Uploaded December 2021 | Updated September 2026, 46 minutes ago
I never cook for enough people at once to warrant preparing an actual Beef Wellington, which is a (section of) beef tenderloin wrapped up like we do the steak, and roasted whole, and then sliced for many guests. Of course, the end caps are the best, with the most crust. If, like me, you are generally serving 6 or fewer people, this recipe may serve you better since it can be made from steaks. It is still a fancy recipe, so don’t skimp on the steak.
We have had the best results setting up the wellingtons the day before. They could probably be frozen at this stage with minimal damage, and be stored for some time before finishing. They would need to be carefully vacuum-packaged to be stored for more than a week or so.
These need to rest briefly after coming out of the oven. They bring their own starch to the party, so I usually like to put an orange squash on the plate, and some sort of green vegetable. The different possible combinations are endless, and other options may appeal more to others. I avoid sweet peppers but a roasted-peppery thing such as ratatouille would also be delicious with these.
Makes enough for 2 people.
Equipment:
• cast iron skillet
• rolling surface and rolling pin for handling puff pastry
• parchment or silpat lined baking sheet
Ingredients:
1 ea boneless steak ribeye and striploin (NY strip) are best
1/2 lb mushrooms for duxelles 1 ea shallot
1 Tbsp cognac Remy Martin VSOP is my go-to
3-4 oz foie gras optional, to enrich the duxelles
1 sheet puff pastry
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp water for egg wash 1 ea egg
Procedure:
1. Get a cast iron skillet smoking hot.
2. Prepare steak by cutting each one in half, into two pieces which will be easy to wrap in pastry.
3. Salt and pepper the steak on one side, and put that side of each piece onto the hot pan.
4. Salt and pepper the other side immediately, and carefully flip the steak. It should have good brown coloration on its first side.
5. Allow the second side to brown also, then remove the steak from the pan, and the pan from the heat. (I usually clean the pan at this point, while it’s hot is the easiest time.)
6. While the steak is resting/cooling, prepare the duxelles.
7. Chop all the mushrooms as small as is practical.
8. Mince the shallot.
9. Sweat the mushrooms and shallot together in some butter until the two become a dark brown, deliciously aromatic mass which has reduced a great deal, and become a paste.
10.Add some cognac to the duxelles, and enrich it with foie gras if desired.
11.Allow the duxelles to cool. If you don’t need to do something else, spread it along the inside of a metal mixing bowl and it will cool down quite rapidly.
12.Prepare the egg wash and give the pastry-rolling surface a sprinkle of flour.
13.Roll out the puff pastry until it about doubles in area. If you roll it out carefully, it’s possible to get three pieces of steak wrapped from a single sheet.
14.Apply some mustard to one side of the pastry in about the shape of the steak’s footprint.
15.Apply a layer of duxelles about 1/4” thick atop the mustard.
16.Place the steak atop the duxelles and carefully fold the pastry over and around the steak, sealing with some egg wash.
17.Place the wellingtons onto a lightly floured sheet and cover. Refrigerate over night.
18.Preheat the oven to 425F.
19.Space the wellingtons well apart on a fresh, lined sheet pan. Do not crowd them.
20.Paint the wellingtons with egg wash, and slash or stipple the tops so that the pastry won’t split.
21.Place them into the center of the preheated oven.
22.Allow them to cook for about 15 minutes, until the crust is just starting to show a little color.
23.Allow the wellingtons to rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into them.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
I never cook for enough people at once to warrant preparing an actual Beef Wellington, which is a (section of) beef tenderloin wrapped up like we do the steak, and roasted whole, and then sliced for many guests. Of course, the end caps are the best, with the most crust. If, like me, you are generally serving 6 or fewer people, this recipe may serve you better since it can be made from steaks. It is still a fancy recipe, so don’t skimp on the steak.
We have had the best results setting up the wellingtons the day before. They could probably be frozen at this stage with minimal damage, and be stored for some time before finishing. They would need to be carefully vacuum-packaged to be stored for more than a week or so.
These need to rest briefly after coming out of the oven. They bring their own starch to the party, so I usually like to put an orange squash on the plate, and some sort of green vegetable. The different possible combinations are endless, and other options may appeal more to others. I avoid sweet peppers but a roasted-peppery thing such as ratatouille would also be delicious with these.
Makes enough for 2 people.
Equipment:
• cast iron skillet
• rolling surface and rolling pin for handling puff pastry
• parchment or silpat lined baking sheet
Ingredients:
1 ea boneless steak ribeye and striploin (NY strip) are best
1/2 lb mushrooms for duxelles 1 ea shallot
1 Tbsp cognac Remy Martin VSOP is my go-to
3-4 oz foie gras optional, to enrich the duxelles
1 sheet puff pastry
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp water for egg wash 1 ea egg
Procedure:
1. Get a cast iron skillet smoking hot.
2. Prepare steak by cutting each one in half, into two pieces which will be easy to wrap in pastry.
3. Salt and pepper the steak on one side, and put that side of each piece onto the hot pan.
4. Salt and pepper the other side immediately, and carefully flip the steak. It should have good brown coloration on its first side.
5. Allow the second side to brown also, then remove the steak from the pan, and the pan from the heat. (I usually clean the pan at this point, while it’s hot is the easiest time.)
6. While the steak is resting/cooling, prepare the duxelles.
7. Chop all the mushrooms as small as is practical.
8. Mince the shallot.
9. Sweat the mushrooms and shallot together in some butter until the two become a dark brown, deliciously aromatic mass which has reduced a great deal, and become a paste.
10.Add some cognac to the duxelles, and enrich it with foie gras if desired.
11.Allow the duxelles to cool. If you don’t need to do something else, spread it along the inside of a metal mixing bowl and it will cool down quite rapidly.
12.Prepare the egg wash and give the pastry-rolling surface a sprinkle of flour.
13.Roll out the puff pastry until it about doubles in area. If you roll it out carefully, it’s possible to get three pieces of steak wrapped from a single sheet.
14.Apply some mustard to one side of the pastry in about the shape of the steak’s footprint.
15.Apply a layer of duxelles about 1/4” thick atop the mustard.
16.Place the steak atop the duxelles and carefully fold the pastry over and around the steak, sealing with some egg wash.
17.Place the wellingtons onto a lightly floured sheet and cover. Refrigerate over night.
18.Preheat the oven to 425F.
19.Space the wellingtons well apart on a fresh, lined sheet pan. Do not crowd them.
20.Paint the wellingtons with egg wash, and slash or stipple the tops so that the pastry won’t split.
21.Place them into the center of the preheated oven.
22.Allow them to cook for about 15 minutes, until the crust is just starting to show a little color.
23.Allow the wellingtons to rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into them.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
