Beef Wellington
Anyone interested in cooking has to cook Wellington beef at least once in a lifetime. A good opportunity for this was provided by Kerttu Kikas, who suddenly brought us organic farming beef, from which I also managed to get a piece of excellent tenderloin.
Wellington beef is a British dish made from beef tenderloin wrapped in pate or mushroom paste (duxelles) or both, covered with bacon slices and baked in puff pastry. The food is named after Arthur Wellesley, the First Duke of Wellington, who also fought in the Napoleon Wars in 19 century. It is not known whether the Duke of Wellington ever ate or saw similar food. It is believed that before the beginning of the 20th century, this food was not known or at least widely spread. The first records of this food in cookbooks were from the first years of the 20th century. Gordon Ramsay has made this food popular in the 21st century, but it can be found in the blogs and posts of many top chefs.
Parma ham has mostly been used in the recipes circulating today, but the taste of the ham is too dominant for me in the preparation of this food, and the delicious taste of the beef itself is not becoming evident. It is a matter of taste.
In any case, if someone wants to try or surprise their guests with something special, it is worth preparing this food.
Preparation time: 1.5 hours, Wellington can be assembled the day before and baked immediately before eating.
Level: above
Serves: four
Ingredients:
1 kg of beef tenderloin, nicely trimmed
2 tablespoons English mustard
Salt and black pepper for seasoning
0.5 teaspoons fresh or dried thyme
3-4 tablespoons olive oil to brown the meat
500 g pack of puff pastry
500 g mushrooms, they do not need to be brown, because the mushrooms turn brown during frying anyway
2 larger cloves of garlic
250 g of raw smoked bacon
1 egg
For example, baked potatoes and raw salads are suitable for serving
Preparation:
1. Cut the smoothest part of the tenderloin into a smooth piece, remove the skins and trim the meat if necessary so that the piece is well smoothed.
2. Season the meat with sea salt and black pepper on all sides.
3. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and quickly brown the meat on all sides, including the ends, and set aside.
4. Grease the meat with English mustard.
5. Crush the mushrooms and garlic in a food processor, pour into a dry, pan, do not use oil, and fry until the mushroom mass is dry. Season with sea salt and black pepper and 0.5 teaspoons of thyme, allow to cool slightly.
6. Cover the work surface with food wrap, spread slices of bacon around it so that it can extend around the piece of meat.
7. Cover the bacon slices with mushroom mass (duxelles) and spread it evenly.
8. Place the browned and mustard-greased meat on the seed layer and, wrap the bacon and mushroom tightly around the piece of meat. Wrap everything in food wrap and turn to the ends into a strong and dense sausage and place in the refrigerator at +4 degrees C for about 15 minutes.
9. Roll a piece of puff pastry thinner and so large that Wellington can be wrapped in it.
10. Place the meat wrapped in bacon and mushrooms on a piece of dough and wrap tightly in the dough. Remove the remaining and overlapping pieces of dough and close the dough edges and wrap the finished Wellington beef tightly in food wrap and place in the fridge at +4 degrees C until baking.
11. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Place the Beef Wellington on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, brush over with an egg, decorate with partial incisions (do not pierce the dough !!), or cover with decorative dough strips.
12. It is recommended to use a meat thermometer to make the meat perfect. I prepared meat with a readiness level between “medium” or “medium rear” and let the internal temperature of the meat reach +54 degrees C. It took around 45 minutes, but I also started with a piece with an internal temperature of about +10 degrees. During this time, the dough has become crispy and golden.
13. Take the Beef Wellington out of the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Cut the meat with a very sharp knife, serve with a raw salad or baked potatoes.
Ready !!
