Beef Wellington Recipe

This beef wellington recipe is a perfect date-night-in dish. It’s classic, fancy, and indulging but not too difficult to put together. With a few tricks, you’ll be able to make this famous main course for any special occasion.

For special occasions like Valentine’s Day or Christmas, beef wellington is a fantastic dish to bring to the table. It’s the ultimate indulgence as Gordon Ramsay says in his beef wellington recipe video. If you haven’t seen it, watch it here. It’s so good.

I know this is not an everyday dish since beef wellington calls for a really good cut of beef and some labor of love. However, that seems to be utterly appropriate for Valentine’s Day. Don’t you think so? If you agree, I am going to show you how to make a classic beef wellington for your loved one on that special day. Before we dive in, let’s decide what types of beef wellington you want to make.

Beef Wellington Recipe Types

There are two types of beef wellington. You could either wrap and bake a whole tenderloin and then slice it for serving, or slice the meat into individual portions prior to wrapping and baking. The former is really good for a crowd. The latter is called individual beef wellington, which seems to be great for two.

In today’s recipe, I wrapped a 1.5-pound of beef tenderloin in one sheet of puff pastry prior to baking. Then slice it into two thick pieces for serving. I had some leftovers. If you want, take two sheets of puff pastry and wrap two beef filets individually for your and your love, then bake. Whichever type you decide to go for, the principles of making a beef wellington are the same.

How to Make a Beef Wellington

Now, allow me to walk you through the steps to make a beef wellington for your perfect night.

First and foremost, you want to season your beef generously with salt and pepper and give it a nice sear in a hot pan. You don’t want to cook the beef. You just want to have that nice layer of the sear to lock in the flavor.

Before you wrap the beef with puff pastry, you want to make a pâté which originally is a spreadable paste made with ground meat and fat. Nowadays, many different versions of pâté have been invented. In this case, we are going to chop up mushrooms and shallots and cook them in red wine until the liquid and alcohol are evaporated.

Make sure that your puff pastry is completely thawed. Dust a flat surface with flour, unfold the puff pastry, and spread the mushroom mixture on it, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the puff pastry. Place your prepared beef in the center of the mushroom mixture. Fold the puff pastry neatly around the roast, stretching the dough if necessary. Tug the sides in.

Now, here is the trick to making your beef wellington have that golden glow. Beat an egg and brush it all over the surface of the beef wellington prior to baking. If you need to seal the overlapping edges nicely, brush a little egg on the edge and it’ll help with sealing.

If you have excess puff pastry, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut a few hearts and stick them on top of the beef wellington for decoration. Bake at 425°F for 35-50 minutes depending on how well done you want your beef to be. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of the roast registers 135°F for medium rare; 150°F for medium.

Slice it up and serve it with your favorite vegetables. Don’t forget to pair the meal with a bottle of good wine. Light up a couple of candles and enjoy! <3

Print