The classic and decadent Beef Wellington combines superbly tender beef fillet with delicious duxelle, encased in golden pastry. A real showstopper. - Farmison & Co (2024)

The origins of beef Wellington are unclear… indeed no connectionhas been found to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Itseems more likely to be a dim distant cousin of the French filet debœuf en croûte (fillet of beef in pastry).

Here are a couple of handy hints when making a beefWellington:

1. A duxelle is a finely chopped mixture of mushrooms, shallots(or onions) and herbs, sautéed in butter and reduced to a thickpaste.
2. It's a good idea to have a meat thermometer for this recipe sothat you can tell how the beef is going to be cooked when you cutthrough the Wellington.
3. When you remove your Wellington from the oven, rest it on acooking wire so the heat escapes equally, to avoid a soggy pastrybottom.
4. Cut into generous slices to avoid the Wellington fallingapart.

Method

1. To make the duxelles, heat the butter in a non-stick frying panand add the shallots and garlic. Soften them on a low heat forabout 5 minutes, allowing to colour.
2. Mix in the mushrooms, turning up the heat and cook until allthe moisture has gone (about 5 minutes).
3. Mix in the sherry or madeira and reduce until the mixture isdry.
4. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
5. Stir in the tarragon, take off the heat and set aside tocool.
6. To prepare the beef, pat dry all over with kitchen paper.
7. Massage the goose or duck fat into the beef and season it withsalt and pepper.
8. Heat a large non-stick frying pan until smoking and then addthe beef to the hot pan, searing until it's a rich brown colour onall sides, including the 2 ends (you may have to hold it with tongsto do this part).
9. Add the butter and, as soon as it's foaming, baste the beefwith it continuously for 3 to 4 minutes.
10. Remove the beef from the pan and put in a dish to one side tochill.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan assisted) / 200°C (regular oven)/ 400°F / gas mark 6

Now you're ready to assemble the Wellington

1. Beat the egg and milk together to create the egg wash.
2. Measure the length of your fillet - your pastry needs to beapproximately 10cm wider than this and long enough to wrap the beefand duxelles.
3. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface to a rectangle ofabove mentioned measurements and 5mm thick.
4. Next lay the pancakes (or Parma ham) slices onto the pastrynext to each other, leaving a border of 10cm of pastry allaround.
5. Spread a thin layer of the duxelles over the pancakes and putthe beef on top - two thirds of the way up the pancakes andduxelles.
6. Brush the pastry border with the egg wash.
7. Being careful not to tear the pastry, roll it up until it'sfully encased the beef.
8. Gently seal the edge by pressing it with the outer side of yourlittle finger and then using the blunt end of a fork, pressagain.
9. Trim away any excess pastry on the sides, but pinch together toseal and then press flat with your fingers.
10. Brush all the seals of the Wellington with the egg wash andthen lay it onto greaseproof paper on a baking tray - sealed sidedown.
11. Brush the rest with the egg wash.
12. Now carefully score the pastry top with a sharp knife, makingsure you don't go through the pastry and expose the filling. Youcan choose your own pattern, but an easy one is to do a line downthe middle, the full length of the Wellington and then opposingdiagonal stripes down each side at about 1cm intervals.
13. Put into the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Thepastry should be golden brown and brittle when it's ready.
14. You can check the core temperature of the beef with your meatthermometer - for a succulent pink Wellington, it should be 54°Cafter resting for 10 minutes, so we suggest that you remove it fromthe oven when it reaches 50°C. This should be after roughly 30minutes, but check it then and keep in the oven until it gets tothe right temperature.
15. Carefully transfer the beef Wellington to a warm serving dishand serve.