Method

Get cooking

Preparing the meat:

Season the fillet mignon all over with salt and pepper.
Heat the butter in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add a sprig of thyme, bay leaf and a crushed garlic clove.
Sear the beef on all sides, no more than 2 minutes per side.
Remove the meat from the pan and leave to cool completely.
Brush the cooled meat all over with mustard and put in the fridge.

Making the duxelles:

Put the mushrooms, garlic, shallot and thyme leaves in a food processor and blitz into a fine paste.
Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium-high heat.
Add the mushroom mixture and cook until most of the moisture has evaporated, approximately 10–15 minutes.
Time range: choose the first timer to check progress or the last for the end of the stated time.
Season with salt and pepper and leave to cool. The duxelles must be dry!

Assembly:

Lay a large sheet of cling film on the work surface.
Arrange overlapping slices of prosciutto on the film to form a rectangle large enough to wrap around the beef.
Spread the cooled duxelles evenly over the prosciutto.
Place the beef on top of the mushroom mixture.
Use the film to wrap the prosciutto tightly around the meat, forming a firm roll.
Wrap the roll tightly in the film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up.

Wrapping in puff pastry:

Preheat the oven to 200°C (or 180°C fan).
Lightly flour the work surface and roll the puff pastry into a rectangle large enough to enclose the meat.
Remove the cling film from the meat and place it in the middle of the pastry.
Brush the pastry edges with egg wash.
Wrap the pastry around the meat and press the seams firmly to seal.
Trim off excess pastry and place the Beef Wellington seam-side down on a tray lined with baking paper.
Brush the top with egg wash. If desired, decorate with leftover pastry and brush those decorations too.
Make a few small cuts in the top to let steam escape during baking.

Baking:

Bake the Beef Wellington in the preheated oven for 40–45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
Time range: choose the first timer to check progress or the last for the end of the stated time.
Use a meat thermometer to check the core temperature; for rare, this is approximately 50°C.
Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

Serving:

Use a sharp knife to cut the Beef Wellington into thick slices.
Serve with sides of your choice, such as roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes or a fresh salad.

Background

Tips Beef tenderloin is very suitable for Beef Wellington. It consists of Chateaubriand, tournedos and fillet mignon. I used fillet mignon here. Make sure you sear the meat sufficiently and get a crisp exterior, otherwise it will be more like braised meat than fried meat. While the meat rests for 10 minutes, the core temperature can rise by a few more degrees. Bear this in mind.

Beef Wellington

Ingredients

For the meat

For the duxelles

Other ingredients