The Ultimate Beef Wellington by Kendall Oberto
This is a special occasion recipe and comes from the incomparable Tyler Florence. I have included his whole menu, though I can't comment on the potatoes or greens as I have never made them. The peppercorn sauce is good but again, not my go to. For the pictured photo I used a simple red wine reduction sauce. Sauce or none, this recipe may be a little fussy, but boy is it delicious and beautiful. It is easy to scale this down and just make enough for two. In that case probably 1/3 of the duxelles will work for two individually wrapped filets.
Ingredients
For the Duxelles
- 3 pints white button mushrooms (1 1/2 pounds)
- 2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves only
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
For the Beef
- 1 3 pound center cut beef tenderloin (filet mignon) trimmed
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- 12 thin slices prosciutto
- 6 springs fresh thyme leaves only
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- flour for rolling out puff pastry
- 1 pound puff pastry thawed if using frozen
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
- minced chives for garnish
Green Peppercorn Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves only
- 1 cup brandy
- 1 box beef stock
- 2 cups cream
- 2 tbsp grainy mustard
- 1/2 cup green peppercorn in brine drained, brine reserved
Roasted fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic
- 2 pints fingerling potatoes
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh sage
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6 cloves garlic left unpeeled
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus 1 tbsp for sheet pan
- salt and pepper
Warm Wilted Winter Greens
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 pint walnuts for garnish
- 3 bunches assorted winter greens (such as Swiss chard, radicchio, or escarole) washed, stemmed and torn into small pieces
- 1 tbsp grainy mustard
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds for garnish
- parmesan shavings for garnish
- 1 shallot, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- For the Beef: To make the Duxelles (the mixture of mushrooms, shallots, garlic and herbs): Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add butter and olive oil to a large saute pan and set over medium heat. Add the shallot and mushroom mixture and saute, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and mushrooms start to brown. I find this takes about 20-25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool. Note: I like to do this step the day before. To prepare the beef: Tie the tenderloin in 4 places so it holds its cylindrical shape while cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil – about a minute or two per side until lightly browned. Meanwhile set out your prosciutto on a sheet of plastic wrap (plastic needs to be about a foot and a half in length so you can wrap and tie the roast up in it) on top of your cutting board. Shingle the prosciutto so it forms a rectangle that is big enough to encompass the entire filet of beef. Using a rubber spatula cover evenly with a thin layer of duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. When the beef is seared, remove from heat, cut off twine and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard. Allow to cool slightly, then roll up in the duxelles covered prosciutto using the plastic wrap to tie it up nice and tight. Tuck in the ends of the prosciutto as you roll to completely encompass the beef. Roll it up tightly in plastic wrap and twist the ends to seal it completely and hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to ensure it maintains its shape.Preheat oven to 425°. On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Depending on the size of your sheets you may have to overlap 2 sheets and press them together. Remove beef from refrigerator and cut off plastic. Set the beef in the center of the pastry and fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the beef – saving ends to use as a decoration on top if desired. Top with coarse sea salt. Place the beef seam side down on a baking sheet.Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash then make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife – this creates vents that will allow the steam to escape when cooking. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and rest before cutting into thick slices. Garnish with minced chives, and serve with Green Peppercorn Sauce, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, and Warm Wilted Winter Greens.Green Peppercorn Sauce: Add olive oil to the pan after removing beef. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme; saute for 1 to 2 minutes, then, off heat, add brandy and flambe using a long kitchen match. After flame dies down, return to the heat, add stock and reduce by about half. Strain out solids, then add 2 cups cream and mustard. Reduce by half again, then shut off heat and add green peppercorns.Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic: Preheat oven to 500° and place a baking sheet inside to heat. Add potatoes, rosemary, sage, thyme, and garlic to a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Remove sheet pan from oven, lightly coat with olive oil, and pour potatoes onto pan. Place potatoes in oven and reduce heat to 425°. Roast for 20 minutes, or until crispy on outside and tender on inside.Warm Wilted Winter Greens: Cook honey and balsamic together over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan, about 5 minutes. Toast walnuts in a small skillet; set aside to cool. Pile greens on a platter. Stir mustard into balsamic-honey dressing, then whisk in about 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil; pour over greens. Season greens with salt and pepper and garnish with walnuts, pomegranate seeds, shavings of Parmesan, and shallot.HAPPY EATING!!
Tap Below to Shop this Post
