Healthier Beef Wellington Recipes

BEEF WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place beef in a small baking dish, and spread with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned. Remove from pan, and allow to cool completely. Reserve pan juices.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and mushrooms in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool.
• Mix together pate and 2 tablespoons softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Spread pate over beef. Top with onion and mushroom mixture.
• Roll out the puff pastry dough, and place beef in the center. Fold up, and seal all the edges, making sure the seams are not too thick. Place beef in a 9x13 inch baking dish, cut a few slits in the top of the dough, and brush with egg yolk.
• Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10 to 15 more minutes, or until pastry is a rich, golden brown. Set aside, and keep warm.
• Place all reserved juices in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir in beef stock and red wine; boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Strain, and serve with beef.

BEEF WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Preheat a large frying pan on a high heat. Rub the beef all over with sea salt and black pepper. Pour a good lug of oil into the pan, then add the beef, 1 knob of butter and 1 sprig of rosemary.
• Sear the beef for 4 minutes in total, turning regularly with tongs, then remove to a plate.
• Wipe out the pan and return to a medium heat. Peel the onion and garlic, then very finely chop with the mushrooms and put into the pan with the remaining knob of butter and another lug of oil.
• Strip in the rest of the rosemary leaves and cook for 15 minutes, or until soft and starting to caramelise, stirring regularly.
• Toss the livers and Worcestershire sauce into the pan and cook for another few minutes, then tip the contents onto a large board and drizzle with the truffle oil (if using).
• Finely chop it all by hand with a big knife, to a rustic, spreadable consistency. Taste and season to perfection, then stir in the breadcrumbs (you can use pancakes to line the pastry and absorb the juices, but I prefer using breadcrumbs like this).
• Preheat the oven to 210°C/425°F/gas 7.
• On a flour-dusted surface, roll out the pastry to 30cm x 40cm. With one of the longer edges in front of you, spread the mushroom pâté over the pastry, leaving a 5cm gap at either end and at the edge furthest away from you - eggwash these edges.
• Sit the beef on the pâté then, starting with the edge nearest to you, snugly wrap the pastry around the beef, pinching the ends to seal.
• Transfer the Wellington to a large baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, with the pastry seal at the base, and brush all over with eggwash (you can prep to this stage, then refrigerate until needed - just get it out 1½ hours before cooking so it's not fridge-cold).
• When you're ready to cook, heat the tray on the hob for a couple of minutes to start crisping up the base, then transfer to the oven and cook for 40 minutes for blushing, juicy beef - the two end portions will be more cooked, but usually some people prefer that.
• For the gravy, peel and roughly chop the onions and put into a large pan on a medium heat with a lug of oil and the thyme leaves. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, then stir in the jam and simmer until shiny and quite dark.
• Add the Madeira, flame with a match, cook away, then stir in the mustard and flour, gradually followed by the stock. Simmer to the consistency you like, then blend with a stick blender and pass through a sieve, or leave chunky.
• Once cooked, rest the Wellington for 5 minutes, then serve in 2cm-thick slices with the gravy and steamed greens.

CLASSIC BEEF WELLINGTONS

Steps:

• Sprinkle steaks with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In a large skillet, brown steaks in 1 tablespoon oil for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and refrigerate until chilled., In the same skillet, saute mushrooms and onion in remaining oil until tender. Stir in remaining salt and pepper; cool to room temperature., Preheat oven to 425°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each puff pastry sheet into a 14x9-1/2-in. rectangle. Cut into two 7-in. squares (use scraps to make decorative cutouts if desired). Place a steak in the center of each square; top with mushroom mixture. Lightly brush pastry edges with water. Bring opposite corners of pastry over steak; pinch seams to seal tightly., Place in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Cut four small slits in top of pastry. Arrange cutouts over top if desired. Brush with egg., Bake 25-30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 135°; medium, 140°; medium-well, 145°).

BEEF WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.
• Sit the 1kg beef fillet on a roasting tray, brush with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with pepper, then roast for 15 mins for medium-rare or 20 mins for medium. When the beef is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven to cool, then chill in the fridge for about 20 mins.
• While the beef is cooling, chop 250g chestnut (and wild, if you like) mushrooms as finely as possible so they have the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. You can use a food processor to do this, but make sure you pulse-chop the mushrooms so they don't become a slurry.
• Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil and 50g butter in a large pan and fry the mushrooms on a medium heat, with 1 large sprig fresh thyme, for about 10 mins stirring often, until you have a softened mixture.
• Season the mushroom mixture, pour over 100ml dry white wine and cook for about 10 mins until all the wine has been absorbed. The mixture should hold its shape when stirred.
• Remove the mushroom duxelle from the pan to cool and discard the thyme.
• Overlap two pieces of cling film over a large chopping board. Lay 12 slices prosciutto on the cling film, slightly overlapping, in a double row.
• Spread half the duxelles over the prosciutto, then sit the fillet on it and spread the remaining duxelles over.
• Use the cling film's edges to draw the prosciutto around the fillet, then roll it into a sausage shape, twisting the ends of cling film to tighten it as you go.
• Chill the fillet while you roll out the pastry.
• Dust your work surface with a little flour. Roll out a third of the 500g pack of puff pastry to a 18 x 30cm strip and place on a non-stick baking sheet.
• Roll out the remainder of the 500g pack of puff pastry to about 28 x 36cm.
• Unravel the fillet from the cling film and sit it in the centre of the smaller strip of pastry.
• Beat the 2 egg yolks with 1 tsp water and brush the pastry's edges, and the top and sides of the wrapped fillet.
• Using a rolling pin, carefully lift and drape the larger piece of pastry over the fillet, pressing well into the sides.
• Trim the joins to about a 4cm rim. Seal the rim with the edge of a fork or spoon handle.
• Glaze all over with more egg yolk and, using the back of a knife, mark the beef Wellington with long diagonal lines taking care not to cut into the pastry.
• Chill for at least 30 mins and up to 24 hrs. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
• Brush the Wellington with a little more egg yolk and cook until golden and crisp - 20-25 mins for medium-rare beef, 30 mins for medium. Allow to stand for 10 mins before serving in thick slices.

THE ULTIMATE BEEF WELLINGTON

Steps:

• For the Duxelles:
• 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 saute pan and set over medium heat. Add the shallot and mushroom mixture and saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
• For the Beef:
• To prepare the beef: Tie the tenderloin in 4 places so it holds its cylindrical shape while cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil - about 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile set out your prosciutto on a sheet of plastic wrap (plastic needs to be about a foot and a half in length so you can wrap and tie the roast up in it) on top of your cutting board. Shingle the prosciutto so it forms a rectangle that is big enough to encompass the entire filet of beef. Using a rubber spatula cover evenly with a thin layer of duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. When the beef is seared, remove from heat, cut off twine and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard. Allow to cool slightly, then roll up in 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. Roll it up tightly in plastic wrap and twist the ends to seal it completely and hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to ensure it maintains its shape.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Depending on the size of your sheets you may have to overlap 2 sheets and press them together. Remove beef from refrigerator and cut off plastic. Set the beef in the center of the pastry and fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the beef - saving ends to use as a decoration on top if desired. 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 using the tip of a paring knife ¿ this creates vents that will allow the steam to escape when cooking. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and rest before cutting into thick slices. Garnish with minced chives, and serve with Green Peppercorn Sauce, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic, and Warm Wilted Winter Greens.
• Add olive oil to pan after removing beef. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme; saute for 1 to 2 minutes, then, off heat, add brandy and flambe using a long kitchen match. After flame dies down, return to the heat, add stock and reduce by about half. Strain out solids, then add 2 cups cream and mustard. Reduce by half again, then shut off heat and add green peppercorns.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F and place a baking sheet inside to heat.
• Add potatoes, rosemary, sage, thyme, and garlic to a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Remove sheet pan from oven, lightly coat with olive oil, and pour potatoes onto pan. Place potatoes in oven and reduce heat to 425 degrees F. Roast for 20 minutes, or until crispy on outside and tender on inside.
• Cook honey and balsamic together over medium-high heat in a large saute pan, about 5 minutes. Toast walnuts in a small skillet; set aside to cool.
• Pile greens on a platter. Stir mustard into balsamic-honey dressing, then whisk in about 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil; pour over greens. Season greens with salt and pepper and garnish with walnuts, pomegranate seeds, shavings of Parmesan, and shallot.

BEEF WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set it aside. Place a wire baking rack on a sheet pan and set aside.
• Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste. When the pan is hot, add the cooking spray. Add the meat. Sear, turning it occasionally, until the meat is a deep golden brown all over, about 4 minutes total.
• While the meat is searing, pulse the mushrooms, in two batches, in a food processor until they are very finely chopped.
• Remove the skillet from the heat, and transfer the meat to the wire baking rack set over the sheet pan. Spray the skillet with cooking spray and place it over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and about half of the thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots start to become tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Raise the heat to high. Add the mushrooms to the skillet. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the liquid has mostly evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add the sherry and cook for another minute. Add the pâté and stir until it is fully incorporated into the mushrooms. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Let it cool slightly.
• On a work surface, lay down 1 sheet of phyllo. Spray the phyllo lightly and evenly with cooking spray. Sprinkle it with one quarter of the remaining thyme. Repeat the process with the remaining 3 sheets of phyllo, stacking the sheets as you go.
• Working with the shorter side of the phyllo toward you, spread the mushroom mixture over the lower half half of the phyllo, leaving a 1-inch border on the sides. Place the beef on top of the mushroom mixture. Fold up the sides of the phyllo on the right and left of the beef to encase it. Roll up the beef in the phyllo.
• Place the beef-phyllo package, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Spray the package lightly with cooking spray. Season it with salt and pepper.
• Roast until the meat is medium-rare, about 20 minutes. Let the Beef Wellington rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
• Phyllo dough is low in fat and contains no saturated fat or trans fats, and no cholesterol. It's light and flaky, and as long as you use butter-flavored cooking spray and/or olive oil cooking spray between layers rather than real melted butter or olive oil it's a perfect low-fat/low-calorie swap for most recipes that call for dough of any kind.
• Fat: 91.3g (before), 11.7g (after)
• Calories: 1,156 (before), 335 (after)
• Protein: 38g
• Carbohydrates: 17g
• Cholesterol: 123mg
• Fiber: 2g
• Sodium: 352mg

TRADITIONAL BEEF WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Place mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor. Blend to a very fine consistency.
• Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and 1 pinch salt and pepper. Cook until moisture evaporates and mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Lightly season strip steak with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan over high heat and add olive oil. Sear strip lightly on all sides to seal in juices, 5 to 7 minutes total, making sure not to overcook. Remove and baste with English mustard.
• Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and place prosciutto on top in 2 rows of 4, overlapping them. Spread mushrooms evenly on top. Place steak in the center and roll prosciutto tightly around it. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, twisting the ends. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Roll out pastry sheet; unwrap steak and place in the center. Mix egg and water in a bowl to make egg wash. Apply egg wash to the edges of the pastry using a pastry brush. Fold pastry tightly around steak. Chill for 5 minutes.
• Brush egg wash over the pastry and sprinkle sea salt on top. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pastry turns golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing into 1-inch pieces.