Tags: dinner - beef
Active Time: 1 hour
Passive Time: 2 hours + overnight rest
Serves: 6-8

Beef wellington, whole tenderloin

Adapted from Serious Eats and Skillet Lifehacker

• Beef tenderloin: center cut (aka Chateubriand), trimmed of silverskin and fat, about 2 pounds
• Kosher salt: to taste
• Black pepper: to taste
  
  
• Neutral oil: 2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp
  
  
• Prepared horseradish: 2 tbsp
• Dijon mustard: 1 tbsp
  
  
• Mushrooms: 1 lb, cleaned, trimmed, and roughly chopped
  
  
• Unsalted butter: 4 tbsp
  
  
• Shallots: 2 medium, finely sliced (about 1/2 cup)
• Thyme leaves: 2 tsp, fresh, finely minced
  
  
• Cognac: 1/2 cup
  
  
• Heavy cream: 1/2 cup
• Soy sauce: 2 tsp
  
  
• Fillo dough: 1 sheet
• Prosciutto di Parma: 1/4 lb, sliced paper thin
• Foie gras pate: 4 oz
• Flour: for dusting
• Frozen puff pastry: 14 oz, thawed
• Egg: 1, beaten
  
  
• Coarse sea salt: to taste
• Chives: 1 bunch, fineley minced
  
  

• You can do this without a sous vide, just cook at 425F for 35-45 minutes. The internal temp should be 110F for rare and 120F for medium rare. The sous vide takes the guesswork out of beef wellington, since getting the balance right can be difficult
• Spicy brown or hot English mustard can be subbed for Dijon
• Kenji suggests button, cremini, shiitake, portabello, or a mix of mushrooms
• Brandy or barrel-aged bourbon can be subbed for cognac
• Kenji suggests replacing foie gras pate with fresh foie gras cut into slabs and fried
• Lifehacker suggests a 1:1 dijon:wasabi mayo mix - you can play around with this

1. Preheat sous vide to 130F
2. Using butcher's twine, tie tenderloin at 1 inch intervals. Trim ends of twine. Season liberally with salt and pepper
3. Place in sous vide and cook for 1 hour
4. Cool the tenderloin and refrigerate overnight
5. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet over high heat until smoking. Add tenderloin and cook without moving until well-browned on first side, about 2 minutes. Rotate tenderloin and continue cooking until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a large plate
6. Combine horseradish, mustard, and 1 tsp black pepper in a small bowl. When tenderloin is cool enough to handle, cut off and discard twine, then rub on all surfaces with horseradish mixture. Place in refrigerator uncovered
7. Place half the mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped, scraping down sides and redistributing mushrooms with spatula as necessary, about 10 short pulses. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with remaining mushrooms
8. Heat butter in a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have exuded all their liquid and start to sizzle, about 8 minutes. Continue cooking until mushrooms begin to brown and leave browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, about 4 minutes longer. Add shallots and thyme and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes
9. Add brandy. Scrape bottom of skillet with silicone spatula or wooden spoon to release browned bits. Continue to cook until brandy is nearly dry, about 4 minutes. Add heavy cream and soy sauce and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick and collects in one large mass when you shake the skillet. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and place in refrigerator
10. Lay a double layer of plastic wrap about 2 feet long and 1 foot side on your cutting board. Lay fillo dough on top of plastic wrap. Shingle prosciutto on top of fillo to create a thin, even, overlapping layer, leaving a 2 inch border along the bottom and top of fillo dough. Spread mushroom mixture on top of this
11. Place tenderloin along the very bottom edge of the ham/mushroom layer. Spread sliced foie gras pate evenly over the top of the tenderloin. Carefully roll tenderloin in mushroom, ham, and fillo, using the plastic wrap to help tighten as you roll. Once beef is completely rolled up, re-wrap with more plastic wrap, twisting the ends to make sure roll is very tight. Return to refrigerator
12. Dust board or countertop lightly with flour. Spread puff pasty on board and, using a rolling pin, roll into a rectangle at least 4 inches wider than the beef roll on its shorter side
13. Unwrap the beef roll and place along very bottom edge of puff pastry with the fois gras pate side facing up. Brush 6 inches of puff pastry just above beef roll with beaten egg. Carefully roll the beef in the puff pastry until it is completely wrapped. You should end up with the foie gras side facing up again, with the puff pastry seam meeting on the bottom. Trim pastry with sharp knife
14. Fold sides of puff pastry protruding from either end of the beef roll towards the center, then fold the top flaps down. Trim off the bottom flaps carefully
15. Roll entire beef roll over so that the bottom is facing up, then fold up the end flaps to seal completely. Roll beef back right side up. Transfer to a plate and chill for at least 30 minutes
16. Adjust the oven rack to center position and preheat to 450F. Transfer wellington to a foil-lined baking sheet and brush all over with beaten egg. Use a sharp paring knife to score a decorative pattern in the pastry. Sprinkle liberally with coarse sea salt. Bake until pastry is golden brown and the center has warmed up to about 112F. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes
17. Use a thin spatula to loosen wellington from foil, then carefully transfer to carving board. Slice off the ends with a sharp knife. Carve wellington, sprinkle cut surfaces with chives and more coarse salt, and serve