Beef Wellington Pot Pie Recipe | Gift of Hospitality (2024)

FAQs

Why is Beef Wellington so hard to make? ›

Beef wellington is not an easy dish to prepare with perfection. For starters, getting the tenderloin steak right is a challenge in itself. It has to be tender on the inside but decently firm on the outside, so it doesn't get mushed inside. The pâté and the duxelles are like preparing two individual dishes themselves.

The classic wellington recipes wrap the beef and mushroom mixture in crepes (thin pancakes) before the puff pastry coating as the crepes act as a barrier, absorbing any moisture from the beef and mushrooms and allowing the pastry to bake properly in the oven.

Yes, you can prepare Beef Wellington ahead of time. You can assemble the Wellington, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for a few hours or overnight.

To prevent a soggy bottom on your Beef Wellington, make sure your duxelle is cooked well to let the mushrooms release all their moisture. Also, the prosciutto will help to act as a barrier to keep the liquids inside. Brushing an egg wash on the inside of the pastry can also help form a barrier while it cooks.

Overcooking: Overcooking the beef or having portions of the pastry get soggy are common issues. To prevent overcooking, it is essential to sear the beef tenderloin quickly before wrapping it in puff pastry. This ensures that the beef remains tender and juicy [3].

You can prepare the Wellington up to 24 hours in advance at this point, but make sure you remove it from the fridge 30-40 minutes before the final bake. Carefully transfer the Beef Wellington to a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated oven at 425°F/220°C for 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.

A center-cut beef tenderloin is also known as a Châteubriand. For best results, use a high-quality all-butter puff pastry, such as Dufour. Alternatively, make your own using this recipe. Foie gras pâté can be used in place of the fresh foie gras.

The main differences between puff pastry and phyllo dough are their fat content and preparation. Puff pastry is a laminated dough that gets its signature airy puff from layers of butter, while phyllo dough is comparatively low-fat. Phyllo dough is mostly flour and water and can dry out easily.

We skip the prosciutto and dijon mustard all together, and instead, we add a rich liver paté infused mushroom duxelles directly to the puff pastry. If liver paté isn't your thing, feel free to skip it and just add some cream cheese to the mushroom duxelles to make it spreadable.

Should Beef Wellington be room temperature before cooking? ›

I don't know your exact prep but the best thing you could do is bring your dough to a completely thawed state, store bought will work fine. Make sure you beef is at room temperature before doing a quick sear, this will not only add flavor but will give you a layer of protection.

Due to the relatively quick cooking time, the tenderloin (or fillet) is really the only cut that can be successfully used in a beef wellington. That said, I have seen individual wellingtons made with a normal ribeye steak. Basically, get steaks that are about 1 inch/3cm thick and trim off all the outside fat.

However, some would argue and recommend an English mustard since beef Wellington is a British recipe. Crepes – Using thin crepes creates a base to place the prosciutto and duxelles on. However, crepes are optional, you'll see many different recipes and some use crepes and some don't.

Place slices of beef wellington on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Cover loosely with foil. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.

Cut 4 (2-inch) vents in top of pastry. Cook's Tip: Use any excess dough to decorate Wellington. Bake in 425°F oven 35 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 135°F for medium rare; 150°F for medium. Transfer Beef Wellington to carving board.

Bake until pastry is golden brown and center of roast registers 110°F (43°C) for rare or 120°F (49°C) for medium-rare on an instant-read thermometer, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for ten minutes. Use a thin metal spatula to loosen Wellington from foil, then carefully transfer to a carving board.

A typical beef Wellington at a restaurant may cost you around $100 and can feed 2 people. My recipe will cost that same amount and feed 4-5 people.

Beef Wellington is made with a tenderloin fillet, a cut of meat that should be served rare to barely medium rare. Most recipes for Beef Wellington call for the fillet to be brought to room temperature then seared quickly to brown the outside for 1 to 2 minutes per side.