In this article
My English friend Margaret told me that beef Wellington is the most famous dinner party dish in all of Britain, and that nobody has ever been able to prove how it got its name. The story everybody tells is that it was named for the Duke of Wellington after he beat Napoleon. Margaret says it is a lovely story and that is all it is. What nobody argues about is the dish itself: a whole beef fillet, seared hard, brushed with mustard, wrapped in a layer of finely chopped mushrooms cooked down almost to a paste, then wrapped again in golden puff pastry.
Margaret adds one more layer, thin homemade crepes between the mushrooms and the pastry, and that is the answer to the famous problem with Wellington, a soggy bottom. The beef gives off juice as it roasts, and the pastry underneath drinks it up. The crepes catch the juice, the mushrooms are cooked completely dry, and the whole parcel is chilled before baking on a hot sheet. Here is how to keep the bottom of the pastry crisp and the beef rosy in the middle.
Why this beef Wellington works
- A hard sear. Browning the fillet on every side builds flavor and seals the surface before it is wrapped.
- Mustard on the hot beef. It seasons the meat and helps the mushroom layer stick.
- Bone-dry duxelles. Mushrooms cooked until the pan is completely dry cannot release water into the pastry.
- Crepes as a barrier. Thin crepes soak up the juices that would otherwise soften the pastry, Margaret’s secret.
- Chilled twice and baked on a hot sheet. A cold parcel holds its shape, and the hot metal crisps the bottom from the first minute.
Ingredients
Serves 6 from a 2 pound center-cut fillet. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the beef
- 1 center-cut beef tenderloin fillet, about 2 pounds (900g), trimmed and tied
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon fine salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
For the mushroom duxelles
- 1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms (680g)
- 2 tablespoons butter (30g)
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and pepper
For the crepes
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (65g)
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup milk (160ml)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter, plus a little for the pan
- A pinch of salt
To wrap and finish
- 1 pound puff pastry (450g), thawed in the refrigerator
- 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
- Flaky salt
Ask the butcher for a center-cut piece of even thickness so it cooks evenly from end to end. All butter puff pastry gives the best flavor and the deepest color.
How to make beef Wellington
Prepare the layers
- Pat the fillet dry and season it all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over high heat until it shimmers, and sear the beef on every side, including the ends, about 2 minutes per side, until deep brown. Take it out, brush it all over with the mustard while hot and let it cool, then remove the string.
- Pulse the mushrooms in a food processor until very finely chopped. Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat, add the shallots and garlic for 1 minute, then the mushrooms and thyme. Cook, stirring, for 15 to 20 minutes, until all the liquid has gone and the mixture is dry and clumps together. Season and spread on a plate to cool.
- Whisk the flour, egg, milk, melted butter and salt into a smooth thin batter. Cook 4 to 5 thin crepes in a lightly buttered 8 inch skillet, about 1 minute per side, and stack them on a plate.
Wrap and bake
- Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on the counter. Overlap the crepes on it in a rectangle big enough to wrap the beef. Spread the cold duxelles evenly over the crepes.
- Set the beef along one edge and roll it up tightly in the crepes and mushrooms, using the plastic to help. Twist the ends to make a firm log and chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll the puff pastry on a floured counter into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick and large enough to wrap the log. Unwrap the beef, set it in the middle, brush the pastry edges with egg yolk, fold the pastry around it and press to seal, trimming any thick overlaps. Turn it seam side down.
- Brush all over with egg yolk, score a light crosshatch on top with the back of a knife and chill for 20 minutes. Meanwhile put a baking sheet in the oven and heat it to 425 degrees (220°C).
- Brush once more with egg yolk and sprinkle with flaky salt. Slide the Wellington, on its parchment, onto the hot baking sheet.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden and a thermometer pushed into the center of the beef reads 120 degrees (49°C) for medium rare.
- Rest for 10 minutes before slicing thickly with a serrated knife.
Tips that make the difference
- Keep cooking the mushrooms longer than you think. When you drag a spoon across the pan, it should leave a dry track.
- Everything must be cold when the pastry goes on. Warm beef melts the butter in the pastry before it reaches the oven.
- Use a thermometer. The pastry color does not tell you how the beef is doing inside.
- Do not skip the rest. Sliced too soon, the juices run onto the board and into the bottom crust.
Variations
- Individual Wellingtons. Use 6 thick fillet steaks, wrapped one by one, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Spinach layer. Lay wilted, squeezed-dry spinach leaves over the crepes before the mushrooms.
- Herb crust. Mix chopped parsley into the duxelles for a greener, fresher layer.
- Mushroom gravy. Serve with a brown gravy made with beef broth and the pan juices from searing.
Storage and make-ahead
The wrapped, unbaked Wellington can be chilled for up to 24 hours before baking. Brush with egg yolk just before it goes in.
Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat slices in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes so the pastry crisps again.
Beef Wellington does not freeze well once baked; the pastry turns soft when thawed.
Frequently asked questions
How do I stop beef Wellington getting a soggy bottom?
Cook the mushrooms completely dry, use the crepe layer, chill the parcel well and bake it on a preheated baking sheet.
What temperature should the beef be?
Take it out at 120 degrees for medium rare; it rises a few degrees while it rests. For medium, 130 degrees.
Was it really named for the Duke of Wellington?
That is the popular story, but no old record proves it. Margaret’s view is that it is a good story either way.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Wrap it in pastry up to a day ahead, keep it chilled, and bake it when your guests arrive.
Make it once for somebody’s birthday, the way Margaret did for mine, and they will talk about it for years.
Beef Wellington (Margaret's Way, with Crepes for a Crisp Bottom)
Classic beef Wellington: a seared beef fillet brushed with mustard, wrapped in dry mushroom duxelles and thin crepes, chilled, then wrapped in puff pastry and baked golden with a crisp bottom and a rosy center.
Ingredients
- 1 center-cut beef tenderloin fillet, about 2 pounds (900g), trimmed and tied
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon fine salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
- 1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon melted butter, plus a little for the pan
- A pinch of salt
- 1 pound puff pastry (450g), thawed in the refrigerator
- 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
- Flaky salt
Instructions
- Pat the fillet dry and season it all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over high heat until it shimmers, and sear the beef on every side, including the ends, about 2 minutes per side, until deep brown. Take it out, brush it all over with the mustard while hot and let it cool, then remove the string.
- Pulse the mushrooms in a food processor until very finely chopped. Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat, add the shallots and garlic for 1 minute, then the mushrooms and thyme. Cook, stirring, for 15 to 20 minutes, until all the liquid has gone and the mixture is dry and clumps together. Season and spread on a plate to cool.
- Whisk the flour, egg, milk, melted butter and salt into a smooth thin batter. Cook 4 to 5 thin crepes in a lightly buttered 8 inch skillet, about 1 minute per side, and stack them on a plate.
- Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on the counter. Overlap the crepes on it in a rectangle big enough to wrap the beef. Spread the cold duxelles evenly over the crepes.
- Set the beef along one edge and roll it up tightly in the crepes and mushrooms, using the plastic to help. Twist the ends to make a firm log and chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll the puff pastry on a floured counter into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick and large enough to wrap the log. Unwrap the beef, set it in the middle, brush the pastry edges with egg yolk, fold the pastry around it and press to seal, trimming any thick overlaps. Turn it seam side down.
- Brush all over with egg yolk, score a light crosshatch on top with the back of a knife and chill for 20 minutes. Meanwhile put a baking sheet in the oven and heat it to 425 degrees (220°C).
- Brush once more with egg yolk and sprinkle with flaky salt. Slide the Wellington, on its parchment, onto the hot baking sheet.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden and a thermometer pushed into the center of the beef reads 120 degrees (49°C) for medium rare.
- Rest for 10 minutes before slicing thickly with a serrated knife.
