Beef Wellington with Dijon Cream Sauce
By Naperville Magazine
December 2023 View more Recipe
By Kelli Ra Anderson
Decadent. Rich. Stunning. With golden puff pastry, savory duxelles mushroom stuffing, crepe, and prosciutto encasing a center cut of beef tenderloin, this dish is as beautiful as it is delicious. But don’t be intimidated—it’s not as complicated to prepare as it looks.
MAKES 6 servings
BEEF AND DUXELLES
INGREDIENTS
3 pounds center-cut beef tenderloin, trimmed
3 pints button mushrooms
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
2 tablespoons dry sherry
6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 pound frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg yolk, separated
12 slices prosciutto
CREPE
INGREDIENTS
½ cup flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon oil
⅔ cup milk
Pinch of salt
DIJON CREAM SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
1 cup heavy cream
2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon dry sherry
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon capers
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Liberally salt all sides of the tenderloin, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 12 hours.
2. In a food processor, mince mushrooms, garlic, and shallots.
3. Melt butter and 2 tablespoons of oil on medium heat in a large pan. Add mushroom mixture, sherry, and minced thyme and cook down to nearly a dry paste. Season to taste. Cool.
4. In a heavy pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over high heat. Sear tenderloin on each side, including ends, 2 minutes each. Remove. Brush warm tenderloin on all sides with Dijon mustard. Set aside to cool.
5. In a blender mix the crepe ingredients into a thin batter (add small amounts of water, if necessary, to reach consistency of heavy cream). Chill 30 minutes.
6. Butter a nonstick pan over medium heat. Pour in ¼ cup of the batter, twirling the skillet to form a thin circle. Cook 30 to 60 seconds (until the top is dry). Turn and brown, 10 to 20 seconds. Remove. Rebutter pan and repeat until all the batter is used.
7. On a large sheet of plastic wrap, lay out the crepes to form a rectangle large enough to encase the entire roast. Shingle with prosciutto slices.
8. Spread duxelles evenly over the prosciutto.
9. Lay the tenderloin at the base of the duxelles-covered crepes and tightly roll, one rotation. Cut away any excess.
10. Wrap the plastic wrap tightly around the roll. Grasp the edges of the plastic along its ends and roll toward you to create a taught cylinder. Refrigerate for a minimum of an hour.
11. Roll out puff pastry large enough to encompass the roll.
12. Whisk egg yolk and water to create an egg wash. Brush lightly over the puff pastry.
13. Remove the plastic from the tenderloin roll and lay at the base of the pastry. Gently roll for one rotation, tucking in the excess dough along the edges as you go.
14. Cut away excess dough (can be used to decorate the top). Pinch to seal all edges.
15. Lightly brush the roll with the egg wash before adding any decorative pastry along the top. Brush decorations with egg wash. Cut several vents to release steam.
16. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake at 425 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the internal temperature reads 125 degrees for medium-rare. (Tent the pastry with foil if it browns before the meat reaches 125 degrees.)
17. For the sauce, reduce chicken stock down to ½ cup. Add a tablespoon of butter. Then add 1 tablespoon of sherry, cream, and the capers. Season to taste.
18. Remove the Wellington at 125 degrees internal temperature. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serve with sauce.
PRO TIP: Trim the tenderloin along its length to a uniform circumference for even baking.
Photos: Kellira Media
