I have had a curiosity about making Beef Wellington since I started watching the fantastic show Hell’s Kitchen, cause they seem to serve it every night for dinner, and it NEVER, EVER comes out right.  It perplexed me, because it seems to constantly elude the cadre of inept chefs for the entire season.  I figure, if I made something night after night, I would eventually get the hang of it.  What is so darn tough about making a Wellington?  I went searching for a Gordon Ramsay approved recipe so that I wasn’t somehow cheating and making something pared down.

Well, turns out, it actually is kinda hard to make Beef Wellington.  For starters, it takes a while to make it.  And, also when you bake it all the juices come out of the tenderloin, which made my pastry soggy.  To boot, mine was definitely overdone…but, nonetheless, it was delicious.  Gordon Ramsay would have kicked me out, that’s for sure.  And the picture came out kinda crappy.  But, well, I had to photograph it at 8pm which was when we were eating it for dinner!  Oh well. 

Beef Wellington

Adapted from Gordon Ramsay, The F Word

Ingredients:

• 2lb Beef tenderloin
• 1lb mushrooms
• 4 slice proscuitto
• Grainy mustard
• One sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 2 Egg yolks

Brown the tenderloin in some oil in a heavy skillet.  Remove the tenderloin to a cutting board and cool.  Rub the tenderloin with the grainy mustard.  Coarsely chop your mushrooms, and place into a food processor.  Process until a smooth puree is formed.  Place the puree into a skillet and cook on medium until the moisture evaporates and the mixture thickens.  Lay out some saran wrap, enough to cover the tenderloin completely.  Lay the proscuitto slices in the center of the saran wrap, slightly overlaying eachother.  Spread the mushroom paste over the proscuitto slices.  Lay the tenderloin on top of the mushroom and proscuitto and wrap tightly in the saran wrap.  Let sit in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to set up the wellington.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In the interim, roll the thawed pastry sheet into a thin layer large enough to cover the tenderloin.  Beat the egg yolks with about 1 tablespoon of water to form an egg wash, and coat the pastry edges with the egg wash.  Unwrap the tenderloin from the saran wrap.  Place the rolled meat onto the center of the puff pastry, and fold the pastry over the tenderloin, pressing the edges.  Coat with the egg wash.  Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes for a medium-well done Wellington.  Enjoy!