Beef Wellington with Bordelaise Sauce
Ingredients
For the Wellington
- 3-4 lb center cut beef tenderloin
- 1 lb assorted mushrooms, like baby shiitake, maitake, oyster, white button, and chanterelles, very finely chopped in a food processor or by hand
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 large shallot, very finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 dry sherry
- 3 tbsp dijon mustard
- 12 slices of prosciutto
- 1 egg, whisked for egg wash
- 1 frozen puff pastry, thawed at room temp
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
For The Bordelaise Sauce
- 1 tbsp butter
- 4 shallots, thinly sliced
- 5 sprigs of thyme
- 1 cup of red wine
- 2 cups good beef or veal stock (not from a box!)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Generously season the outside of the beef with salt. Ideally, this would be done the night before cooking so the salt has time to fully penetrate and season the meat.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Pat the beef dry with paper towel and sear all sides until golden brown, about 3 minutes a side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add a few more splashes of olive oil and add your chopped mushrooms and shallot. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula as they cook. Cook until the mushrooms have released most of their moisture, about 7 minutes. Push the mushroom mixture to the sides of the pan to create an opening in the center. Add the butter and thyme to the center of the pan and allow the butter to melt and the thyme to fry in the butter for a few seconds or until fragrant. Stir the butter and thyme into the mushroom mixture. Continue to cook until the mushrooms develop a deep brown color, about 20 minutes. If the pan appears too dry at any point, add an additional splash of olive oil. Add the sherry, and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan as it reduces, for about 4 minutes. Once all of the liquid has evaporated, turn off the heat, season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste, and transfer to a bowl to cool.
- Once mushrooms have cooled, you can begin the assembly of the Wellington. Line your work surface with 2-3 sheets of plastic wrap, about twice as long and wide as the length of the tenderloin. Lay down the prosciutto into 2 rows of 6, slightly overlapping each piece and the two rows so they stay connected, to form a rectangle. Carefully spread the cooled mushroom mixture into an even layer on top of the prosciutto.
- Brush the outside of the seared beef with mustard and season with black pepper. Place on top of the prosciutto and mushrooms and tightly wrap, using the plastic wrap to help secure the ingredients in place. Tightly secure the ends of the plastic wrap, twisting closed like a candy wrapper. Transfer the beef into the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes or up to over night.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Dust a work surface with flour and roll out the puff pastry to a rectangle that is at least 14 inches wide. Dust with additional flour as needed. Transfer the pastry to a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the beef along one side of the pastry and tightly roll. Seal the edge closed with egg wash, trim any excess pastry, fold and tuck the sides closed, and position the beef seam side down in the center of the baking sheet. Brush the entire outside of the beef with egg wash. For a lattice top, layer on a second puff pastry that has been rolled out and scored with a pairing knife. Brush this with egg wash as well.
- Transfer the Wellington to the oven and bake until you reach your desired doneness, 115-120 internal for medium rare, about 25-30 minutes. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes. Using a serrated knife, slice into ~1 inch pieces and serve.
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and the shallots and allow them to sweat out until softened. Add the thyme, wine, and beef stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook until its reduced in volume by half, about 10-15 minutes.
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve and discard the solids. Return the sauce to the pot, taste and season with salt and pepper, and set aside until ready to serve. Heat through to a simmer before serving.
