Beef Wellington Chateaubriand

By curtiswren

Anyone who claims to be a chef has tried to make Beef Wellington. It is the quintessential beef dish that says to those who will eat it, “You are special!” The Ultimate special occasion dish!

Ingredients

• Beef loin/filet at least 10 inches long (Chateaubriand)
• Prosciutto Ham (6 to 10 slices)
• Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt
• Coarse pepper
• 16 oz of mushrooms
• Chestnuts (I used Hazelnuts)
• shallots
• 4 cloves of fresh garlic
• Fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons of whiskey (optional)
• Minced ham (optional)
• Chives (optional)
• Salt
• Puff pastry
• Clarified butter
• Regular Butter
• Egg yolks for egg wash
• Egg whites for mushroom binder(optional)
• Kosher salt
• Coarse pepper
• Saran wrap
• (To make the Crepes)
• 1 cup of flour
• 2 eggs
• 12 oz of milk
• Pinch of salt
• (To make Beef Wellington sauce)
• Red wine
• Red wine vinegar
• Beef Stock or beef bone stock preferred
• Butter and flour
• shallot
• 2 thyme sprigs

Details

Level of difficulty Difficult
Cost Expensive

Preparation

Step 1

1. Apply a generous amount of Kosher salt to all sides of the beef tenderloin. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. This will allow the salt to absorb into the center of the meat and produce a very juicy result.
2. Dice up all the mushrooms. I used 18 oz (5 oz Shitake, 5 oz white, and 8 oz baby bella). A food processor helps saves time. I used a Vitamix, but be careful, you don’t want the mushrooms to be overly processed or liquefied.
3. Peel the garlic and dice. I used 8 cloves of garlic.
4. Peel 2 to 3 shallots and dice.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of clarified butter (ghee) and 2 tablespoons of butter to a sauté pan and heat on medium high. Add shallots and garlic to the pan and cook until the shallots are translucent. Add the mushrooms, minced ham, minced chopped nuts, and whiskey to the pan and stir. Add about 4 sprigs of thyme and a couple of pinches of salt and cook until almost all the liquid is removed, about 20 minutes or so. It is important to cook most of the moisture out. Put the duxelle mixture in a bowl and refrigerate if preparing the dish tomorrow. Otherwise, spread duxelle mixture out on a cookie sheet to allow mixture to cool.
6. To make the crepes, mix one cup of flower, 2 eggs, and 12 ounces of milk in a mixing bowl. The mixture should appear as a very thin, runny pancake mixture. You can mix in a pinch of salt. Heat up a large sauté pan with one table spoon of clarified butter and one tablespoon of olive oil. Once pan is heated, use a large spoon to pour batter into the pan, tilting the pan so that the batter spreads thinly all around to cover the pan. Crepes will cook quickly and will be ready to flip after just a couple of minutes. Cook for an additional minute after flipping, then remove from pan and set aside on a plate. The batter should make up to 4 crepes.
7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Heat olive oil or your oil of preference for searing the beef tenderloin. Add coarse pepper and any other seasoning you prefer on a steak (garlic powder is optional) I will be using a propane torch to sear the beef tenderloin. Make sure you sear all sides of the beef tenderloin. Immediately, while the tenderloin is still hot, add Dijon mustard or English mustard generously to all sides and around the beef tenderloin and then set aside.
9. Lay out the 4 crepes over lapping each other into a rectangular pattern (hint: lay this over saran wrap—this will help with construction of the beef wellington log). Layout the slices of prosciutto ham slightly overlapping each slice to cover the 4 crepes. Spread the duxelle (mushroom mixture) over the prosciutto ham. Place the beef tenderloin at the edge of the crepe and roll the crepe with the prosciutto and duxelle around the beef tenderloin and wrap in plastic wrap. You may want to add more plastic wrap and twist the ends to keep the meat log nice and snug. Place the log into the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes. You can skip down to step 14 to make the sauce.
10. Roll out a rectangular sheet of puff pastry to about half of its original thickness using a rolling pin. Add egg wash to the entire surface of the puff pastry. Take the meat log out of the refrigerator and place onto the puff pastry sheet. Roll the meat log inside of the puff pastry so that the pastry only over laps just enough to seal the meat log inside. Cut and remove excess pastry. Fold down pastry on the sides and seal the meat log completely. Apply egg wash to the pastry.
11. Optional: Take a second puff pastry sheet and roll out with a rolling pin. Use a lattice decorating tool to roll and cut slits into the pastry. Cut and remove the excess pastry. Spread the pastry out to reveal the diamond lattice pattern. Lay the diamond lattice pastry on top of the meat log, surrounding the entire log. Add a second coat of egg wash. Sprinkle the rock salt all around the pastry shell.
12. Place the meat log onto a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the pastry shell turns golden brown for approximately 30 to 40 minutes depending on when the log reaches your preferred temperature for doneness. If you prefer medium rare, remove the beef wellington when the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature of the meat will continue to rise 5 to 8 degrees after it is removed from the oven.
13. Let your beef wellington rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
14. While the beef wellington is baking, you can make the sauce (If you did not already make it at the end of step 9). Mince a shallot and add to a hot pan of olive oil and butter. Add a couple of sprigs of thyme and sauté for about 4 minutes. Add a cup of red wine and a half cup of red wine vinegar. Add two cups of bone broth and reduce until about half the volume. Mix a table spoon of flower to 3 tablespoons of soft butter and add this to the sauce pan and stir. Add a pinch or two of salt and Let this simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a strainer to pour all of the sauce through and collect in a bowl so that all of the solid pieces are removed. You may pair your beef wellington with creamy mashed potatoes
Enjoy!