Beef Wellington Parcels Recipes

BEEF WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.
• Sit the 1kg beef fillet on a roasting tray, brush with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with pepper, then roast for 15 mins for medium-rare or 20 mins for medium. When the beef is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven to cool, then chill in the fridge for about 20 mins.
• While the beef is cooling, chop 250g chestnut (and wild, if you like) mushrooms as finely as possible so they have the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. You can use a food processor to do this, but make sure you pulse-chop the mushrooms so they don't become a slurry.
• Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil and 50g butter in a large pan and fry the mushrooms on a medium heat, with 1 large sprig fresh thyme, for about 10 mins stirring often, until you have a softened mixture.
• Season the mushroom mixture, pour over 100ml dry white wine and cook for about 10 mins until all the wine has been absorbed. The mixture should hold its shape when stirred.
• Remove the mushroom duxelle from the pan to cool and discard the thyme.
• Overlap two pieces of cling film over a large chopping board. Lay 12 slices prosciutto on the cling film, slightly overlapping, in a double row.
• Spread half the duxelles over the prosciutto, then sit the fillet on it and spread the remaining duxelles over.
• Use the cling film's edges to draw the prosciutto around the fillet, then roll it into a sausage shape, twisting the ends of cling film to tighten it as you go.
• Chill the fillet while you roll out the pastry.
• Dust your work surface with a little flour. Roll out a third of the 500g pack of puff pastry to a 18 x 30cm strip and place on a non-stick baking sheet.
• Roll out the remainder of the 500g pack of puff pastry to about 28 x 36cm.
• Unravel the fillet from the cling film and sit it in the centre of the smaller strip of pastry.
• Beat the 2 egg yolks with 1 tsp water and brush the pastry's edges, and the top and sides of the wrapped fillet.
• Using a rolling pin, carefully lift and drape the larger piece of pastry over the fillet, pressing well into the sides.
• Trim the joins to about a 4cm rim. Seal the rim with the edge of a fork or spoon handle.
• Glaze all over with more egg yolk and, using the back of a knife, mark the beef Wellington with long diagonal lines taking care not to cut into the pastry.
• Chill for at least 30 mins and up to 24 hrs. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
• Brush the Wellington with a little more egg yolk and cook until golden and crisp - 20-25 mins for medium-rare beef, 30 mins for medium. Allow to stand for 10 mins before serving in thick slices.

BEEF WELLINGTON PARCELS WITH RED WINE JUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F
• To make the filling, melt half the butter with half the oil in a frying-pan.
• Add the onion, garlic, and all the mushrooms and sauté for 10 minutes until tender and all the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the parsley, tip into a bowl, season and cool.
• Season the steaks. Wipe out the same frying-pan and heat until hot. Add the remaining oil and sear the seasoned steaks for 20-30 seconds on all sides.
• Cool, then spread over the pate. Cut the pastry into 4 pieces, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 8-10in squares and brush with beaten egg. Divide the mushroom mixture between the squares and place a steak on top, pate-side down. Bring up two opposite corners of the pastry square to overlap the steak in the centre, seal and gently tuck in the sides, brush with a little beaten egg, and bring the remaining two corners up and seal.
• Place the parcels on a heated non-stick baking sheet, brush with beaten egg and bake in the oven for 25 minutes for medium-rare, or 5 minutes more for well done.
• Place the frying-pan that you used to cook the steaks back on the heat. Pour in the wine and allow to bubble down, then simmer until reduced by two-thirds.
• Just before serving, whisk in the remaining butter and season. Serve the beef wellingtons on warmed plates with the broccoli, and a little of the red-wine jus spooned over.

BEEF WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place beef in a small baking dish, and spread with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned. Remove from pan, and allow to cool completely. Reserve pan juices.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and mushrooms in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool.
• Mix together pate and 2 tablespoons softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Spread pate over beef. Top with onion and mushroom mixture.
• Roll out the puff pastry dough, and place beef in the center. Fold up, and seal all the edges, making sure the seams are not too thick. Place beef in a 9x13 inch baking dish, cut a few slits in the top of the dough, and brush with egg yolk.
• Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10 to 15 more minutes, or until pastry is a rich, golden brown. Set aside, and keep warm.
• Place all reserved juices in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir in beef stock and red wine; boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Strain, and serve with beef.

BEEF WELLINGTON PARCELS

Steps:

• For the filling, first soak the porcini in boiling water for 10-15 minutes until they are plump and tender. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid, and chop finely.
• Melt the butter in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat until foaming. Add the shallots and fry for 6 minutes until softened. Stir in the porcini and the chestnut mushrooms together with the thyme and cook for 6 minutes until tender. Pour in the mushroom soaking liquid, brandy and cream and simmer until the liquid has reduced and the mixture thickened. Put the filling into a clean bowl and leave to cool completely.
• For the beef Wellington, season the steaks with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Wipe the pan used to cook the filling with kitchen paper and then place it back over a high heat with a little oil and brown the steaks, in batches if necessary, for about 1 minute on each side. Remove from the heat and rest for at least 30 minutes. When completely cooled, brush each one with mustard.
• Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Dust a work surface with flour and roll out the puff pastry into a large rectangle measuring about 45x30cm/18x12in and about 3mm thick. Divide the rectangle into six squares, each one big enough to wrap all the way around each fillet.
• Divide the mushroom mixture among the six squares and spread over the pastry, leaving 1cm uncovered all the way around the edge. Place the beef fillet on top. Brush the pastry edges with the egg, then lift the pastry edges over the beef and turn over tucking in the edges neatly. Put the parcels on a baking tray, seam-side down.
• Cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes for medium rare, or to your liking.
• Remove from the oven to rest for 5 minutes before serving on warmed plates with steamed greens.

INDIVIDUAL BEEF WELLINGTONS

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the mushrooms, onion, sherry, butter or margarine and parsley and saute until all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture resembles a paste. Cover the top of each steak with the mixture.
• Partially thaw the puff pastry sheets and roll out pieces thin enough to cover the top, sides and bottom of each steak. Place the steaks on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until serving time.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Bake steaks uncovered in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. (Note: They will be rare but will continue cooking while dish is sitting.)

MOM'S BEEF WELLINGTON WITH PATE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Working in batches, sear steaks in hot oil until browned, about 90 seconds per side; insides will still be raw. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the outsides of the steaks and transfer to a baking dish. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over very low heat. Add mushrooms and onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in pate until completely mixed; cook until all moisture has evaporated and it starts to stick to the pan. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate stuffing 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Roll out 1 sheet of puff pastry and place 4 steaks on top. Cut out the pastry around each steak, leaving 1 1/2 inch border on all sides. Remove the steaks. Repeat with the remaining sheet of puff pastry and steaks.
• Place a spoonful of stuffing down the center of a pastry piece, set a steak on top, and spread another small spoonful of stuffing on top; press down gently. Fold pastry around the steak, overlapping as much as possible and squeezing dough tightly to seal. Turn pastry over and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pastry squares, stuffing, and steaks.
• Bake in the preheated oven, checking after 20 minutes, until pastry is golden brown and steak reaches desired doneness, 30 to 35 minutes.