My Take on Beef Wellington

 

At times, cooking is like a sprint (think Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals) and other times, cooking can be a marathon. I found this dish is a combination of a lot of little recipes which come together to make an amazing dinner.

I've been out of treatment for a little over a month and I've been looking for a way to celebrate just as much as I've been looking for a challenging dish to make. Then Beef Wellington kept popping up throughout my life. This past week I've seen Beef Wellington made on Hell's Kitchen, I've stumbled upon a recipe online and I think I even had a dream about it a few nights back. I figured these had to be signs so I did my homework and hit the books- literally.

I went to the cook book section of the library (3rd Floor Paterno) and pulled out every book that I thought would have a Beef Wellington recipe inside. I didn't even bother finding a desk, I just laid out each book in the aisle between the two book shelves. The beef recipes were all similar for the most part but I was looking for the perfect puff pastry recipe. Everyone I asked had never made a puff pastry and some people told me to just buy it in the store. I got the sense that this pastry was difficult to make so I needed to find a chef to make it easy for me. And then I found Julia Child. In her 2nd Volume of Mastering The Art of French Cooking, Julia helped me step by step. The night before, I made a "practice" puff pastry just to make sure I knew what I was doing the next day

As much as I want to make easy recipes for college students I couldn't help but go all out on this recipe. Filet mignon was (alot) more expensive than I thought but it was definitely worth it. It's always nice to have beef that isn't dining hall quality anyway!!

** I should also mention that I didn't make a mushroom duxelle with this recipe. Instead, I made a stuffing of pureed okra, onion, and garlic.

So whether you want to celebrate a special occasion or just want to challenge your cooking skills, try my version of Beef Wellington

Ingredients:

Puff Pastry--- Click HERE for recipe
Eggs (for egg-wash)--- 2 (large)
Water (for egg-wash)--- 1 TBSP

For Okra stuffing:

Okra--- 1 LB
Onion--- 1/2 CUP (Chopped)
Garlic--- 2 Cloves (Minced)
Vodka--- 2 OZ

For Beef:

Tenderloin/ Filet Mignon--- 1 LB
Prosciutto--- 1 LB
Olive Oil--- 2 TBSP
Salt and Pepper--- Pinch of each
Dijon Mustard--- 2 TBSP


STEP BY STEP:

• 1. **Make a puff pastry** Click HERE for recipe

• 2. Chop okra into circles and put into food processor

• 3. Chop onion and mince garlic. Add both to food processor.

• 4. Blitz okra, onion, and garlic in food processor until they form into a paste

• 5. Heat an 11" pan to Medium-High. Once hot add okra mix and vodka until and fry until moisture has cooked off

•  6. Spread out a sheet of plastic wrap and shingle enough prosciutto to be able to cover tenderloin

•  7. With a rubber spatula, spread okra mixture over the prosciutto

• 8. At this point, preheat oven to 425F

• 9. Heat another 11" pan to Medium-High

• 10. Season beef with salt and pepper

• 11. Once pan is hot add olive oil and sear beef on all sides. A dark brown/grey crust should form around the steak. By searing the meat you only cook the outer parts of the meat---leaving the middle uncooked.

• 12. Remove steak from pan and brush with dijon mustard.

• 13. Place beef in the middle of the prosciutto/okra layer and roll prosciutto to fully cover the meat. (Should be a loaf/cylinder shape) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 5 minutes. 

• 14. Roll out puff pastry to about 1/4" thickness 

• 15. Remove prosciutto/beef combo from plastic then wrap pastry around to enclose the meat. Cut off any excess pastry and make sure to keep the seam-side on the bottom.

• 16. Make egg-wash (Eggs+ Water) and brush edges to seal the pastry.

• 17. Take loaf and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate from another 5 minutes. (This allows for the pastry to firm-up to a nice shape.)

• 18. Unwrap loaf and brush with egg-wash to give the pastry a nice brown color when baked. Before egg-wash you can score the loaf with the back of a knife and create decorative patterns.

• 19. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then bake loaf at 425F for 35 to 40 minutes.

• 20. The Wellington should have a golden brown crust and should let cool for 5 minutes before serving. With a serrated knife, cut generous slices of the beef. 

I had a blast making this dish and the tenderloin was one of the best pieces of steak I've ever had-- I also really liked the challenge so feel free to suggest another dish you'd like to see me try!!