Beef Wellington with Truffle Red Wine Sauce

Beef Wellington slice with sauce being poured using a spoon.

5 from 3 votes

Beef Wellington with Truffle Red Wine Sauce

The ultimate restaurant-quality Beef Wellington with no soggy bottoms. Tender filet mignon wrapped in savory mushroom duxelles, prosciutto, and a secret crêpe layer for guaranteed crispy pastry. Served with a rich, glossy Truffle Red Wine Sauce

Prep Time1

Cook Time45

Resting/Chilling2

Total Time3 45

Course: Christmas, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day

Cuisine: British, French

Keyword: FIne Dining, mushrooms, Roast Beef, Steakhouse

Servings: People

Author: Karina Carrel

Ingredients

Stage 1, The Prep

1.3 lb Beef fillet tenderloin, center cut.
2 tbsp Olive Oil for frying
½ tbsp salt to taste for the meat
¼ tbsp pepper to taste for the meat
2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
18 oz mushrooms fresh, Cremini, Swiss Brown or Button
1 tbsp butter for frying
2 large shallots finely chopped
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp thyme leaves chopped
1 tbsp garlic paste or 3 cloves of fresh garlic crushed
1 pinch salt for the Duxelles to taste
1 pinch pepper for the Duxelles to taste
1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped

For the Thyme Crêpe

2 large eggs
⅔ cup all purpose flour
½ cup milk
1 pinch salt to taste
½ tbsp fresh thyme leaves chopped

Stage 2, The Assembly

12 slices Prosciutto thin sliced
18 oz pure butter puff pastry
2 large egg yolks for the egg wash
1 tbsp water for the egg wash

Stage 3, The Bake & Sauce

1 cup red wine cabernet sauvignon (see blog above)
½ cup madeira or port wine
1 large shallot minced
10 black peppercorns crushed
2 cups beef stock low sodium
1 tbsp cornstarch with a splash of water
1 tbsp butter unsalted
1 piece dark chocolate about 10g (1 teaspoon)
1 tbsp truffle paste or 1 small truffle
2 pinch salt to taste

US - Metric

Instructions

Stage 1, The Prep

Coat the beef with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Sear quickly in a smoking hot pan on all sides until browned (max 30 seconds per side). We aren't cooking it, just coloring it. Set aside to cool completely. Once cool, brush strictly with Dijon mustard.
Clean mushrooms and place in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped (resembling coarse sand). Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, shallots, and onion powder. Add thyme, garlic paste, salt, and pepper. Cook for roughly 20 minutes, stirring, until all liquid has evaporated and the mixture is a dry paste. Stir in parsley. Chill completely.
Make the Crêpe: Whisk eggs, flour, milk, salt, and thyme until smooth. Pour into a lightly oiled non-stick pan to make large, thin crêpes (make 2-3 just in case). Set aside to cool.

Stage 2, The Assembly

Layering: Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on your bench. Arrange prosciutto slices in a slightly overlapping rectangle. Spread the cold mushroom duxelles evenly over the ham.
The First Roll: Place the beef fillet at the bottom of the rectangle. Use the plastic wrap to lift and roll the beef tightly into the ham and mushrooms. Twist the ends of the plastic like a candy wrapper to create a tight log.
The Chill (Crucial): Refrigerate this log for at least 1 hour.
The Crêpe Roll: Unwrap the beef. Lay out fresh plastic wrap, place your thyme crêpe down, and place the beef log on top. Roll it up so the crêpe encases the ham. Wrap tightly and chill for another 30 mins.
The Pastry: Unroll puff pastry. Remove plastic from beef. Place beef on pastry and roll to encase, overlapping edges by 1 inch. Seal with a little egg wash. Place seam-side down on a lined baking tray.
Decorate: Brush entire pastry with egg wash (yolks + water). Use the back of a knife to score a pattern or use extra pastry to make leaves. My secret to this is to use another sheet of pastry and use a Pastry Lattice Roller Cutter. See my video on how to make this.

Stage 3, The Bake & Sauce

Bake: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F (180°C) and bake for another 25-30 minutes until golden deep brown. (Aim for 127°F / 53°C internal temp).
Rest: Let it rest for 15 minutes. This keeps the juices in the meat, not on your cutting board.
The Truffle Sauce: While baking, boil red wine, Madeira, shallot, and peppercorns until reduced by 3/4. Add beef stock and boil 3 minutes. Strain to remove peppercorn and shallot remains.
Finish: Mix cornstarch with a splash of water and whisk into sauce to thicken. Turn off heat. Whisk in butter and dark chocolate until glossy. Stir in truffle paste. Salt to taste.
To Serve: Slice the Wellington into thick, generous slabs. Serve with the Truffle Sauce poured around the base of the beef (don't pour it over the crispy pastry!).

Video

Notes

Fresh vs. Dried Mushrooms I highly recommend using fresh Cremini or Swiss Brown mushrooms for the best texture. If you must use dried, use 3 oz (80g). You must soak them in boiling water for 20 minutes, drain them, and then squeeze them violently dry in a tea towel. Any excess water will ruin your pastry.
The "Soggy Bottom" Prevention The most common mistake is undercooking the mushrooms. You must cook the duxelles until it is a thick, dry paste that sticks to the pan. If it looks wet, keep cooking!
Make Ahead / Freezing:
- Fridge: You can assemble the Wellington fully (up to step 8), wrap it tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. This actually helps it hold its shape better!
- Freezer: You can freeze the uncooked log (wrapped in plastic, then foil) for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before baking.
The Alcohol-Free Sauce If you do not consume alcohol, swap the Red Wine and Madeira for high-quality Beef Stock (low sodium). Add 1 tbsp of Balsamic Glaze or Worcestershire sauce to mimic the depth of flavor.
Pork Substitute If you do not eat pork, substitute the Prosciutto with Bresaola (air-dried beef) or very thinly sliced Turkey Ham. Alternatively, use a layer of blanched spinach (squeezed completely dry).
Don't have a Food Processor? You can chop the mushrooms by hand, but you must chop them extremely finely (almost like mince). Large chunks of mushroom will make the Wellington lumpy and difficult to roll tight.
Oven Temperatures All ovens vary. If your Wellington is browning too fast but the internal temp is still low, loosely cover the pastry with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
The "Secret" Ingredient Do not skip the dark chocolate in the sauce! It acts as an emulsifier, giving the sauce a professional glossy shine and a velvety texture that butter alone cannot achieve. It does not make the sauce sweet.

Nutrition