Beef Wellington

Beef Wellington

Beef: 

3 lb beef tenderloin

Olive oil

Kosher salt 

Freshly ground pepper 

12 slices prosciutto 

6 sprigs fresh thyme 

2 tbsp Dijon mustard 

1 package puff pastry 

2 large eggs, whisked with 1 tsp water to make egg wash 

1/2 tsp coarse sea salt 

Duxelles:

1 1/2 lbs mushrooms

2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped 

4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 

2 sprigs thyme 

2 tbsp butter 

2 tbsp olive oil

Kosher salt 

Freshly ground pepper 

To make the duxelles, add mushrooms, shallots, garlic and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add butter and olive oil to a large sautée pan and set over medium heat. Add the mushroom mixture and sautée for 8 - 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. 

To prepare the beef, tie the tenderloin in 4 places with butchers twine so it holds it's cylindrical shape while cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and sear all over, including the ends in a hot, heavy based skillet coated with olive oil - about 2 - 3 minutes on each end. Remove from heat, cut off twine and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard. Allow to cool slightly. 

Set out prosciutto on a sheet of plastic wrap (plastic needs to be about a foot and a half so you can wrap and tie the roast up in it.  Line up the prosciutto so it forms a rectangle that is big enough to encompass the entire beef tenderloin, overlapping slightly.  Cover evenly with a thin layer of the duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme. 

Position the tenderloin on the duxelles, the roll up the duxelles covered prosciutto using the plastic wrap to tie it up nice and tight. Tuck in the ends of the prosciutto as you roll to completely  encompass the beef & then twist the ends to seal it completely and hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the refridgerator for 30 minutes to ensure it maintains it shape. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  

On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry to about a 1/4 inch thickness. Remove beef from refridgerator and cut off plastic. Set the beef in the centre of the puff pastry and fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary, then brush with egg wash to completely seal the beef. 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 to create vents that will allow steam to escape when cooking. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F.  Remove from oven and allow to rest approximately 10 minutes before cutting into think slices.  

Adjust cooking time depending on the size of tenderloin: 

1 lb - approximately 20 minutes 

2 lb - approximately 30 minutes