A few months ago my father got an inkling to make beef Wellington, beef tenderloin smothered with mushroom duxelles, wrapped in puff pastry, and baked. Who knows where he got the idea, maybe just curiosity. Beef Wellington is one of those dishes that was a lot more popular 40 years ago than it is now. But once my dad decides he wants to make something, come hell or high water, it will be made. So, we recently set out to make it, dad channeling Chef Ramsay, albeit without the yelling and swearing though I'm guessing that if dad thought he could get away with acting like Chef Ramsay around the rest of us, he would.
It's actually a lot easier to make than it looks, assuming you are using ready-made puff pastry, and the result is fantastic. A great idea for a Father's Day dinner for the beef-loving dads out there. Beef Wellington is a traditional English way of preparing beef tenderloin.
Believed to have originated in the s after the Duke of Wellington had a victory at Waterloo in , it was a popular "fancy" dish in the mids. It's then wrapped in puff pastry and cooked in the oven. We don't recommend making beef Wellington ahead of time and reheating it when it's time to serve because the puff pastry will get soggy, but you can make the mushrooms duxelles in advance so it's quicker going when it's time to cook. Prepare the mushrooms duxelles up to 2 days ahead of time as directed in Step 4.
Cool completely and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using. It might be tricky to find the right size beef tenderloin on the supermarket shelf. Beef tenderloins are often cut into steaks, which won't work for this recipe.
When in doubt, as a butcher. They should be able to cut a thick, 1-pound tenderloin for you. You can use any mushrooms you like. We used half cremini and half shiitake. If using shiitake mushrooms, cut off the tough stems and discard or save them for stock. This recipe uses a frozen puff pastry sheet. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Flaky salt, for sprinkling on top.
