goo), but the top too. Meat was almost rare, even after a thermometer read 126 and I let it rest the designated amount of time. What a disappointment.
Chef Carlos
Wonderful recipe and fairly simple to make. I made this for Valentine’s Day 2024 for my wife, she ate 1/2 of a beef Wellington that was 6oz with a thick piece of bacon wrapped around the filet. Next time I will remove and sautee the bacon first and then re-wrap it. Served with crispy potatoes and carmelized broccoli and a tasty Cabernet. I thought the radicchio was overkill so didn’t make it. This would be a good dinner party recipe, maybe serve 1/2 a Wellington to each person.
wRoberge
Cooked at 425 convection. Pulled at 120 internal and rested 15 mins. Was closer to medium than MR. Will pull at 110 next time for a nice rare. Love this recipe.
Hurricane
Made recipe exactly as written, no paper towels, no worry for soggy bottoms and it was the best NYE dinner for us. Served with a salad and roasted potatoes. Can't wait to make again. If you reading the reviews or seem like it could be intimidating...you must make this. It's the only way I will eat a filet mingon moving forward.
Kathleen
My son and I made this recipe for Christmas dinner yesterday. We read all the comments but decided to cook exactly as written. We were well rewarded even though the heating element in our oven died part way through cooking and we had to finish in a toaster oven. The oven debacle led to a tad of soggy bottoms, but did not detract from perfect meat, yummy mushrooms/shallot mix, and overall DELICIOUSNESS.
Laura
Tasted delicious but the puff pastry did not cook throughly, even though the meat was borderline medium. A lot of work…
lorrie
Made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight. We’ll see how that turns out.
Donkey
If I’m not a fan of Dijon mustard, can I leave it out or substitute it with something else?
Jill
My husband does all of the cooking so valentines day is one of the few days I go all out and make a huge dinner for him. I'm pretty good at following recipes and actually have pulled off some great dishes, but never red meat, but I saw this and was like, 'oh yeah... I'm doing this.' I TOTALLY pulled this off perfectly. I did the prep the night before and refrigerated overnight and I was completely ready to have a pizza backup, but followed everything and it was fantastic.
sophie
This recipe is with wonderful! To be successful everything needs to be chilled, you can’t rush it! Our favorite Valentine’s Day recipe! A good recipe if, like us, beef has become an occasional treat, splurge on really good meat, you won’t regret it!
Christopher Carter Sanderson
I question the editorial policy of allowing these to be called “Wellingtons.” That’s slang for “rain boots” in Wellington’s native UK. “Beef Wellingtons” would seem to be the better choice.
Pat R
Wonderful treat.AND THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for bringing back nutritional stats. Make the life of a diabetic So much easier!!!!!
Sheyna
Beef Wellington was requested for a special family dinner so I multiplied to make 5. I probably should have stuck with a tenderloin but the individual presentation was a hit. I followed as written except I added back a slice of prosciutto and a dab of pate to achieve that flavour profile. Very delicious! I stressed about sealing each package - a few of them got wet from the filling and i struggled to pinch them shut. However, chilling time let me close gaps before baking. Perfect medium rare!
Kim
This was my first attempt at beef wellington ever so I followed the directions exactly (even though lots of changes were suggested in other comments). Like others mentioned I did find the steak was ready before the puff pastry got as brown as I’d like. But I simply turned the broiler to low, gave it a minute - it got nice & golden & the steak was absolutely perfect. Served w/ salt & vinegar potatoes, lemon roasted broccolini & a horseradish cream & chocolate lave cake for 2. Happy New Year!
Leah
Followed the recipe exactly as written. It was perfection. Highly recommend!
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