Beef Wellington with port sauce

Are you hosting an intimate dinner with family or friends over the holidays? If so, this classic recipe may well be the perfect main course.

Start to finish: 2.5 hours (50 minutes active)
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Beef
• 3 pounds beef tenderloin (filet mignon)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mushroom duxelles
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 French shallots, finely chopped
• 25 ounces button mushrooms, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup dry, white wine
• Salt and pepper to taste

Assembly
• 8 slices prosciutto
• Prepared mushroom duxelles
• 4.5 ounces foie gras, thinly sliced
• Prepared beef tenderloin
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (17 ounce) package puff pastry
• 1 egg yolk, beaten

Port sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 French shallot, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup port
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Beef
1. Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper.
2. In a pan, heat the olive oil and butter. Once the pan is very hot, sear the beef for about 2 minutes on each side. Place the meat on a plate and dry using a paper towel.
3. Brush beef with the Dijon mustard and refrigerate.

Mushroom duxelles
1. In the pan you used to sear the beef, melt the butter.
2. Sweat the French shallots in the melted butter. Add the mushrooms and sauté them over high heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and thyme and continue to cook for about 2 minutes.
4. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and continue to cook the mixture until the moisture has completely evaporated from it. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Assembly
1. Cover your work surface with a sheet of plastic wrap. Place the slices of prosciutto on the plastic wrap, overlapping them slightly to make a large square.
2. Using a spatula, spread the mushroom duxelles over the prosciutto, covering it completely.
3. Cover the mushrooms with the slices of foie gras.
4. Take the beef out of the refrigerator and place it in the middle of the square. Using the plastic wrap to help keep the components together, wrap the other ingredients around the beef, making sure it’s covered completely. Wrap the plastic tightly around the beef and accompanying ingredients and refrigerate the whole thing for one hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 °F. Dust the work surface lightly with flour and spread out the puff pastry.
6. Remove the beef from the refrigerator, take off the plastic wrap and place the meat on the pastry.
7. Wrap the pastry around the beef, making sure it’s completely covered. It should be spread uniformly and shouldn’t overlap, so be sure to cut any extra bits off. Brush the pastry with the egg yolk and trace a design using a knife, making sure not to pierce a hole through the dough.
8. Place the assembled Beef Wellington on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or until the beef reaches an internal temperature of 132 °F.

Port sauce
Start making the sauce halfway through the meat’s cooking time.

1. In a pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the French shallot. Add the port and simmer for a few minutes.
2. Add the beef stock and simmer until the sauce has reduced about halfway. Add salt and pepper to taste. Strain the sauce using a sieve and rinse the pot.
3. Return the sauce to the rinsed pot and melt the butter in it.

Allow the Beef Wellington to cool for about 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with roasted potatoes and the port sauce. Enjoy!

In order for this recipe to be a success, the mushroom duxelles must be very dry. Even a small amount of moisture will impact how the puff pastry cooks and result in a soggy crust.