What is An Individual Beef Wellington?

Beef Wellington is a preparation of fillet steak coated with pâté and duxelles, which is then wrapped in puff pastry and baked. A whole fillet of beef may be wrapped and baked, and then sliced for serving, or the beef fillet may be sliced into individual portions prior to wrapping and baking.

Beef Wellington’s were all the rage in the seventies, they were the staple food of every posh dinner party, unfortunately everyone likes their meat cooked differently and back in the day I never considered an Individual Beef Wellington. Apparently beef Wellington was so named because of the shine on the Duke’s boots. However there is no historical records to support this and it could be that beef Wellington was first served in Wellington New Zealand!

Beef tenderloin is best cooked no more than medium-rare. Trim and tie the roast with butchers twine. Place roast on wire rack set above rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, for 24 to 48 hours. To prepare the duxelles: In a food processor, …
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Individual Beef Wellington

Recently I saw an Emeril Lagasserecipe for  Individual Beef Wellington and thought that sounds a great idea, now everyone can get their perfect beef Wellington.

I changed this to my favourite recipe, because everyone loves their coating differently I love to use a duxelle of mushrooms whilst other people use pate.

It makes no difference what you use some people just use Dijon mustard, the function is to keep the meat moist because the pastry need a really hot heat and you do not want dried meat.I like my individual beef Wellington with crisp watercress for pepperyness and with a morel mushroom sauce. I know that morels are expensive, but an individual  beef Wellington is not a cheap dish.

Individual Beef Wellington

Ingredients

500g/1lb 2oz packet ready-made puff pastry(all butter)

plain flour, for dusting

20g/¾oz dried porcini mushrooms or large morels

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 x 180g/6oz slices beef fillet

4 small shallots, peeled and very finely chopped

knob of butter

500g/1lb 2oz chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped

generous glass of dry  sherry or vermouth

large handful fresh thyme leaves

1 free-range egg, lightly beaten

300ml/10fl oz double cream

Method

Roll the puff pastry out on a floured work surface to a 5mm/¼in thickness. Trim the pastry into a 36cm/14in square. Then cut into four smaller squares and place onto two baking trays. Chill in the fridge for five minutes.

Rinse the dried mushrooms in cold water, then put them into a bowl and cover with hot water. Leave to soak for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan until very hot. Season the beef well all over with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fry for one minute on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Place the shallots into the pan and fry for 4-5 minutes or until softened. Add the butter and chestnut mushrooms and cook for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, drain the dried mushrooms and finely chop, then add them to the pan with the glug of sherry, if using. Increase the heat and cook until most of the sherry has evaporated.

Add the thyme, cook for one minute, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and place a tablespoon of the mushroom mixture into the middle of each piece of pastry; spread it out to the same size as the beef steak. Top with the steak and brush the edges with the beaten egg.

Draw up the corners and edges of the pastry so they meet and overlap slightly in the middle. Turn it right-side up and shape it round the sides a little with your hands. If the pastry is soft, chill it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to firm up.

Slash the tops of the Wellingtons with a knife and brush them all over with the remaining beaten egg. Bake for 12-14 minutes (for medium-rare), or until cooked to your liking.

Five minutes before the beef Wellington are ready, reheat the remaining mushroom mixture. When it is hot, add the double cream and cook on a high heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, season, with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover with a lid to keep warm. Serve the Wellingtons with a spoonful of the sauce.

Serving Suggestions Individual Beef Wellington

Beef Wellington is also wonderful with broad beans, and baby asparagus. Be sure to use an all butter puff pastry if you are using a shop bought pastry because nothing screams elegance more than a beef Wellington and nothing is worse than ordinary puff pastry, it has to be made with butter. An Individual Beef Wellington can be made to suit your favourite vegetables or season. In Winter Individual Beef Wellington can be made heartier by the addition of roasted vegetables. As I served individual Beef Wellington on Three kings day in Malaga it was too warm for a heavy meal. Another individual beef Wellington recipe can be found here.