Beef Wellington is an easy and elegant meal to prepare for your family or guests. It is not just for special occasions and is certainly a lot easier than one might expect. The name alone sounds like it would be time consuming which really is a myth about this steak dinner. Beef tenderloins seasoned with just the right spices wrapped in a cocoon of puffed pastry sheet dough to create a classic in under an hour.
Ingredients:
- 4 (1 inch thick) beef tenderloin steaks or a whole tenderloin about 1 ½ pounds
- 1 package of puff pastry dough or pastry sheets, thawed
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced fine
- 1 shallot, chopped fine
- ¼ teaspoon of thyme
- ¼ teaspoon of pepper
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of parsley
- ½ cup of chopped mushrooms
Directions:
- In a medium sized frying pan add the garlic and shallots and cook until they start to appear translucent.
- Then add the mushrooms and thyme and saut© until the mushrooms become tender.
- Remove frying pan from the stove and set aside.
- Spray a cookie sheet with a light coating of oil and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425′.
- Unfold the pastry dough or pastry sheets. Place on the cookie sheet. You want to wrap the tenderloin in the pastry dough or each individual steak within the dough.
- Before making the beef a cocoon within the dough the meat needs to be seasoned on both sides with the salt pepper and parsley. Then the mushroom mixture needs to be spooned on top of the beef. Just before wrapping the meat; drizzle some milk over the top of the seasoned meat. (This is best done upsize down so the dough seam can be placed on the cookie sheet.)
- Be sure to pinch the edges of the dough together to seal the meat within its wrapper.
- Place cookie sheet in the oven for 25-30 minutes. The pastry will puff and turn a golden brown color when it is cooked. The beef inside will be medium-rare. Allow for longer cooking if medium, medium well or well done is the preference.
- Transfer the Beef Wellington onto a serving platter and place on the table to carve and serve.
- Enjoy!
Suggestions:
- Remember to always place the side with the seam down on the cookie sheet.
- This meal can be prepared in the morning and kept in the refrigerator on the cookie tray wrapped in plastic wrap for that same days’ dinner to save time in the evening.
- Serve with Bacon Bok Choy as a vegetable choice to compliment the beef.
- In lieu of drizzling the milk you can always drizzle a little red wine instead. This will bring out a whole new flavor to this simple but elegant dinner selection.
