The Kitchen Wife: Ground Beef Wellington Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good Beef Wellington? ›

Browning the beef gives it complexity and meaty depth. Tying the tenderloin improves both the appearance of the final dish, and leads to more even cooking. Phyllo provides a moisture barrier, preventing the puff pastry from getting soggy. A double layer of plastic wrap makes it easier to wrap up the tenderloin.

Overcooking: Overcooking the beef or having portions of the pastry get soggy are common issues. To prevent overcooking, it is essential to sear the beef tenderloin quickly before wrapping it in puff pastry. This ensures that the beef remains tender and juicy [3].

Beef wellington is not an easy dish to prepare with perfection. For starters, getting the tenderloin steak right is a challenge in itself. It has to be tender on the inside but decently firm on the outside, so it doesn't get mushed inside. The pâté and the duxelles are like preparing two individual dishes themselves.

How do you keep the bottom of Beef Wellington from getting soggy? By adding breadcrumbs to the mushroom mixture like we do in this recipe, the juice from the beef gets soaked up before reaching the bottom layer of your Wellington, leaving the pastry to get nice and crisp for the most satisfying beef Wellington ever.

Consider Crepes In Your Beef Wellington Crust

Instead of the final layer before the pastry being prosciutto, the celebrity chef wraps his beef in an extra layer of crepes, creating another barrier from the moisture of the meat and duxelles. Ramsay also seasons his with thyme and chives to add another layer of flavor.

You can prepare the Wellington up to 24 hours in advance at this point, but make sure you remove it from the fridge 30-40 minutes before the final bake. Carefully transfer the Beef Wellington to a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated oven at 425°F/220°C for 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.

Cut 4 (2-inch) vents in top of pastry. Cook's Tip: Use any excess dough to decorate Wellington. Bake in 425°F oven 35 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 135°F for medium rare; 150°F for medium. Transfer Beef Wellington to carving board.

We'll cook the Wellington at 425°F (218°C) to puff the pastry. But we needn't fear that our beef will overcook too quickly because once the pastry is puffed, it literally becomes a coat of insulation for the meat: all those air pockets slow the flow of heat from the outside to the beef and prevent it from scorching.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Set up a rack about 1/3 up from the bottom of the oven (this will ensure the bottom of the wellington browns nicely).

Medium meat should reach an internal temperature of around 60-65c (140-145F) however as the Wellington will continue to cook once it is out of the oven you will need to remove it about 5c (20F) below this.

How do you tenderize beef for Wellington? ›

Tenderize the sirloin by pounding with a meat mallet for several minutes (we're trying to simulate a filet here). In a medium-hot pan, sear the steak on all sides, about 30 seconds per side. The steak should still be rare inside at this point. Refrigerate until ready to use again.

We skip the prosciutto and dijon mustard all together, and instead, we add a rich liver paté infused mushroom duxelles directly to the puff pastry. If liver paté isn't your thing, feel free to skip it and just add some cream cheese to the mushroom duxelles to make it spreadable.

A traditional Beef Wellington consists of a beef tenderloin wrapped in layers of pâté, duxelles (a finely chopped mushroom mixture), parma ham, and puff pastry, then baked.

Beef Wellington is one of those secretly quick and easy dishes that is perfect for holidays like Christmas and Easter, or even Sunday lunches, or anytime you have guests over. You can prep most of it the night before to save time, and then wrap it in puff pastry and bake it the next day before dinner.

But on top of its tedious cooking process, beef Wellington is also expensive. The dish typically calls for beef tenderloin, the tender cut of beef that filet mignon comes from, in addition to pricey prosciutto. With these high-priced meats, beef Wellington isn't exactly budget-friendly.

2) The crepes protect the pastry from excess moisture as the beef cooks, and also helps the beef stay joicy and tender once cooked. 3) Be very careful to tightly wrap your beef – the tighter the wrapping, the better the shape, which will result in more even cooking.

Mustard – Only Dijon mustard will do for the best flavor by completely brushing it on and around the hot seared beef. However, some would argue and recommend an English mustard since beef Wellington is a British recipe. Crepes – Using thin crepes creates a base to place the prosciutto and duxelles on.