Beef Wellington

If there were ever an entrée that shouted “indulgence”, it would be this Beef Wellington recipe.

One of the tenderest cuts of beef enveloped in earthy mushrooms, fresh herbs, buttery Gorgonzola and flaky puff pastry – finished with a decadent Madeira Wine reduction sauce.  I can’t think of a beef dish more loved by my family than this Beef Wellington.  Although the Christmas prime rib often comes in as a close second.

What’s not to love about beef tenderloin or puff pastry?  I think putting these two ingredients together is brilliant. Of course adding the buttery Gorgonzola seems to take it to the next level.  Which makes this Beef Wellington such a lovely addition to your Christmas dinner or holiday celebrations.

Back in the day when I was researching Beef Wellington, I found it was traditionally prepared with a pate of foie gras and duxelles (finely chopped sautéed mushrooms), wrapped in pastry and baked.  Today, you’ll find an assortment of recreations.  This particular version has become a Bennett holiday tradition (Christmas parties and sometimes Easter) created many years ago when I finally learned how to cook.  Yes, those culinary school days reaped a lot of recipe trial and error.  This Beef Wellington recipe saw much trial and much error unfortunately.  Until I found the perfect combination to suit our Bennett taste buds.  With the inclusion of a sauce.  Because as you know, my family loves sauce.

If you’ve read my blog since the beginning, you’ll remember the many stories I’ve told about my family always asking if there is sauce for the entrée.  Guaranteed, if you dine around my table, there will always be sauce. 😉

The sauce for this gorgeous dish is a Madeira wine reduction which seemed the perfect complement to this Beef Wellington.  A bit of a boozy bite in contrast to the gorgonzola with all the flavors complimentary to the tender beef filet and creating an exquisite dining experience.

The lovely part about this Beef Wellington?  It’s not terribly difficult.  I promise.  It may take a little practice wrapping in the pastry, otherwise it’s easy to assemble, roast and serve.

If you decide to prepare this lovely dish, let me know! I’m happy to walk you through the steps or give advice should you need it. Just send me an email at [email protected] or leave a comment on this post.  I’ll get back to you asap.

Here’s to great food, fantastic friends and family and the most delicious time of the year!

Delicious Wishes and Loads of Love,

Karista

Beef Wellington

December 8, 2015

by Karista

Category Beef Karista's Kitchen Kid Friendly Life Around My Table Main Dish

Serving Size

4

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Notes

To double the recipe I recommend purchasing two tenderloins or one large and then cut in half, keeping the beef wellington manageable and easier to roast.

Ingredients

• 1 whole beef tenderloin, trimmed, about 2 ¼ lbs,
• ¾ - 1lb cremini or shitake mushrooms, finely chopped
• 2 -3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs (Italian parsley, oregano, thyme)
• 4 - 6 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to directions
• 1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon of water

For the Sauce:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium shallot, finely diced
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• ¼ cup dry red wine
• ¾ cup Madeira wine
• ½ cup prepared demi glaze (often found in the freezer aisle or meat counter)
• Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

For the Sauce without a Demi Glaze:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium shallot, finely diced
• ½ cup Madeira wine
• ½ cup beef broth
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 teaspoon of tomato paste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400F.
2. In a large sauté pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped mushrooms and shallots and cook until the mushrooms are nicely wilted. Then stir in the garlic and fresh herbs and cook for one minute longer. Take the pan off the heat and set aside.
3. Roll out the thawed puff pastry and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread the mushrooms onto the puff pastry the length of the size of the tenderloin. Then sprinkle the Gorgonzola over the mushrooms.
4. Season the beef tenderloin with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add a dash of oil to the pan. When the pan is hot, brown the tenderloin. Don’t cook the beef through you just want to brown it.
5. Place the browned tenderloin on the Gorgonzola and mushrooms. Roll one side over the length tenderloin, and then the other side and then fold the ends up toward the seam. Flip the pastry wrapped tenderloin over, seam side down.
6. Brush the puff pastry with the egg wash and then place the baking sheet in the oven to bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. The beef should be medium rare, 135F. Once the beef is done, remove from the oven and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
7. To make the sauce:
8. In a sauté pan over medium heat, add the butter. When the butter has melted add the shallots and thyme. Saute just until the shallots are wilted and fragrant.
9. Whisk in the red wine and Madeira wine and let it reduce by half. Then whisk in the demi glaze and season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, strain the sauce through a mesh sieve or colander.
10. To make the sauce without a demi glaze:
11. In a sauté pan over medium heat, add the butter. When the butter has melted add the shallots and thyme. Saute until wilted and fragrant. Then whisk in the wine and beef broth and reduce by half. Then whisk in the tomato paste and season to taste with salt and pepper.
12. To serve:
13. Ladle a little sauce on the bottom of each plate and then place a slice beef wellington on top of the sauce. Serve immediately.

Tags

Beef recipes,

beef tenderloin,

beef wellington,

beef wellington with gorgonzola,

beef wellington with madeira wine sauce,

christmas dinner ideas,

holiday entrees,

holiday recipes,

puff pastry

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