There are many dishes that you can consider cooking during the holidays. However, if you want to go the extra mile and offer some extra special for your loved one this holiday, consider preparing Beef Wellington.
According to Dispatch, Beef Wellington showcases the tenderest of a beef tenderloin coated with a thin layer of duxelles and then wrapped in puff pastry and baked.
Wikipedia said it is unclear what the specific origin of its name is, and it is in no way related to the 1st Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesly.
The Beef Wellington Recipe
Ingredients:
1½ pounds of white button mushrooms
2 shallots (peeled and roughly chopped)
4 garlic cloves
8 sprigs fresh thyme (leaves only)
Salt and pepper
3-pound center-cut beef tenderloin (trimmed)
Olive oil
12 thin slices of prosciutto
2 tablespoons of Dijon or English mustard
Flour (for rolling out the puff pastry)
a pound of puff pastry (homemade or store-bought)
2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
½ teaspoon of coarse sea salt
Making the Duxelles
1. Using a food processor, finely chop your mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and the leaves of sprigs of thyme.
2. Place the saucepan over medium heat and add the shallot-and-mushroom mixture.
3. Saute the mixture until most of the liquid it releases has evaporated.
4. Add your salt and pepper to taste, then set aside to cool.
Cooking the Beef
1. Tie it in 4 places, so it holds its cylindrical form while cooking.
2. Drizzle it with olive oil and season it with salt and pepper.
3. Using a hot and heavy-bottomed skillet lightly coated with olive oil, sear the tenderloin all over, including the ends.
4. While the tenderloin is cooking, set out the prosciutto on a plastic sheet at least a foot and a half in length.
5. Arrange the prosciutto until it forms a rectangle enough to cover the entire filet of beef.
6. Cover your prosciutto with a thin layer of duxelles and season it with salt and pepper.
7. Sprinkle it with leaves from the sprigs of thyme.
8. Once the beef is seared, remove it from heat, cut off twine and lightly smear mustard all over it.
9. Let it cool slightly and then roll up in the duxelles-covered prosciutto.
10. Tuck the ends of the prosciutto as you roll to completely cover the beef and twist ends of the plastic to seal.
11. Refrigerate it for 30 minutes, then start to heat the oven to 425 degrees.
12. Meanwhile, roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface.
13. Remove the plastic from the beef and set meat in the middle of the pastry.
14. Fold the longer sides over the meat and brush the edges with beaten egg to seal. Do this until the beef is completely covered.
15. Top with coarse sea salt and place it seam-side down on a baking sheet.
16. Brush the pastry with egg and make slits on the pastry's top.
17. Bake it for 35 to 45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the beef registers 125 to 130 degrees for medium-rare, 135 to 140 degrees for medium, 140 to 145 degrees for medium-well, or 150 to 155 for well-done.
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