Beef Wellington
Step by step recipe:
- 2 min.
Prepare the beef
Ask your butcher for a good chunk of fillet in one piece.
Salt and pepper all over. - 4 min.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan on high heat.
When good and hot, brown the beef all over.
Note: this is not to cook it, just colour the outside for about 1 minute on each side. - 10 min.
Leave the meat on a wire rack to rest and cool. - 10 min.
- 8 min.
Pour 4 tablespoons olive oil into a frying pan on medium heat.
When hot, add the chopped shallot, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute without colouring.
Then add the mushrooms, but do not add any more salt at this stage. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. - 1 min.
- 4 min.
Make the stuffing
Cut 30 g Foie gras into small pieces and put in a bowl. - 2 min.
Add the mushroom duxelles and mix well.
The stuffing is now ready. - 5 min.
Assemble the beef Wellington
Roll out 200 g Puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée) (if not ready rolled) and pierce a small hole or two in the centre to let out the steam.
Lay the pastry in a loaf tin, as in the photo, leaving the excess pastry draped over the side. This trick helps to keep everything in shape during assembly. - 2 min.
Place the beef on a buckwheat pancake... - 1 min.
...and wrap up firmly.
This is another good tip (fron Thierry Marx): the pancake absorbs the excess meat juices during cooking and this helps to keep the pastry nice and crisp. The pancake blends in with everything else when eaten and your guests might not even notice it. - 3 min.
Spread a layer of mushroom-foie gras stuffing in the bottom, about the same length as the beef. - 1 min.
Lay the wrapped beef on the stuffing. - 3 min.
Spread the rest of the stuffing over the top. - 3 min.
Lastly, fold over the sides of the pastry to seal everything in.
To lighten the calorific load, you can trim off the excess pastry. - 1 min.
Glaze top. - 2 min.
Turn the beef Wellington out of the tin onto a sheet of cooking parchment laid on a baking sheet. Glaze the top side of the pastry. - 40 min.
Cooking should take around 30 to 40 minutes for 750g of meat, but the best way to be sure is to use an electronic thermometer stuck into the centre of the meat. Stop cooking at 140°F (60°C) for "just done" or 122°F (50°C) for "rare". - 15 min.
While the meat is cooking, prepare your choice of sauce. This dish is traditionally served with port sauce (blond roux and port left to reduce), but I am not really a fan. I prefer a marchand de vin sauce made with blond roux and Noilly Prat left to reduce, as shown in this photo. 
Take the beef Wellington out of the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving in thick slices...
...with your chosen accompaniment, potato purée in this case.
Remarks:
The quality of the meat is of great importance for this recipe, so it is worth spending the extra to get the best you can.Source:
Home made.Grade this recipe
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This recipe use (among others)
Beef : You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Taos hotpot, How to cook red meat properly, Tournedos Rossini, Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole, Two-stage beef chuck , ... [All]
Mushrooms: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Kérinou slices, Mixed salad, Lumberjack turnovers, Corn salad with croutons, Mushroom and artichoke omelette, ... [All]
Puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée): You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Crusty pistachio, almond and apricot flan, Millefeuille, Apple semelles (flat apple tarts), Little caramelized peach tarts, Rustic chicken and mushroom pie, ... [All]
Foie gras: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Scallops with crunchy vegetables and wine sabayon, Foie gras fingers, Paté en croute (terrine in a pie crust), Purée of Jerusalem artichokes with foie gras, Tournedos Rossini, ... [All]