Okay, people! I know how stressful preparing dinner for your friends and family can actually be. Of course, you want to leave a lasting impression, we all do. You want everyone to refer to you as the ultimate chef. You want your every dish to be able to tickle the palate of your loved ones like those top-notch Michelin-starred restaurant ones. You want the following generations to talk about your recipes! I went too far with the last one, haven’t I? Regardless, you get where I’m going with this.

Please, allow me to let you in on a little secret. Instead of packing your picnic backpack and taking those dearest to your heart to a brunch in the woods, if you really want to do them a gourmet-based favor, you should serve them the recipe among recipes. The creme of the crop of the culinary world. Of course, I’m talking about the almighty Beef Wellington.

A Bit of History

The history behind this beautiful dish is still somewhat unclear. Most commonly the origins are related to the 1st Duke of Wellington for obvious reasons. However, there is no strong evidence that showcases the possible connection between the two. Even though similar dishes have been fairly common in the continental Europe of the 19th century, the Beef Wellington as we know it today most likely originates from New Zealand. The story goes that the dish was invented for a civic reception in New Zealand’s capital of Wellington.

The Recipe

Honestly, there are a plethora of various Beef Wellington recipes on the internet. Most of them are pretty decent because they nurture the very basic nature of this dish. However, the one I’m about to present you with is slightly tweaked in order to provide you with the ultimate gourmet experience. Without further ado, let’s see how one would go about creating this masterpiece.

The Ingredients

• A nice 2 lb beef fillet
• 2 ounces of butter
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 10-14 slices of prosciutto
• 10 ounces of chestnut mushrooms
• 100 ml of dry white wine
• 1 sprig of fresh fragrant thyme
• 1lb 2oz package of puff pastry
• 2 egg yolks
• A dash of flower

Trust The Process

1. Prior to delving deep into the preparation of the dish, it would be prudent to first form the shape of the beef by wrapping it tightly in a couple of layers of cling film and leaving it to rest in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Now, the process can commence. Preheat your oven to 428 F. Then, take one of your largest pans and drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil over it. You are looking to sear the beef fillet for about 60 seconds on each side until it becomes brown whilst remaining tender within. Don’t forget to season the fillet with salt and pepper. When you’re done, leave it to cool in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
3. Moving on to the duxelles. Finely chop your mushrooms and sizzle them in a pan with two tablespoons of olive oil, butter, and a fresh thyme sprig. Now, make sure you don’t rush this process. After about 5-7 minutes, add the dry white wine into the mixture. The end product should resemble a mushroom pate and should by no means be slurry. You have to let the moisture completely evaporate. All in all, the whole process shouldn’t take more than 10-15 minutes.
4. Cut two large pieces of cling film and place them on your chopping board in a way which allows them to overlap a bit. Lay out the prosciutto slices and spread half of the duxelles across them. Now, place the beef fillet in the middle and cover it with the remaining half of the mushroom pate. Finally, grab the edges of the cling film and wrap the prosciutto slices around the fillet. As you go, make sure to twist the cling film ends in order to secure a tight seal. Let it rest in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
5. It’s time to roll out the puff pastry. Sprinkle some flour across your work surface and roll out one-third of the pack of the puff pastry across a baking sheet. Make it just big enough in order to be able to set the fillet on top of it. Then, roll out the remainder of the puff pastry into a much larger strip. Sit the beef fillet atop of the smaller pastry strip and gently cover it with the larger one. Trim away the overlapping edges. Use the mixture of two egg yolks and a teaspoon of water to glaze the pastry.
6. Before you place it inside the oven, if you want, you can mark the pastry anyway you like. The traditional way would be to mark it with diagonal lines, thus forming a cascading pattern. Bake anywhere from 25-30 minutes to achieve the perfect medium-rare beef.