A meal fit for a Duke/Duchess

Need ideas to wow your guests this holiday coming up? Or you simply want to treat your significant other to a fancy homemade meal? Beef Wellington is one of my favorite things to make. It is amazingly simple for such wonderful presentation. You sometimes see Beef Wellington as one huge pastry-covered tenderloin. I actually prefer to make this dish as individual bundles of goodness. They are full of flavor and each is a work of art.

One of the crucial component to Beef Wellington is Puff Pastry. Feel free to use store-bought one. But if you are up for a challenge, make your own!! Puff pastry is a work of art within itself. I feel like it deserves a whole different post. Click here to find it.

Another important thing about Beef Wellington before we begin is since puff pastry is such a big part of this dish, everything needs to be cooled/chilled to keep the butter layers in the puff pastry from melting. If the butter melts, you end up with a none-puff pastry and it won't brown either. So make sure to cool everything before assembling our bundles of joy. I also try to assemble these the night before so they can chill in the fridge over night. But if you don't have time, half an hour in the freezer will be just fine.

Beef Wellington

4 Fillet Mignons
1 sheet puff pastry (store bought or homemade)
1/2 lb. assorted mushroom, chopped
3 Tbsp. red wine
3 Tbsp. green onion, chopped
1 sprig thyme, chopped

Saute the mushroom in some olive oil. Don't crowd the mushrooms or they won't brown (Yes, I just watched Julie and Julia). Once the mushroom is brown and tender, deglaze with the red wine. When liquid nearly evaporated, add onion and thyme. Set aside to cool completely.

Season your fillet mignons with salt and pepper. Sear both sides of the fillet on high heat. Cool completely.

When you are ready to assemble the beef wellingtons, take out your sheet of puff pastry and roll it out in a flat surface until it's about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the sheet into 4 little squares. Wrap the cool fillet mignons in the puff pastry square. Fold the two opposite corner of the square so that they touch on top of the fillet. Do the same thing with the other corners. Pinch the seams to seal. You can cut out different design from some scrap puff pastry if desired. I like making leaves and pumpkin stems for the fall or holly leaves and berries for Christmas. Be creative!

Chill the Beef Wellington for at least an hour or overnight. When you are ready to bake them, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Brush the beef wellingtons with an egg wash (an egg with a few teaspoons of water) and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.


I also serve this dish with a brown gravy. Click here for the recipe. I do hope you find yourselves pampered like a Duchess/Duke as you enjoy this dish.