Beef Wellington

By taniaf

Ingredients

• # 1 (3-pound) center cut beef tenderloin (filet mignon), trimmed
• # Extra-virgin olive oil
• # Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• # 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• # Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
• # 1 pound puff pastry, thawed if using frozen
• # 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• # 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• # container spreadable herbed cheese (like Alouette)

Preparation

Step 1

To prepare the beef: Tie the tenderloin in 4 places so it holds its cylindrical shape while cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil - about 2 to 3 minutes. When the beef is seared, remove from heat, cut off twine and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard. Allow to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Depending on the size of your sheets you may have to overlap 2 sheets and press them together.Set the beef in the center of the pastry , top with herbed cheese, and fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the beef - saving ends to use as a decoration on top if desired. Top with coarse sea salt. Place the beef seam side down on a baking sheet.

Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash then make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife - this creates vents that will allow the steam to escape when cooking. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and rest before cutting into thick slices.