You Can Cook Beef Wellington, I Swear

Beef Wellington, or “Welly” as some chefs call it, is intimidating. A true test of a chef’s ability, it features prominently in the shop windows of Paris’ prêt-à-managers and on the menus of top fine dining restaurants around the world. In a word, this is real fireworks.

And it’s not that difficult. Really. Beef Wellington is simply seared beef tenderloin wrapped in layers of herbs, mushrooms, sausage and puff pastry. The goal is to keep the meat moist and the dough crispy, and then you cut into it and see these rings of gorgeous color. There’s a little bit of each ingredient in every bite to give you the salt of the charcuterie, the depth of the mushrooms, the mild flavor of the beef, and the crunch of the batter. Here are tips and tricks for every step, based on a recipe from master cook Calum Franklin of The Pie Room.

Sweating mushrooms

Step: This recipe calls for 35 ounces of mushrooms, which you then turn into duxelles, which is French for “it’ll take forever and you’ll probably be sleep-deprived.” The goal here is uniformity and dryness. You need mushrooms. lose all the moisture because the moisture will be trapped in the gumboot and the dough will not become crispy.

First trick: Calum suggests cutting the mushrooms by hand into small cubes, since the food processor does not provide uniformity, and we only have so many years in this life, so break the mushrooms into equal sized pieces by hand, and only fill the food processor a quarter full. and then pulse until you see small, uniform pieces. Pour them into a bowl and continue until you have processed them all.

Second tip: The best way to remove all the moisture from the mushrooms is to continually scoop the duxelle, turn it over, and spread it around. This will release the most moisture while constantly moving everything around so you don’t get burned, and will allow you to check how much moisture there really is. Make sure you move around the entire pan in a circular motion, clockwise or counterclockwise.

Multilayer base

Step: To make the flat sheet of ingredients that you will wrap around the tenderloin, you will need to construct it on plastic wrap. The cookbook recommends a 14″ x 20″ rectangle.

First tip: the sheet should be the same width as the tenderloin you are buying and the same depth as the circumference of that tenderloin, so buy the meat first and then calculate how big the sheet should be.

Second tip: Once you know the size, take a piece of parchment that usually has a grid printed on it, fold it to the size you want, and place it under some plastic wrap so you can always see how much space you’re taking up. I’m trying to fill it out. You can use the parchment later in the recipe.

Don’t overdo it with meat

Step: Create the first layer of base by making a continuous sheet of charcuterie. This is usually prosciutto, but Calum recommends bresaola instead, which is essentially prosciutto made from beef rather than pork. He claims this allows the flavor of the beef to shine. Although I agree, bresaola is hard to find, so you can always go back to prosciutto.

First tip: Buying prepackaged deli meats will always cost more per ounce, so it’s much better to go to the grocery store and have them cut you fresh meat. Make sure they slice it as thin as possible.

The second tip is to take a piece of parchment with you to the store and explain to the person cutting the meat what you are doing so that it takes up just the right size space and you know you have exactly the amount you need. but nothing more.

Third tip: When you put the bresaola in, it takes shape. The key is to find a way to connect the shapes so that you can create a solid sheet of meat without any holes in it. I had to rotate it a few times and figure out that the best way to position it was diagonally.

Fields of greenery

Step: Calum covers the wellies with a layer of spinach, which isn’t included in many recipes, but it gives the wellies a bright green color against the red meat. Place a second layer of flat, steamed spinach leaves on top of the bresaola. It sounds simple, but cooking spinach is overwhelming.

Tip: Take a damp paper towel, place it on a plate, create a layer of clean spinach leaves while they are dry and easy to handle. Arrange so that there are no gaps and all the leaves are facing the same way, cover it with another sheet of damp paper towel and microwave for 90 seconds. When coming out of the microwave, remove the top layer of paper towel, then carefully invert (invert) the plate onto the bresaola sheet and remove the plate and paper towels. You will transfer the spinach leaf intact. Now simply repeat this process a few more times and move the bresaola sheet around until you have covered the entire sheet.

Flat as a pancake

Step: Place the duxelle mushrooms on top of the spinach in an even layer.

Tip: To make the sheet really flat, before you add the mushrooms, take a square of parchment, pull it out from under the sheet, turn it over onto the top of the spinach and roll it with a rolling pin using medium pressure. vertex. The spinach will not stick to the parchment and will perfectly even out the bresaola and spinach. Now place the mushrooms on the spinach towards the part of the leaf closest to you. Share this as best you can. Now put the wax paper back and use the rolling pin rolling away from you. This will compress the duxelle and also distribute it evenly.

Fry the meat

Step: Salt and pepper the beef tenderloin and then sear it in a pan that is suitable for it. After firing, immediately paint with mustard.

First tip: You don’t have the right pan for it, so take a heavy-duty baking sheet, place it on the stove burners and use it as if it were a frying pan. An old sheet of paper is perfect for this because it can become warped. Let it heat up, making the smaller burner a little taller to compensate for the larger burner. It’s a light whisper; you just need a color on each side, giving it about five seconds and then rolling to the next side. Use two pairs of tongs to hold the tenderloin up and brown each end.

Second tip: Using your hands, apply the mustard to the tenderloin, which will be more receptive due to the heat coming from the pan. Then let it cool while you complete the next steps.

Roll it up

Step: Wrap the cooled beef tenderloin in a layered sheet until it is completely covered, then wrap and place in the refrigerator to set.

Tip: Use the same method as sushi chefs: use cling film to your advantage. Move slowly, but pull the plastic wrap up, then pull it toward the ceiling and then away from you to get the roll nice and even. Then before the roll goes all the way around, press down on the roll to make sure you roll it tightly and then pull the plastic back so it doesn’t get stuck in the roll, but keep using it to get it nice. , tight roll. At the end of the day, you have a roll wrapped in plastic. Use it to wrap a rubber boot for the refrigerator.

Test time

Step: Prepare the puff pastry. Roll out two sheets to create a lattice on top. Place the rubber boot into the uncut sheet first and then cut the lattice on the second sheet using alternating cuts. Carefully place it on top of the first sheet, sealing it with egg wash.

First tip: just buy puff pastry; there is little honor in doing it yourself. Once defrosted, fold the sheet into thirds (it will already have those creases, so it’s frozen) and roll it out again from there to eliminate those fold lines.

Second tip: Treat your rubber boot like the crust of a pie. There is no law that says you need a lattice tabletop, but if you do need one, buy a lattice roller, it costs $9. If you try to put other items on the wellington, since it’s a roll, they tend to peel off, so people like to use sheets instead because they can be draped and then actually stuck to the pan. When you place the second sheet, you need to make sure that you actually attach it to the first sheet where the roll meets the baking sheet, and then also press it against the baking sheet itself. You can try cutting the lattice by hand but it’s not worth it, I would suggest using just one layer of puff pastry without a second layer.

Beef Wellington

(based on Calum Franklin’s recipe from The Pie Room )

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs beef tenderloin

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• 3 tablespoons good quality mustard

• 2 bunches spinach, as large a leaf as possible

• One package of Pepperidge Farms puff pastry

• 3 eggs

• 35 ounces mushrooms

• 2 shallots

• 1 clove of garlic

• 1 tablespoon each thyme and rosemary

• 6.5 tablespoons Madeira wine

• 1 teaspoon table salt

• 1 tablespoon sea salt

• Enough bresaola or prosciutto to fill the space needed for a piece of beef (about 0.2 pounds).

• To prepare the duxelles, process the mushrooms in a food processor until uniform in size and shape. Repeat with shallots and garlic. Fry the shallots and garlic in a non-stick frying pan with 1.5 tablespoons of vegetable oil until translucent, then remove. Add the mushrooms to the pan with 1.5 tablespoons of oil and increase the temperature to high, add the mushrooms and a little salt. Continue moving the mushrooms until all the moisture is gone and the mushrooms are dark brown in color. Add Madeira and simmer until the wine has evaporated. Return the shallots and garlic, thyme and rosemary, then spread the entire mixture on paper towels to dry.

• Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with kosher salt. Place a baking sheet on two burners on the stove and add 3 tablespoons of oil over high heat. Fry on all sides, no more than 5 seconds on each side. Let cool and then rub in the mustard using your hands. When the meat has cooled completely, remove the string that was used to tie the meat.

• Measure the length and width of the tenderloin. Fold a piece of parchment paper plus five inches long and 2.5 times the width of the tenderloin. Place this paper on a cutting board or flat surface. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving a generous margin on all sides. This will require overlapping layers.

• Place the bresola on the cling film, overlapping it as needed to ensure there are no gaps, using the parchment underneath as a template to fill in the space.

• Cook the spinach in batches on a plate by placing the spinach between damp paper towels for ninety seconds in the microwave, then transfer the spinach leaves to the bresola to form one even layer, then remove the parchment.

• Place the parchment paper from under the plastic wrap on top of the spinach. Using a rolling pin, flatten the layered base by rolling it onto the parchment. Spread the duxelle on top of the spinach, then place parchment paper on top and use a rolling pin to create an even layer of duxelle that completely covers the spinach. Remove parchment.

• Place the beef horizontally on the (long) edge of the laminated sheet closest to you, centered. Roll tightly using cling film and then wrap in cling film, using more as needed, and refrigerate for at least eight hours.

• Preheat the oven to 400F and move the rack to the second position on top of the oven to make room for a wellington underneath the elements.

• Roll out two sheets of puff pastry each on a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place the second one in the refrigerator to rest. Remove the rubber boot from the refrigerator and carefully unwrap it. Taking extra care, transfer to the dough along the edge closest to you (the long way) and, repeating the same process as the day before, roll out the rubber boot in the dough. You will need just enough dough to complete the roll, plus about an extra inch to ensure it fits snugly. Fold the ends under the roll, trying to straighten them out as much as possible. Remove parchment paper.

• Make a soap mixture from two eggs. Remove the second sheet of dough from the refrigerator and use a slotted knife to make even cuts. Coat the entire roll liberally with egg wash. Carefully and lightly transfer the lattice sheet to the top of the roll, lining it up in the middle. Now carefully begin to pull the grill, starting from the middle outwards. It will move easily through the egg water, but be careful. Once it is open and well draped, glue the lattice to the dough at the bottom where the roll meets the pan and press to press it against the pan itself. Refrigerate the roll, uncovered, for thirty minutes.

• Using the remaining egg wash, now rinse the entire roll and sprinkle with sea salt. Insert a digital thermometer from one end horizontally into the middle and bake for 30 minutes. Invert the pan in the oven and continue cooking until a digital thermometer reads 110F, then remove. The temperature of the beef will continue to rise to medium rare. Immediately transfer to a wire rack to allow air to pass under the rubber boot. Slice horizontally into one-inch slices and serve.

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